Toning Hair at Home: Tips, Instructions, and FAQs for Perfect Blonde Hair

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If you want to tone your hair blonde at home, you absolutely can. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars at the salon.

With the right products (like Wella toner and developer), you can remove brassiness and get a pretty, cool blonde color right at home.

Below are my best tips for toning hair at home, plus answers to the most common questions about using Wella toner, developer, and purple shampoo.

How to Tone Hair at Home (DIY Blonde Toner Guide)

Toning your hair at home is actually pretty simple.

DIY Toning Hair at Home – Toner Instructions and Questions

Most people tone their hair after bleaching it to remove yellow or brassy tones. The toner helps create a cooler blonde shade like ash blonde or platinum blonde.

You can also tone hair without bleaching, but the results will be more subtle.

If you want a full tutorial, check out my Very Easy Makeup YouTube playlist on bleaching and toning hair at home.

You can also read these guides:

How to Tone Hair at Home - Without Bleaching Hair First

Home to Tone Hair At Home - WITH Bleaching Hair First

What Volume Developer Should I Use With Wella Toner?

If you're using Wella toner (like Wella T18), I recommend using a 20 volume developer.

A 20 volume developer will lift your hair about 1–2 levels, which helps the toner work properly.

Here’s a quick guide:

10 volume developer – weakest, minimal lift
20 volume developer – best for toning hair at home
30 volume developer – strong, usually unnecessary for toner
40 volume developer – very strong, not recommended for beginners

For most DIY toning, 20 volume developer works best.

How Often Can You Tone Your Hair With Wella T18?

If you use Wella T18 toner, I recommend toning your hair about once every 4–6 weeks.

If you tone your hair too often, you risk drying or damaging your hair.

However, if you wait longer than 6 weeks:

your roots may start to show
your blonde hair may become brassy, yellow, or orange

Most people find that toning once a month keeps their blonde looking fresh.

How Often Should You Tone Blonde Hair?

Most blonde hair needs toning every 4–6 weeks.

You may need to tone sooner if:

your hair turns brassy quickly
you spend time in the sun
you swim in chlorine
your hair was recently bleached

Using purple shampoo between toning sessions can help maintain your color longer.

What Do You Need to Tone Hair at Home?

Toning hair at home ingredients — Ingredients to Tone Hair at Home

To tone your hair yourself, you only need a few simple things.

Ingredients to Tone Hair at Home

Wella toner (like Wella T18)
20 volume developer
application bottle or bowl + brush
gloves
old towel or shirt

Mix the toner and developer according to the instructions on the box.

Should I Tone My Hair Before Dying It Pink?

No.

If you want light pink hair, you should:

Bleach your hair first
Then apply your pink hair dye

Toner is usually used to create blonde shades, not pastel fashion colors.

Should I Tone My Hair Before Dying It Blue?

No.

If you want light blue hair, you should bleach your hair first.

Blue hair dye shows up best on very light blonde hair.

Should I Tone My Hair After Bleaching?

Yes.

Most people bleach their hair first and then apply toner.

Bleaching lightens the hair to a yellow color (like a banana peel). Toner then removes the yellow tones and creates a cooler blonde shade.

Without toner, bleached hair often looks yellow or brassy.

Should I Tone My Hair Wet or Dry?

Usually, toner is applied to slightly damp hair.

However, you can also apply toner to dry hair.

Both methods work, but slightly damp hair can help distribute the toner more evenly.

I didn't get my hair wet when making this video:

How Long Should Toner Stay on Hair?

Leave toner on your hair for 20–30 minutes.

Do not leave it on longer than 30 minutes.

If this is your first time toning your hair at home, you may want to start with 15 minutes and check your results.

Can I Tone My Hair Twice in One Day?

I don’t recommend it.

Toning your hair too often can cause:

dryness
breakage
damaged hair

It’s best to wait a few weeks between toning sessions.

How Do You Rinse Toner Out of Your Hair?

Rinse toner out using cool water and a sulfate-free conditioner.

Avoid shampooing immediately after toning your hair, because it may remove some of the toner.

Can You Tone Your Hair With Purple Shampoo?

Purple shampoo helps neutralize brassy tones, but it’s not the same as toner.

Purple shampoo is best for:

maintaining blonde hair
reducing yellow tones
extending time between toning sessions

Two great options are:

Oligo Blacklight Purple Shampoo
Fanola No Yellow Shampoo

These shampoos are excellent for keeping blonde hair bright and cool-toned.

Watch: How to Tone Hair at Home

You can absolutely tone your hair yourself.

Check out this Very Easy Makeup YouTube video for step by step instructions for toning hair at home.

And please subscribe to the Very Easy Makeup YouTube Channel!

Toning Hair at Home: Tips, Instructions, and FAQs for Perfect Blonde Hair