If you're an avid hair dyer, everyone knows that the best hair toners are the not-so-secret trick that you need to be investing in to keep your locks fresh. Everybody knows that your hair always looks its best after having a cut and blow dry and using the best hair dye, or visiting a salon to freshen up the colour. We're desp to find that secret to keep hair as salon-fresh as possible and so we've been on a hunt to find the toner that suits everyone.
Stand back blondes, because there will be no more brassy days to suffer. The secret you need is right here and it's completely available online right now - from beauty shops to department stores, you'll have one ready to go in no time. What's the secret? Well, only that hair toners tint your hair in between salon visits to make your 'do look bright and bold - or subtle and sleek. Depending on what you want.
Closer's best hair toners at a glance:
Editor's choice: BLEACH LONDON White Toner Kit, £8 on Cult Beauty
Best hair toner hair drops: Charles Worthington ColourPlex UV Toning Drops 30ml, £12.72 on Amazon
Best budget hair toner: Jerome Russell Blonde Maximum Blonde Toner Atomic Blonde 75ml, £4.50 on Amazon
Look no further. We've found the best hair toners to top up, maintain and keep up your tones. These little beauties will keep your blonde hair bright (meaning you face no stress from looking for the best blonde hair dye), brunette hair chocolatey and coloured hair shining. Even better, we've enlisted the help of hair experts to really show us what to look for in our hair toners.
Now we really fancy a pamper...
SHOP: The best hair toners for at-home toning
Editor's choice
LOOKFANTASTICwww.cultbeauty.co.uk
If you're fond of bleaching your hair, you've probably heard of BLEACH LONDON at some point. With its edgy colours and bright options, its products are great for changing up your do. We love this white toner which wipes away all yellow tones.
Pros
- Strong colour results
- Neutralises any yellow pigments on blonde hair
Cons
- May be too bold if you want an everyday choice
- Perfect for blondes going platinum
- Used to get rid of yellow tones
Best hair toner toning drops
charles worthingtonSay hello to Charles Worthington's new ultra-violent toning drops, making having fresh hair even easier than ever before. With an ultra-concentrated formula, radish roots and fruit extract it's easy to use and super effective - just pop in your shampoo and go!
Pros
- Easy to use, just drop into your shampoo
- Perfect for blondes who want a quick solution
Cons
- Not suitable for brunettes
- Perfect for blondes who want to freshen up their haircare routine
Best budget hair toner
AmazonNow, we wouldn't usually go to the bargain bin for our hair care, but we couldn't resist this Jerome Russell Bblonde option that is top-rated on Amazon. At only £4.50, it's very purse-friendly and keeps your hair looking fresh.
Pros
- Great value for money
- Formulated to protect and condition hair
Cons
- May need more than one box on thicker or longer hair
- Non-permanent
- Lasts up to eight weeks
Best moisturising hair toner
aveda www.aveda.co.uk
Our experts also recommended blue toner if you have more warm tones or are brunette. This blue shampoo from Aveda doubles up to really moisturise your hair and keep your hair manageable while ridding your hair of any pesky warm tones.
Pros
- Easy to adapt to your hair routine
- Perfect for brunettes and warm tones
Cons
- Will need to use over time
- Great for brunettes, greys and brassy colours that are looking to neutralise hair colour
Best customisable hair toner
SHRINEwww.lookfantastic.com
If you find it hard to work with typical hair toners, SHRINE DROP IT may be a perf alternative for you. All you do is add a few drops into your conditioner to keep up your hair dye. Or, go all out and put up to six drops if you really want to make a statement.
Pros
- Can customise the shade with amount of drops
- Multi-use and non-permanent
Cons
- Only subtly changes hair appearance
Best hair toning shampoo
Bootswww.boots.com
Silver shampoo is perfect for those who want to neutralize their yellows the most. With cold violet pigments, your hair will be shining in no time thanks to the affordable Schwarzkopf LIVE Silver Shampoo.
Pros
- Easy to adapt to your hair routine
- Tones blonde, grey and white hair
Cons
- Can stain hands and hair if left for too long
Best for long-lasting results
BootsIf icy is more your style, get your hands on this Scott Cornwall Colour Restore toner. You can either use it as a shampoo to maintain results or leave it in longer for a more intense tone. Reviewers say they love how it made a big difference to their hair, claiming it 'removed brassy tones in under 20 minutes.' Incredible.
Pros
- Great for blondes who are looking for a cooler tone
- Can be left in longer
Cons
- May need to be used more than once for desired effect
Best highly-rated hair toner
LOOKFANTASTICwww.spacenk.com
Olaplex is known for leading the hair care community. Its masks, shampoos, conditioners and more promote bond repair and have saved all our heads of hair. Now, you can grab its toning shampoo which has purple pigment made for blondes, lightened or grey hair.
