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

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.