Why do we tone our hair? Well, toning is needed if you are changing your natural hair color since a toner helps you to keep the new color of your locks. Most often, toning is used by those who change from dark natural colors to blondes or browns.
But if you are going to dye your hair with a color that differs from your natural color quite a lot, you will sooner or later face a common issue: how long should I wait to tone my hair again?
Since toning has to be done repeatedly, as you know, in order to upkeep the new hair color.
In this article, we will explain to you how often hair toning can be done and what can happen if you tone your mane too often. In addition, you will find out how exactly you should apply a hair toner along with some useful nuances of its use.
Like this, you will be aware of how to use them correctly, how often to apply toners if you need that, and how to keep your new hair color awesome longer.
How Often Can You Tone Your Hair?
This is a very frequently asked question, especially from those who are not very experienced in hair toning. How often can you put toner on your hair? Can toning somehow damage your mane if used on your hair too frequently? Let’s try to figure it out.
As you probably know, toning your hair is a chemical process. Any hair toner affects your hair since it is a chemical product, so there is a common rule of thumb: you should tone at a minimum of four weeks for your strands to fully recover.
If your hair is dry and brittle, it is best to wait for 7 to 8 weeks before toning it again.
You should never tone your hair twice in a row or in the same week just to fix an unwanted color result! Too frequent use of a hair toner can lead to significant damage to your mane, which is definitely not the result you would like to get!
Below, we suggest you learn more about some nuances of hair toning. Like this, you will become more aware of this procedure, which will allow you better understand how toners work and why certain things are better avoided.
We will also do our best to answer such questions as “can I tone my hair twice in a row?”.
Can I Tone My Hair Twice?
This is quite a common question. Is it allowed to apply hair toners twice? Well, the answer is yes and no. Let us explain. See, there is nothing bad about applying a hair toner unless you want to do it two times in a row.
Toning your hair twice during a short period of time (for example, within one or two weeks) is also not recommended. In both cases, doing so is not a good idea because toning will cause damage.
It is important that you understand one thing. Technically, you can tone your hair an unlimited amount of times. But you should always make sure that there is a distance between these sessions. Plus, pay attention to the health of your hair! Avoid toning if your hair is feeling brittle or damaged.
So, the good news is that toning is not forbidden and it can even be done multiple times! Like this, you can stop worrying that you will have to deal with your badly-toned hair for a long time since it is ok if you apply toner regularly to upkeep the color.
However, always pay attention to the frequency of your toning sessions, as well as to the condition of your mane. If you notice that your hair is brittle, frizzy, too dry or its state is somehow else worrying you, better postpone your toning session and concentrate on reviving your strands.
Risks of Toning Your Hair Too Often
Quite many people wonder what can happen to their hair if they apply toners too frequently. Well, in general, when you tone your hair too much, you face many risks that could affect the overall state of your hair.
In the section below, we will describe some of the most common dangers that can take place if you are toning your hair too often. Knowing these risks and methods of avoiding them will enable you to achieve your dream hair shade without frying your hair to oblivion.
Your Hair Can Become Damaged
The first and most common risk of toning your hair too often is that you get damaged hair. A toner is a chemical product, just like a hair dye, which means that it affects your mane anyway.
The damage caused by the toner can appear in the form of split ends and breakage most often. After overtoning your hair, it will not only look duller and frizzier, but it will feel rougher and even stringy in some cases!
This is why, if you have toned your hair way too much and you see that your mane is starting to look or feel damaged, stop toning your hair and give it some TLC. At this point, many of you might become worried that they will not be able to tone anymore.
However, just because your hair is damaged doesn’t mean you can’t ever tone your hair again! Nevertheless, you should work on bringing your hair back to life before doing so.
For better and more efficient care, do some deep conditioning treatments, limit heat usage, and style your hair less frequently. As a result, you will notice a real difference in the health of your hair before long.
Your Hair Can Dry Out
Another major risk of toning your hair too often is that you may have super dry hair. After a toning session, people often notice that their hair is slightly drier than usual.
This is quite normal and shouldn’t make you alarmed. This dryness results from the harsh ingredients of your toner that open up your cuticle before depositing the toner’s pigment.
However, if you notice that the dryness is growing and getting only worse, it’s time to become worried. The second you realize that your hair is drying out, developing split ends or frizziness, stop toning your hair and doing other chemical hair processes as well!
At this point, your major goal is to focus on keeping your hair properly hydrated. Make use of the hair care products that hydrate your strands and push back toning for as long as a few months. You will see how bouncy and revived your mane will become!
Your Hair Can Start Falling Out
This is the most extreme thing that could happen if you tone your hair too much. Your hair may start falling out because of the chemicals that the toner contains.
These components can damage your hair so badly that it gets to the point that your hair is too weak to tolerate styling or maintenance of any kind. That’s when you will notice increased hair fallout.
So if you don’t want to face any of these issues, make sure that you apply toners to your hair moderately. Avoid using this product on your hair twice in a row, and remember to develop a balanced toning schedule should you need toning regularly.
Anyway, keep in mind that there should be a one or two-weeks gap between the toning sessions! Like this, you will protect your mane and keep your hair healthy.
How Long to Wait Before Toning Again?
Since it is not recommended to apply toners too often, you are probably wondering what frequency of toning procedures would be ideal. You should wait about four weeks between toning sessions in general since every toner type varies. That’s the general rule of thumb.
So, if you were thinking about toning your hair twice in one day or twice in one week, stop! For the health of your hair, you should wait for a while.
What if your hair is already damaged from a previous toning, bleaching, or dyeing session?
In this case, you are going to wait somewhat longer, for at least 7 to 8 weeks before you tone again. As an option, you can wait until your hair is back to its normal state, but note that it may take more time.
To keep your hair as healthy as possible, do whatever you have to do to wait the appropriate amount of time before toning again. You can try wigs or wear your hair in a low ponytail to make the color less noticeable until you can re-tone it.
To help you out a bit, we are going to familiarize you with the most common types of toners.
Like this, you will find out what waiting time is best for each of them. As a result, next time you will be toning your hair, you will know for sure how much time you should wait until your tresses can be ree-toned again.
- Semi-permanent or demi-permanent toner is the average toner that lasts anywhere from 4-6 weeks. So you should wait that long before using it again
- Permanent toners, which have to be used with a 20-volume developer, last much longer. They should not be applied multiple times over the course of a couple of months
However, keep in mind that some types of hair toners are considered temporary rinses, which means that they can be used as needed without any serious damage. This is why we would recommend you consult your hair colorist for help and advice.
How to Use Hair Toner At Home?
In order to keep your hair color in a decent state and also protect the mane from damage that might be caused by the toner, it is important that you know some specifics of this product’s application.
- Apply the toner to dry or damp hair. The dampness can make the application easier, but your hair should not be soaking wet!
- Depending on the color correction needed, apply the toner on areas that require toning, or apply it in the middle section of your hair
- When applying the toner, work down to the tips and up to the roots
- Leave the toner for 5 to 20 minutes. If you want to check if the desired shade is reached, wash a small part of your hair only
- Never leave the toner longer than 20 minutes on your hair!
It can happen that you didn’t get the shade that you want. In this case, do not repeat the toning procedure on the same day or week! Wait for a required amount of time until your strands are strong enough to handle the process.
Well, now you know more about toning your hair. We explained to you how often your hair should be toned if you want to both keep the color last and protect the mane from damage. In addition, you learned what damage exactly hair toners might cause if used way too often.
In addition, you are now aware of the general frequency of use for different types of hair toners. With all that in mind, toning your hair will be much easier for you.
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