Beauty

[curlygirl13]

My hairdresser always tones me!! If she didn't my highlights would be platnium blonde and that's not the look I'm going for!! I like them carmel color. So she tones me for 6 minutes after the highlighting and washing out the foils. And sometimes, I need her to do it again because some pieces don't take well. I, too, have brunette har to begin with. 

[tends2dogs]

@Theresa1121   So your stylist gives a great haircut.  That in itself is worth going to her for. I would never give up someone that gave me a cut I loved because I didn't like their colorwork.   You don't have to use her for color.  Believe me, I really doubt she is going to ask you where you got your color done if you go to her just for a cut.

I would think long and hard about coloring your whole head one color.  You would be entering into a constant root touch up merry go round. 

[FiddleDeeDee]

@Theresa1121  I don't know if this will help/answer your question but this is my experience.

I have very dark brown hair with a LOT of red in it (Irish). The red would be great if it was a nice deep burgandy red. It is not. It comes up as orange like a bad dye job. HATE it. I  use a dark green shampoo and conditioner to pull out/tone down the brassiness. 

Now, half of my hair is gray (not white but old dentures yellow gray) and the other half is not. So every 4 weeks I go have my roots done. Because my hair is so dark and because it's so coarse and frizzes unless I iron it, the color looks flat. Adding a gloss to the dye does nothing to my hair. So, we balayage it and add highlights. The combo makes my hair (mid back in length with layers) suddenly give my hair dimension; it moves and looks alive and the layers are shown off. She uses caramel for highlighting, deep burgundy mixed with dark (almost black) green and something else. She paints everything on with a small brush (different brush for each shade) and it's amazing. She ALWAYS uses a toner with it. Always. The reason is it helps to cut the red in my hair and cool it down. It acts like final glaze and adds something color-wise to my hair doesn't look brassy in the sun. I can tell you that her color jobs and her cuts on long hair is why she never has an empty chair.

Now, if you don't like the color you're getting, that's a different thing. Not everyone is great at colors. I know someone who works in a salon and can NOT cut hair. Doesn't even try because she's horrible at it. But color? OMG... a genius. It's time for an honest talk with your stylist about what your want and are not getting. A good stylist will not be offended; they want to make their client happy. A toner isn't the issue....the color is. 

As for texture, the color products can make your hair feel odd. Some like it as it makes your hair feel thicker. Others think it makes their hair feel like a cheap polyester wig. Often it's how your products at home work (or don't) with the color that's been deposited on your hair. I love Matrix Keep Me Vivid Line. Hair feels like silk when you use the treatment after your first shampoo. ( Matrix products are all I use on my hair and it's changed it for the better). Also Olaplex 6 is great as a leave-in (pea size or less) on towel dried hair and will bond and soften your hair as well. 

Hope this helps a little bit!

[Lipstickdiva]

I get an all over base color and then chunky blonde highlights.  In the past, I almost always had to have a toner put on because my hair pulls very, very gold.  The toner cuts that.  She must not be getting the right shade if she's using the toner.  Toners are not permanent.  They do wash out.

A number of months ago, I went to a new stylist when mine was out for a couple of months.  This stylist got my hair exact the first time she colored it, no toner needed.  She used a lot more ash in both my base color and my highlights and it was perfect. 

I have always given photos to my stylists to show them exactly what I want as far as tones of both my base color and my highlights as well as depth.  No matter how many times I tried to tell them my hair pulls super warm, I'd end up with a reddish base color and brassy highlights or my highlights were gray because they overdid the toner. 

[Carmie]

Blue bleach is powder bleach.  It is used on the hair shaft and never close to the scalp.  It is too strong for the scalp area.  It works pretty fast to remove color and this is the type of bleach used to get dark hair to the palest shade shade possible or remove more 3 or more shades from your hair color.

Toners are used to add color.  After the hair is bleached, usually the color is not attractive..it is usually too gold or brassy. A toner is applied to get the color results a client wants.

Now, if you only want light non contrasting highlights , you won't need powder bleach for just some highlights.  A regular blonde hair color is able to lighten your hair up to 2 shades.  If you want highlights lighter than than, you have to go the bleach/ toner route.