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What is Toning Hair Care?
Spoiler alert: It all comes down to what’s in your shower. It’s no surprise that not all shampoo and conditioner formulas are created equal, and that holds especially true when it comes to gray and blonde hair. With lightened and natural light hair shades, you need toning hair care to keep locks looking their best between salon visits. We’ve done our homework on the must-have purple haircare lines to give you the best tips on how to keep your blonde & grey/silver locks from going brassy.
WHY IS PURPLE HAIRCARE NECESSARY FOR BLONDE HAIR?
Those of us with blonde hair need purple shampoo & conditioner because of how the hair is lightened in the first place. Usually, after a lightening service, your stylists add a toner to eliminate any undesired undertones, whether that color is yellow or yellow-orange or even a reddish undertone. Those undertones can come out when the stylist applies a toner, but you may find they start to appear between color services as the toner fades. Insert the need for a purple shampoo/conditioner to adjust tone at home!
Keep in mind that purple shampoo & conditioner does not replace your regular duo and should only be used once or twice a week. Purple shampoo can be mixed with regular shampoo to add some of the violet pigment into a regular hair cleansing routine without any risk of going overboard. Redken Color Extend Blondage is formulated with a Triple Acid Protein complex—amino, citric and maleic acids, and wheat protein—that neutralizes unwanted undertones and helps strengthen hair’s cuticles while battling brass and keeping blondes bright.
WHY DO YOU NEED TO PROTECT GRAY HAIR DIFFERENTLY?
Let’s start with a quick science lesson. Gray hair lacks melanin, AKA pigment. Melanin gives your strands their signature color and plays a protective role; it both strengthens the hair and keeps UV rays from interacting with the keratin (protein) and lipids (fat) in the hair. The bad news is that no melanin means no protection…. which is why gray hair is weaker, often coarse or wiry, and prone to yellowing and changes in tone. And even if you have gray hair by choice—after all, #grannyhair and #grombe are still trending—to stay—your silver hue is still susceptible to picking up those unwanted yellow tones. The good news is that addressing all of these issues is as easy as using the right shampoo and conditioner for gray hair.
Enter the NEW Redken Color Extend Graydiant (coming to HC in August), a power combo of an anti-yellowing toning shampoo and silver color-depositing conditioner that both brighten and nourish gray hair.
