Should you use toner before or after a keratin treatment?

 

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Crystal clear.

 You always use toner after a keratin treatment, just like any other type of coloring such as dye.  Below, I’ll tell you why it’s important you respect this order.

Now, how much time should you allow between a keratin treatment and toner?

 

Generally speaking, as a colorist I recommend you wait two weeks to use toner after keratin. This way the keratin will settle properly in your hair.

Once two weeks have gone by since your keratin treatment, you will be able to tone your hair without any problems.

So to avoid any doubts, I repeat.

 

You always apply toner after keratin

And let’s discuss why it’s essential you respect this order.

When do you generally get a keratin treatment?

 

Most of my clients (and I’m sure this is true in your case) get a keratin treatment to repair damaged and frizzy hair.

Why? Because keratin is a protein that’s naturally present in hair. But for various reasons, such as exposure to dyes, sunlight, and even age, hair begins to produce less of it.

When this happens, the hair dries out and split ends and frizziness appear. The keratin treatment fills the empty spaces in each strand of your hair, leaving it completely healthy.

 

Now, to seal the keratin, you use a straightener and blow dryer, that is, very high temperatures.

And here lies the crux of the matter.

 What if you first use the toner and then the keratin? Since you seal the keratin treatment with a lot of heat, you could lighten your hair color by up to two numbers.  And you would also remove the toner pigments.

Here’s an example.

 

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Let’s say your hair is dark blonde 6 and has some harsh colors. So you use a toner to make it paler and eliminate those harsh oranges. The next day, you apply a keratin treatment to your hair.

When you look in the mirror, you see your hair is totally orange, carrot orange. The keratin removed the toner. But it also lightened your hair.

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That’s why you should always get the keratin treatment before the toner. You’ll see what color your hair will be, and know which toner to choose to neutralize those harsh colors.

Now you know the order:  first the keratin, and after 2 weeks, the toner. 

Here are some helpful recommendations.

 

What to take into account before and after your keratin treatment if you want to apply a toner

 

Conclusion

You should always use toner after a keratin treatment, not before. Why? Because keratin is sealed with a straightener at high temperatures. And that extreme heat can remove the pigments from the toner, causing harsh colors to reappear.