Hair Toner: Can You Do It Naturally? 10 At-Home Tricks To Try

DIY hair experiments can lead to some very unwanted, long-term results, from disastrous haircuts to dye jobs gone horribly wrong. However, if you are looking for a mild tweak, there are some natural and easy options. A hair toner, for instance, is used to correct any unwanted undertones or to add a personalized hue to your natural hair.

Toners are different from hair dyes: Traditional hair dye is made with ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and other questionable ingredients like parabens. Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide open up the hair cuticle and deposit pigment, which is why color changes, but it can result in a weaker, "porous" hair strand. These actives can also irritate the scalp.

Toners, on the other hand, act as a tweakment to your hair color, whether that color be your natural hue or the result of a previous dye job. Toners also come in many forms: There are in-salon options, as well as at-home toning treatments, for example pigmented shampoos and conditioners are even considered toners. 

"Something to know when switching to natural hair care is that drastic changes in color are usually not possible," notes naturopathic doctor Tess Marshall, N.D. So don't expect to go from jet black to honey blond in a sitting (read more about the challenges of lightening your hair without bleach). Instead, "stick to shades of your natural color." A major bonus: Using a natural toner can even be healthy for your hair, helping with strength and shine of your hair strands. 

"We use toners to enhance dull tones or cancel unwanted tones," says hairstylist Natasha Speth. "When we are canceling unwanted tones, we refer to our faithful color wheel to select the proper tones. We would use complementary colors to cancel out unwanted tones." 

The basics of this are using violet for gold, green for red, or blue for orange.

"For instance, if a light blond with soft golden undertones would prefer to be an icy white blond, we may use a violet base toner or send them home with a violet-based shampoo and conditioner," says Speth.

However, if you use a toner to enhance, it acts more like stain rather than a color corrector: "For example, if we have someone who is a natural brown but would like to add a bit of auburn temporarily, we can do that by using a red toner," says Speth.  

And while there are plenty of at-home toner options, if you are more of the salon-type, there are professional-grade natural toners, too. "You can find direct dyes that are up to 98% naturally derived ingredients," says Speth. "The pigments used are derived from ingredients like Indian walnut saffron, ginger—we even use lycopene from tomatoes. These can be added to deepen natural hair color or even blend gray hair naturally."

Because apple cider vinegar is mildly acidic, it can help lower the pH of dull hair, which has a higher pH. In fact, research shows that when hair's pH is raised1—be it from alkaline shampoos or hard water—it opens the hair's cuticle, at which point your hair color can fade or lose luster. 

By rinsing with an acidic wash, you close the cuticle. As dull hair tends to read brass, use an apple cider vinegar rinse to cancel out orange and yellow tones for blondes or light brunettes. It will also secure richer, darker pigments from fading.

Lemon is rich in vitamin C, a skin care ingredient that is used for its antioxidant properties, as well as overall brightening. For hair care, it's a natural way to "bleach" blond hair, as well as reverse gray tones in lighter hues (however, you shouldn't expect a lift in the same way bleach does—it's simply not possible with natural products).

But no, we're not talking about soaking your hair in lemon juice and sitting in the sun, as you might have in youth.

While you can't make dramatic changes to your hair color with natural ingredients and DIY toners, you can help color-correct unwanted undertones, make your natural hue more vibrant, and deepen or brighten.