Toning shampoo’s and conditioners! Here’s a great post to read it you want to maintain shiny, and controlled color during quarantine! Toning or color staining shampoo’s and conditioners are meant to shift the tone of your hair temporarily from wash to wash. They will not actually penetrate your hair shaft and change the color of your hair. This category of shampoo will not cleanse very well so I sometimes recommend to shampoo with your normal shampoo FIRST and then do a second shampoo with the color staining one. These shampoo’s could also be very drying so you only want to use them once every 2-4 weeks depending on the finish you want. It is possible to OVERUSE these shampoo’s which can then result in dulled out blonde that lacks luster and brightness. When shampooing or conditioning with the following you also want to allow the product to work. Try squeezing out all excess moisture BEFORE applying and let the product sit in your hair for 5-20 minutes! If you don’t want to spend that much time in the shower try a color staining mask and wear it while you tidy up your house, read, work from home or walk you pet!
Best purple shampoo for a silvery/ashy finish:
Fanola No Yellow Shampoo or mask. This is the whole grail of purple shampoo if you like your blonde to be as COOL as possible. I would leave in anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes depending on how cool you want it. This shampoo is a very pigmented purple shampoo- it will stain your fingertips purple a little bit! Only use once every 2-4 weeks. If your hair is a caramel tone and it’s getting a little too warm for your liking you can also use this to counteract some of the warmth. The mask works just as well! Both are available at Union Salons or Amazon.
Best shampoo for a bright/golden blonde who wants to keep their blonde bright but does not want a silver/ash finish:
Fanola No Orange Shampoo/Mask. This shampoo is great to cool down blondes without the silvery/ashy finish. It makes blonde appear bright and freshly done! Use every 3-4 weeks. This will NOT tone out brass on brunettes as well as something more pigmented like the “No Yellow” or what is listed below (continue reading.) The Mask is a great option but I would keep it in no more that 10 minutes for bright blondes.
Best Anti Brassy Brunette Shampoo: I love both of these options however I feel like the Redken one is more pigmented so I like this one for brunettes who don’t have any bits of blonde in their hair. Think dark chocolate tones- caramel tones that want to maintain brass.
Redken Brownlights Blue Toning Sulfate free shampoo. This Blue pigmented shampoo counteracts with orange (brassy) tones and neutralizes to hold you over until your next toning appointment! It’s very pigmented and works really well in my opinion! Remember- squeeze out all excess water and keep it in to process. I would recommend at least 7-20 mins to process. $22.50 Ulta Beauty
Another great option for brunettes to cancel out brass is Matrix Brass Off Shampoo and Mask. This has a lower price point of $14 for shampoo and $24 for the mask, if you’re on a budget. The mask works great and my client love using it!
Best shampoo to keep a Golden warm Honey/Caramel Blonde: Gem Lights Shampoo in shade Cognac Quartz. This shampoo is SUPER shiny!! It’s what I use in my hair to maintain a pretty warm caramel tone. I get a lot of compliments on my color after using it but mostly because of the shine! $35. Amazon or I can pick one up for you at my pro beauty supply store before your next appointment, just message me a week ahead of time!
Great mask for keeping sandy/medium bronde tones: Maria Nila Color Refresh mask in Sand. Adds a nice beige tone to brondes! $19 marianila.com
Canceling red tones on deep chocolate browns: Matrix Green Envy Shampoo. This is nice for people who pull really red. Not orange, but RED! It’s pretty much green stained to neutralize as much red undertones as possible! Keep in 15-20 mins. Ulta $13
Adding depth to chocolate tones:
Maria Nila Color Refresh Mask in Cacao. This mask adds a warmth and depth that I love! Great for rich brunettes who like to stay dark! It really freshens up the color! $19 Marianila.com
I get this question a lot- can I make my hair rose gold? Lol it’s fun! In order to have a very pigmented rose gold your hair has to be dark blonde-light blonde. When I wanted a rosy hue to my blonde I would use the following and it would give my hair a nice rosy feel to it! Viral Color Light pink colorwash shampoo. Try and keep it in for at least 10-30 minutes! It will shift your blonde to a slightly warmer tone after it rinses out.
What I do NOT recommend for color staining:
Clairol shimmer lights shampoo. This shampoo is SO drying that I’ve even seen breakage for clients using it frequently. Not to mention I hate the scent! Just very hydrating and dated.
Overtone conditioners. This is marketed as a millennial Instagram add but in my experience Overtone color depositing conditioners DO NOT come out of the hair when trying to do a color change. It could even be months from when you used it last and it still won’t come out when trying to go lighter! Not sure what’s in it but it’s not ideal if you want to change up your haircolor.
Hope you enjoyed this! Can’t wait to hear your feedback!