Toner is an amazing option to achieve all those classy hair shades. It pulls off that white platinum blonde, mushroom brown, caramel, and every trendy hair color that was impossible before.
You’ve spent hours bleaching your hair to perfection. You apply the toner, and… wait, what? It turned out way darker than you wanted? If you’ve experienced this hair disaster, you’re not alone.
But it happened, and you or your hairstylist over-toned your hair. Which made your hair too dark, and now you want to lighten or remove the toner.
There are multiple easy yet effective ways to lighten your too dark hair color left because of the toner. However, how well these options work for your dark hair color depends on how you apply them.
You can employ a purple clarifying shampoo or a combination of ketchup and baking soda to lighten your over-toned hair. I have discussed details further in this article.
After talking with our certified beautician, Ifza Rana, we have come up with the best ways you can use to lighten your hair that toner made too dark. Also, you will be able to learn what you should not do once you end up over-toning your hair.
How To Fix Too Dark-Toned Hair At Home
There are five ways to lighten your hair that’s left too dark after toner. The first four methods are mild and don’t cause hair damage, and the last one is for extreme cases.
You will need to go into the details of each method to find out the best one for lightening your hair tone.
- A combination of ketchup, baking soda, and clarifying shampoo
- Purple or Red shampoo (Only to remove brassy yellow-orange and green tones from hair)
- A combination of dandruff and clarifying shampoo
- Using Dawn dish soap
- Employing Commercial Hair color remover
For most cases, the first four ways will work best if you have used a demi-permanent tonner. However, they will take time, almost a week. We suggest these methods because they will help you lighten the dark color to a color of your choice.
But, if you want instant tonner removal, there are commercial products on the market to help you with that.
Let’s go through each option mentioned above to see how you should employ them to lighten your too dark hair due to toner.
1. Using a Combination of Ketchup and Baking Soda
This combination works great for grey or green tints you are left with after trying to tone your blonde hair. Also, it operates well for any dark tone, which you never wanted when toning your straight or curly hair.
Baking soda is our daily cleaning agent for dishes or other sanitation goals. You can even apply it on hair, but very few times.
It helps remove the extra toner from your hair. However, it also strips natural oil out of your scalp and mane. So, do not overuse it; it will be great to lighten your dark hair once or twice with baking soda.
How To Use It?
- Prepare a mixture by adding two tbsp of baking soda and 60 g of ketchup.
- You can adjust the quantity of the mixture according to your hair volume.
- Now, start applying it to your hair gradually. What does that mean?
- You should apply the mixture by picking a small number of hair strands and then move further by doing the same.
- Leave the ketchup and baking soda mixture in your hair for about 2 hours.
- Wash your hair with a good clarifying shampoo after two hours.
- Apply a good moisturizer (coconut oil and aloe vera) on your hair at the end.
- Repeat this action twice a week to get your ideal hair tone.
2. Purple or Red Shampoo for Over-Toned Hair
The purple shampoo contains violet pigments; if you know about color neutralization, you already have my point.
Purple shampoo performs best on your dark grey and brassy hair because its pigments react with grey tints and neutralize them. It pulls back the lighter or neutral color of your hair by removing toner. You can also employ this shampoo for your dark silver-tone hair.
The red shampoo does the same for the grassy green tints.
However, ensure you don’t overuse it or keep it long in your hair, especially when you have blonde hair. It may throw your desired color away and cause green or faint staining.
How To Use Purple Shampoo on Over-toned Hair?
It gradually neutralizes your over-toned mane. Therefore, you should not expect your ideal hair shade after using a purple shampoo only a single time. Here is how to apply it.
- Soak your hair with a shower.
- Now leather shampoo on it.
- Decide how much toner you want to remove.
- For slight fading of color, please keep it in your hair for one minute.
- To lighten your toned hair to a neutral color, you can keep purple shampoo in your hair for two to three mins.
- Repeat this process each day for a week, and if you achieve your perfect color by using it twice, refrain from further use.
We suggest applying a good conditioner each time you wash your hair with purple shampoo. It helps moisturize your hair because this shampoo can cause dryness.
3. Clarifying and Dandruff Shampoo
Both clarifying and dandruff shampoos contain sulfates which are good for removing the toner from your hair. Sulfates are good cleaning agents. Therefore, they fade or neutralize the dark shade of your hair.
However, these shampoos will not get you the perfect color in a single go. You have to apply them until you achieve the lighter color you want.
Clarifying shampoo is the most recommended option for gradually lightening your too-dark hair tone from the toner.
Moreover, clarifying and dandruff shampoos cause dryness and hair damage if used excessively. Therefore, speak to your hairstylist if they don’t help you. Don’t use them more than twice a week.
How to Use Them?
- You can mix both of these shampoos on your palms and then apply the mixture to your already wet hair.
- Gently massage it in your hair to get good leather.
- Leave it for one minute on your hair and then wash it.
- Rinse the mixture completely out of your hair.
- Apply a good conditioner to your damp hair, and then wash it after a few minutes.
- Subsequently, use a good moisturizer.
4. Using Dawn Dish Soap to Lighten Over-Toned Hair
Just like baking soda, dawn dish soap is a robust clarifying agent. It helps lighten your over-toned hair and works best when combined with lemon juice.
While it is safe to use dawn dish soap on your hair, it does strip oil from your hair and scalp. Therefore, overusing it may cause dryness and hair damage.
How Should You Use It?
- Brush your hair to untangle it.
- Wet your hair strands with a shower or spray bottle.
- Apply dawn dish soap to your hair and massage to create leather.
- Let the leather sit for one minute, then rinse it with simple water.
- Now, apply a handful of lemon juice all over your hair.
- Let it sit for a minute, and then take a shower.
- Make sure you rinse dish soap and lemon juice with your regular shampoo.
- Use a conditioner and then rinse after a minute.
- Dry your hair and apply coconut oil or any other good moisturizer.
- Repeat this whole process until you get the desired hair tone.
5. Commercial Hair Color Remover
Whether it is your hairstylist or your DIY technique that went wrong and has not produced desired hair tone, hair color remover can fix it with a single go. But it should be your last option or when you need an immediate fix.
Hair color remover can cause severe roughness, split ends, and dryness. Therefore, ensure your hair health can withstand it before employing any hair color remover product.
How to Use It?
Decide what you need, slight color correction or its complete removal. Mix it with your regular shampoo in a small quantity, and then use it on a small patch of your hair to see how it works.
When applying to all of your hair, make sure you use it evenly for equal color removal. Ensure you don’t leave it in your hair for more than 5 minutes.
Rinse it away with your regular shampoo and apply conditioner afterward. Also, use a good moisturizer in the end. Never think of using it twice.
What Should You Not Do to Lighten Too Dark Hair?
Some people try bleaching to lighten the dark toner on their hair. It would be best not to do this unless you haven’t tried bleaching before applying a toner. People with level 10 or 9 blonde hair don’t usually need to bleach hair before toner because they already have light hair.
Bleaching your hair twice a day can cause hair fall. Talk to your hairstylist before trying to bleach your hair after toner.
Bottom Line
When trying DIY hair toner or visiting a stylist who is not an expert, you can end up with too dark hair shade. Fortunately, you can use multiple ways to lighten your dark hair shade. The most simple, safe, and easy method is a clarifying shampoo or a dandruff shampoo.
