These 18 Hair Toners Will Give You Shiny-AF Color *Immediately* (2024)

Listen up, ppl: If you want to switch up your hair color, you’re going to have to change your haircare routine—I’m talking shampoos for color-treated hair, heat protectants, and my personal favorite, hair toners. This holy grail product not only helps prevent color fading, but it also keeps your hair from the brassy, yellow, or orange tones from sun exposure and harsh hair products. Even better: They also multi-task to keep your hair shiny and vibrant for longer—aka giving you more time between visits with your colorist. Ahead, learn everything you need to know about hair toner, plus 18 of our favorites to shop right now. If you're just here to pick one and be done with it (I get it), here are our top picks—but if you're ready to diving into the details, keep scrolling.

Our top hair toner picks of 2022

Meet the experts

• Meri Kate O'Connor is a Los Angeles and New York City-based hairstylist at Cooper Weho salon in West Hollywood, CA. O'Connor is a colorist, stylist, and hair extension expert.
• Timothy Caster is a colorist and hairstylist and owner of Timothy Gabriel Salon in Iowa City, IA.

What does hair toner do?

“Hair toner is any semi- or demi-permanent hair color that helps enhance the tone of your hair,” says hairstylist Meri Kate O’Connor, colorist at Cooper West Hollywood. And if that sounds a little general, welp, that’s because it is—hair toner is basically an umbrella term forany pigment-spiked product that cools, tones, and enhances shine. However, a toning shampoo differs from an actual toner, but they work in relatively the same way.

Salon-level toners should usually be left to the professionals because if done wrong, the hair can end up over toned and damaged, explains hair colorist Timothy Caster, colorist and hairdresser at Timothy Gabriel Salon. “That’s when people opt for purple shampoo that doesn’t really color the hair but leaves enough ‘stain’ on the outside to reduce some yellow tones,” he says.

How to use hair toner at home

Remember when I said hair toner was an umbrella term for brass neutralizers? Yeah, that means you have a lot of options re: finding the right formula.

Purple and blue shampoos are arguably the most popular hair toners since they’re (a) easy to apply and (b) pretty foolproof (no mixing or measuring required—just a quick lather and rinse), but you also have options like glosses (temporary dyes that amp up your color’s vibrancy and shine), deep conditioners spiked with pigments, and hair masks that help deepen your color.

DW, though, I’m not going to leave you to figure it out on your own. Nope, I handpicked the 18 best hair toners on the market right now (including a couple of O’Connor’s favorites) and am telling you exactly how to use them. Prepare to trick your friends into thinking you went to the salon.

How to choose the best hair toner

Find your hair color on the color wheel

Caster says when choosing a hair toner, you should consider the color wheel, explaining that purple neutralizes yellow and blue neutralizes orange. So, if you went from brunette to blonde, a purple shampoo toner would be your best bet to counteract those yellow tones you often see with color-treated blonde hair. However, if you are a brunette and you begin to see those orange and “brassy” tones peeking through, opt for a blue shampoo toner.

Pick the corresponding toner for your hair color

And yep, you heard that right. Toners aren’t just for blondes—any hair color can benefit from a toner. “I’m a dark brunette and my hair goes red in the sun, so I tend to tone my hair a cooler shade to help counteract those warm tones,” says O’Connor. The only thing hair toner can’t do is lighten your hair. Toner doesn’t have any bleach—a nonnegotiable for lightening your hair—so it’s best for bringing your color down (like, say, going from warm and brassy to cool and ashy).

Now that you're basically a hair toner expert, let's get to the real reason you're here. The 18 best hair toners, ahead.

This one’s for all of our babes with gray or silver hair—this treatment masque is perfect for intensely hydrating aging hair. Say hello to more shine and less brass thanks to arctic root extract, which helps restore texture and snow mushroom Extract for maintaining moisture. Something I love about this product? It contains ceramides, which promotes a healthy scalp.

In case you need more proof that hair toner is the ultimate color-saving product in your beauty arsenal, this product doubles as a top coat and hair gloss. If your hair is looking brassy, yellow, or orange, slab this on after you shampoo for shine and softness.

It’s no secret that purple hair toner can offset brassiness if you’re blonde, and that it helps extend our color a lot. This vegan hair mask contains plant butters, ultra-violet pigment, and bond cure technology that seals hair together to help hair stay bright and healthy.

If your hair has been looking dull and/or brassy, go ahead and add this purple toning, sulfate-free shampoo into your hair routine ASAP. It’s also made without animal fats or oils, and gives stellar hydration. Bonus tip: if you want more intense toning, you can leave it on your hair for up to five minutes.

