When going to the salon for highlights, most likely you will receive a glaze or a toner over top of your highlights. I am here to tell you just what your stylist is doing!
When lifting color out of hair, it often will go very warm colors because we all have a natural pigment in our hair. Very dark hair will turn red, medium brown hair will turn orange/copper, and blondes will turn yellow. If you have dark brown hair and are getting highlights, it will go through the cycle; first the highlights will turn red, then copper, and eventually (hopefully turn yellow). [Your stylist might suggest going blonder in steps because bringing a dark brown straight to blonde is very difficult and harsh on your hair]. When your highlights get the right level of lightness you want, but your hair is still in the red stage, your stylist will look to the color wheel to determine which color to put over top. To neutralize any color, you need to add the color across on the color wheel; opposite from red is green, copper is blue, yellow is violet.In order to neutralize the red (make it a neutral color or beige brown), you need to add green/ash to the hair. Your stylist will choose an ash color that is the same level of lightness as your desired highlights. If the highlights lift to the copper phase, your stylist will choose a blue color, and for yellow he or she will choose a violet color. These ash, blue, and violet shades are called toners or glazes. These come in many different forms of color; liquid color, cream color, permanent, demi-permanent, and semi-permanent colors. After the lightener is washed out, the stylist will apply this toner or glaze over top the highlights. The beauty of toners and glazes is they are lighter than the rest of the hair on your head and will not change that color. Lighter color does not change or remove color that is darker than itself, so it will only affect the lighter hair/highlights.
If you are not naturally blonde, and your hair doesn't lift to a white blonde, your stylist SHOULD BE putting a toner on your highlights. It is extremely rare that the color turns out exactly the shade you want it to be. You can always achieve a more neutral color, it does not have to be an ugly brassy color. If you have a professional, legitimate stylist, he or she will know which color to add to your lightened hair. Make sure you are being taken care of and are getting what you asked/paid for.
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