The Difference Between Hair Dye And Hair Toner Explained
top of page
  • Writer's pictureThe Shampoo Lounge

The Difference Between Hair Dye And Hair Toner Explained


Maintaining your hair properly means learning new products and ingredients that can help keep the integrity of your hair. While anyone who has headed to the salon before knows what hair dye is and the capacity that it's used in, not many are aware of what a hair toner can do. While hair toner and dye might be used in the same process, they aren't the same concept. Hair dye leaves behind a more noticeable change, while toner is brought in more when the color needs adjusting. However, there are other factors to be aware of between hair toner and dye to keep your hair looking and feeling great.


For anyone who has set foot into a salon, you've likely been told about needing to use a hair toner after the dying process. Although it's common to be recommended, it's not a standard household product. On the other hand, hair dye is available in almost any haircare section in every format imaginable. Nevertheless, these two products are essential for creating salon-ready hair.


Hair toner is not as permanent

Setting aside hair dye, hair toner is a liquid used to help counterbalance and maintain color-treated hair. After dying your hair, it's normal to start turning different shades. Depending on your hair color and how your strands react to the hair dye, your hair may turn orange or yellow. Hair toner can help neutralize brassy and yellow hair to help keep it as close to the finished product from the salon. You can use hair toner with any hair dye process, but it is most common in those going from brunette to blond.


One of the reasons you won't find hair toner in every vanity is that it requires a certain level of expertise. While it's easy to pick up a box dye to change your hair color, hair toner should be done by a hair coloring expert to ensure you are applying it to the correct sections of the hair. Unlike hair dye, toner is applied every two weeks and is a less permanent technique. Toner is also used to soften the hair color since it's less aggressive and dangerous than hair dye.

Hair dye is stronger

On the other hand, hair dye is a more standard product that is widely known. Hair dye is a mixture applied to the hair strands to change the hair's pigment. Unlike hair toner, dye directly changes the hair color by seeping past the hair cuticle. Reaching more deeply into the strand, hair dye can have a more prolonged effect on the hair. Once hair dye infiltrates the cuticle, the color can change depending on how your hair reacts. At that moment, toner would neutralize the hair to get closer to your desired result.


Lasting around five to seven weeks, hair dye will give you a longer life and a few weeks longer than toner since it penetrates deeper into the hair. As opposed to toner, applying hair dye is a bit more straightforward and can be done from the comfort of your home. For those looking for a quick change they can do themselves, you'll need to head for a hair dye that can do the trick. On the other hand, someone looking to improve their hair coloring should head to the salon for a hair toner treatment.


Get yourself a new hair color today with The Shampoo Lounge.


The Shampoo Lounge has been attending to an international and Indonesian clientele since 2012 so check out our instagram, our website and our TripAdvisor reviews! We can’t wait to have you in.




Article written by Leslie Leon for Glam.com


bottom of page