DIY Blue Toner For Orange Hair - 3 Reasons Not To Use it

orange haired woman thinking very seriously about her hair

I don’t recommend using a DIY blue toner to tone orange hair for three excellent reasons:

Reason 1: It will dry out your hair, weakening and breaking it. Most DIY toners include baking soda.
Reason 2: DIY toners contain ingredients that lighten your hair. So instead of toning orange hair, the DIY blue toner may leave lighter spots in your hair or uneven colors.
Reason 3: DIY toners aren’t even that effective because they fade quickly.
So I suggest using blue shampoo as a toner to tone orange hair. Alternatively, you can make your own blue conditioner. I’ll tell you how to do that later.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: 5 blue toners for orange hair: I’ll help you choose the best one for your hair

Most DIY toners are made with baking soda and lemon juice. These lighten and dry out the hair.

Actually, DIY blue toners lighten the hair to remove the orange. They also give it a slight blue color in the process. But, in reality, the purpose of blue toner isn’t to lighten or darken your hair. It’s not meant to do that.

Its purpose is to remove harsh orange shades.

mixing lemon and baking soda to make homemade blue toner

The best-known DIY blue toner is made by mixing shampoo, baking soda, and blue food coloring. A homemade blue toner will only disappoint you.

Because even if you manage to tone your orange hair a little, the baking soda will break down the hair’s cuticles, leaving your hair weaker and frizzier. It can even leave lighter orange stains in your hair.

And this brings me to the next question. Wouldn’t it be easier to tone orange hair using a product designed for that purpose? And that won’t produce collateral damage in the process?

Because I can assure you that every time one of my clients used a DIY blue toner, they ended up in my salon asking for help because the toner hadn’t worked.

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: The toner didn’t work on my orange hair; what can I do?

Is there some product that can help?

Of course!

Instead of using DIY blue toner to tone orange hair, use a blue shampoo

blue shampoo to tone orange hair

Blue shampoo doesn’t contain sulfates, silicones, or hard salts. These ingredients either lighten or darken hair. However, blue shampoo deposits blue pigments that tone orange hair.

Every time you use blue shampoo, you’ll add color to your hair, neutralizing the orange.

What are the advantages of using a blue shampoo instead of a homemade blue toner?

You can tone orange hair without drying it out or damaging it.
It’s much safer because it doesn’t lighten or darken your hair. So you won’t get any unpleasant surprises after using it.
Blue shampoos are economical and cost-effective . You only use the blue shampoo once or twice weekly, replacing your usual shampoo. Leave it on for three to five minutes. That means a bottle of blue shampoo can last you several months, depending on how long your hair is, of course.

So, I ask you, is it worth making a homemade blue toner that can wreck your hair if you have the option of using a blue shampoo that’s quick and safe?

Some of the most common brands of blue shampoo are MATRIX TOTAL RESULT, REDKEN, and FANOLA NO ORANGE.

white conditioning dye and blue semi-permanent dye mix

Nowadays, it’s easy to get hold of blue shampoo, either in stores or through an online purchase.

But assuming you’re having a hard time finding one, you can make your own blue conditioner.

You’ll need two ingredients:

A white sulfate- and salt-free conditioners, such as L’Oréal Paris EverPure Free Sulfate Conditioner or Pantene Pro-V Rose Water Conditioner.
Blue semi-permanent hair dye. Choose a light blue semi-permanent hair dye if your hair is light orange. And choose a dark blue semi-permanent hair dye if your hair is dark orange.

How should you mix it?

Put the conditioner in an empty plastic container and gradually add the semi-permanent hair dye, mixing the ingredients well.
Once the mixture has a consistent blue color, transfer it to an empty conditioner bottle.
Apply the blue conditioner from the roots to the ends after washing your hair with your regular shampoo. Leave it on for five to ten minutes.
Finally, rinse with warm to cold water to close the hair cuticles.

In addition to using blue shampoo or blue conditioner to tone orange hair, you must change your hair care routine a little.

For example, wash your hair three times a week at most.

Why? Firstly, this way, the color will last longer. And secondly, your hair will benefit from the natural oils from your scalp, and these nourish and moisturize your hair.

If you use a straightener or curler, use a heat protectant. And remember that heat is one of the worst enemies of hair color. So avoid heat tools as much as possible.

Conclusion

There’s no point in making a DIY blue toner. Plenty of products on the market help you tone orange hair without putting your hair’s color or health in danger.

Don’t play with fire, because he who plays with fire gets burned. Your hair deserves much more than being an experiment with uncertain and potentially harmful results.