What is a “Real Toner”?

What is a “Real Toner”? Hi, everyone, David here, It seems that lately I have gotten many e-mails asking about "Real Toners". Because in my book, Stunning Double Process Blondes, I speak a lot about toners and what to look for in a good bleach-out. Unfortunately, this is something that most hairdressers have never heard about because double process blonding is not taught anywhere else except in my haircolor course. So I would like to try to cut through all of the confusion about toners. Today most haircolor manufacturers have quit making what I call "traditional toners". Traditional toners are toners that are mixed with a developer (hydrogen peroxide) and were made using the third-generation of color from the color wheel known as tertiary colors. Presently, most haircolor manufacturers quit making traditional toners because there is not a large demand for them so they are not a big moneymaker. Most manufacturers these days will tell you to simply use their demi-colors as a toner. Now, some demi colors work great as toners but others do not. That is why I always recommend doing a swatch test first on a small piece of hair to test your particular demi-color before you put it on all over the hair. My preference, if I am doing a very light double process blonde, is to use one of the old-fashioned traditional toners. Unfortunately, my manufacturer (Wella) has also quit making traditional toners in its more modern haircolor lines. However, they do still make traditional type toners in one of its old fashion lines called “Color Charm”. If you have been doing haircolor as long as I have, I'm sure you will remember the old Color Charm tints and toners. These days they are usually sold at discount beauty supply stores such as Sally's. That is where I go to buy these old-fashioned traditional toners. One of our Clubhouse Members recently e-mailed me saying that she has never heard of traditional toners and asked if there is such a thing as a swatch chart for toners. The answer that question is YES! There is a swatch chart for the Color Charm tints and it does include some of the toner shades. If you would like to download this swatch chart, Click here and go to my website where I have created a Secrets Download Page for you. (Look on page 9 – to the right hand side). The best way that I know to use these toners are as follows. If you want to do a double process blonde but still leave a good bit of tone in the hair such as a medium blonde, you should bring your bleach out to the gold stage and select a Color Charm toner that is in the 30s series. If you would like to make a lighter double process, bring your bleach out to the yellow stage and use a toner in the 20s series. And, finally, if your desire is to create a very light double process blonde, "almost white", bring your bleach out to pale yellow and use a toner in the 10’s (or teen’s) series. My favorite Color Charm formula for a very, very light blonde almost white color is two shades in the teen’s series. I can't remember offhand the exact numbers, but they are in the 10’s series and they are called "White Lady" and “Ivory Lady". I mixed them together 50/50 with 20-volume peroxide to achieve a beautiful white effect on a pale yellow bleach-out. I hope that this information is helpful to you and, if you have any comments or would like to share your favorite toner formulas, please do so here. Have a great week, David