Pros
- Achieves salon results
- Cleans hair without drying out
Cons
- Have to be careful to not use it all up fast
Best high-end hair toner
SPACE NKwww.spacenk.com
Sometimes splashing out on hair care is the only thing that can make us feel better. Well, if you're looking for a toner to try, this Phillip B Icelandic Blonde Shampoo is made with plum extract and grape seed oil. It sounds super fancy and does the job of illuminating your locks.
Pros
- Good for all hair types
- Smells great
Cons
- May leave hair feeling slightly dry
Best hair toning duo
AmazonMatrix has a huge selection of tones for you to choose from, depending on what you're really looking for. This is its classic purple shampoo and conditioner, but there's also 'Dark Envy', 'Brass Off' and more.
Pros
- Formulated to protect and condition hair
- Comes as a shampoo and conditioner set
Cons
- If used too much it may have the opposite effect and could dry out hair
What is hair toner?
First, though, before we deep dive into purple and silver hair toners for those of us who have taken the plunge into the world of purple hair dye, it's best we really know what we're working with.
If you've had your hair coloured or bleached, you've probably already heard of this product in an intense session. It's hard to know what to really look for, so we spoke to SALON64's Senior Colourist, Bart Cacciapaglia, to tell us the ins and outs of what toners really do.
He says, "Toners are an incredible tool used to tweak the tone of a freshly applied colour such as highlights and bleach services like balayage.
"Toners are also a great solution to the refreshing tired old colour. For blondes or balayage that is starting to lose its impact and become dull, booking a quick toner and a blow-dry can help your colour last longer and a quick and easy answer to keeping your colour looking its best."
What hair toners do hairdressers use?
The question is, then, how do we really achieve a salon look at home? Many toners used in salons aren't available to buy on shop floors, so we want to know how to really get our locks looking fab-u-lous.
The chemicals in salon toners should only be handled by professionals so, step in, silver conditioners and purple shampoo for bleached hair, which help you achieve a similar effect. These are technically considered toners because they contain smaller portions of pigments that temporarily dye (or tone) your hair.
BobbiJo Byford, Senior Colourist at Gielly Green, has some top tips for you to upkeep your do. She says, "only ever use true semi-permanent toners such as pigmented shampoos and conditioners as they are easier to apply. They don’t contain peroxide or ammonia which means they are kinder to the hair and less likely to go wrong if used by a non-professional."
"To brighten up dull hair, you want to add warmth by using gold-pigmented conditioners. You can also remove product build-up - which can make the hair appear dull - by using cleansing shampoos or going to the salon for a vitamin C cleanse."
We'll be getting our vitamin C bookings in ASAP.
What is the best toner for brassy or yellow hair?
So, what's the sitch on these home toners, then? Mark Hill, founder of hair brand Mark Hill, let us in on the secrets of these pigmented shampoos. He said, "a shampoo toner is a quick fix to brighten your colour without any commitment. They work by depositing colour on the hair shaft and don’t penetrate into the hair which means they soon rinse out.
"They come in either blue or purple. To choose which one you need, look at your colour – is it yellowy or orangey (brassy)? If it is yellow, then pick up the purple shampoo, if it is brassy, then the blue is for you. If your hair is brunette, or you're looking for a shampoo for red hair, try the blue shampoo to get rid of any warm tones. Each brand is slightly different, so always read the instructions before you use them.
"If your hair is dry or damaged, the shampoo toner may stain your hair and last longer. I would advise you to do a small test strand first before you apply it to your full head. Try using Mark Hill Hair Lab Bond Repair to improve the condition of your hair and make it stronger before using any toner. "
What's the best brand of toner for hair?
Typically, the more expensive the brand, the better quality the hair toner. If you're looking for a toner that is more likely to give better results and reduce the amount of times you pay a visit to the hairdressers, we would suggest investing in a toner from Olaplex.
Can toner ruin your hair?
We all want that fresh salon look every day, but sadly, it's just not the same as going to our hairdressers. Professional toner that's used in salons shouldn't be used at home because of the level of chemicals - it's strictly for professional use.
So, the toners we get at home - including shampoos, conditioners and masks - are a bit safer as they're basically diluted versions of what our hairdressers use. This is so that our hair can stay as strong as possible whilst looking the best it can.
Home toner is not as harsh as bleach or pigments, but it can still break down the strands of your hair if you use them too often. We recommend using toners when you need a colour refresher. Make sure to keep your hair in shape with colour-friendly shampoos and conditioners alongside your toning routine.
Caitlin Casey was a Senior Commerce Writer for heat for three years, specialising in sex and wellness content. She has written across various publications since 2017 and covers shopping, fashion, beauty, women’s lifestyle, popular culture as well as all things trending.