Not only does this gloss treatment strengthen color-treated hair (thank you, lactic acid)—it can work as a straight, wavy, coily, or curly hair product for all textures. After cleansing hair, run this product through your mid-lengths and ends until saturated, then leave on for one to two minutes. You’ll want to rinse this bb out thoroughly to see all of that hydration and shine.

The coolest thing about these toning drops from Bouclème is that you can easily mix them into your favorite co-wash or cleanser—no need to add any harsh or drying products into your existing curl routine. They’re super versatile too: The deep indigo hues swimming around in the formula gently cancel out brass in brunette, blonde, or balayage hair colors.

Speaking of in-shower toners, blondes can’t go wrong with a good ol’ purple shampoo. This one from Redken not only cleanses and hydrates your hair but also blasts it with neutralizing violet pigments. The result? Smoother, cooler-toned blonde hair with zero brass. Just don’t overuse it, k? Think of it as a spot treatment for when your hair is looking dull or brassy.

Brunettes should look for toning shampoos with blue pigments, like this pick from DpHue. “Deciding what color you are truly seeing can be tricky,” says Caster. “If you’re seeing more orange than pure yellow, purple will not help. At that point you would need a blue shampoo,” he says. The formula helps gently cleanse, neutralize warmth, and enhance shine (hiiii, silk proteins). Just know that this guy comes out of the bottle suuuuper pigmented, so keep it away from your shower curtain (speaking from experience here, folks).

If you’re trying to tone and hydrate your hair simultaneously, you’re in luck. This multitasking treatment from Verb helps cancel out brassy and yellow tones in blonde hair while also addressing dryness and damage with a handful of moisturizing ingredients (like acai extract and vitamin B5). After shampooing, comb the mask through your damp hair and let it sit for 20 minutes max before rinsing it out.

There’s a reason you keep seeing Overtone’s conditioners all over your IG feed: They’re super effective for toning your hair at home. This purple formula is a godsend for canceling out yellow tones in platinum blonde to light-brown hair, but it also comes in green (for red tones), blue (for orange tones), and pink (for green tones). The best part? All you do is leave it on your hair for two minutes post-shampooing, rinse, and style as usual.

One of O’Connor’s go-to picks for toning at home? This deep conditioner that leaves your hair soft, shiny, and vibrant for 10ish shampoos. It comes in 10 hues (everything from light blonde to jet black) and also has a clear, pigment-free option for straight shine. Just comb it through damp hair after cleansing and conditioning, let it sit for 30 minutes, and rinse it out.

Don’t be fooled by the professional-looking bottle—this temporary hair-dye gel is actually v easy to apply. Just shampoo your hair (no conditioner), rough-dry with a towel, and then saturate with this gel. Pro tip: You can also use the included brush to color targeted areas, like grays or roots. When you rinse it out after 40 minutes, your color will look as rich and smooth as when you first got it done—and it’ll stay that way for five to seven shampoos, after which, you can apply it again. (FYI, O’Connor loves this one too.)

If combing a gel through your hair feels a bit extra, you’ll love the ease of these toning drops from IGK. They come in two shades (purple pigments for blondes; blue for brunettes) and can be mixed into your favorite styling product (like a few drops in your leave-in conditioner or gel) for quick and easy toning. And thanks to the formula’s prickly pear cactus extract, it also leaves your hair softer and shinier with each use.

Unlike toners that are limited to weekly or biweekly use, this in-shower gloss can be used up to four times a week. It comes in five shades and works to cancel out harsh, brassy tones in between salon appointments. Lather a pump through your hair after shampooing, leave it on for three to five minutes, rinse, and follow with conditioner.

Yup, this toning conditioner is made especially for redheads with warm undertones. Smooth a dollop through damp, freshly washed hair and the formula works to smooth and soften your hair while also adding shine and dimension throughout your color. Oh, and it smells straight-up heavenly (and who doesn’t want that?).

An affordable (but equally effective!) option from Kristin Ess, this drugstore toner is alllll about shine. It does require a little prep work—you’ll need to mix the developer and gloss and throw on a pair of gloves—but the end result is totally worth it. Think: shiny, defined, and richly pigmented hair.

I get it: Color-treated and highlighted hair are super prone to damage (my brittle-AF ends are proof), which is why it’s so important to use a strengthening conditioner or a mask once in awhile. This one from SheaMoisture combines antioxidant-rich rice water with orchid and violet extracts to hydrate, detangle, and neutralize brass. That’s what I call a win-win.

The best thing about this toning hair mask is that it comes in a whopping 14 shades (they’ve got everything from a rich copper to a creamy blonde). Color aside, it’s also deeply hydrating and strengthening (courtesy of the formula’s keratin derivatives and pro-vitamin B5), so prepare for your hair to feel soft and healthy with this one.