Supercharge your shampoo and give your hair a new lease of life while the salons are shut with these easy to use colour-extenders
With salons closed until at least 12 April 2021 we’re turning to anything to eke out our last professional hair appointment, from root touch-ups to refresh our colour to hair masks to nurse locks back to health. The latest hair-saving heroes we’ve taken a shine to are toning drops. Haircare brand Bouclème launched its Colour Toning Drops , £25, in September 2020 and say they’ve been the fastest-selling product launch to date.
What do toning drops do?
Like purple shampoo before them, tonight drops eliminate brassiness from the hair. “Toning drops remove yellow, orange and red tones from blondes, silvers and highlighted hair as well as from dyed brunettes, lifting the tone and vibrancy of your colour,” says Boucleme’s founder Michele Scott Lynch.
We’ve got lockdown to thank for the boom in toning drops; not only has Bouclème launched the Colour Toning Drops, IGK released Leave-in Toning Drops, £25, while The Hair Boss' Corrector Drops , £7.99, arrived in the last few months too. “Having not had a hair appointment since December our salon colour will have faded and lost its depth and shine,” says Lisa Shepherd, founder of The Hair Boss. “Hair drops correct, illuminate and enhance our tired-looking hair colour. Even though we may be showing roots, if our hair is shiny, healthy and is reflecting good tones it will feel and look less neglected.”
How do you use toning drops?
Toning drops can be added to your usual shampoo or conditioner to neutralise brassy tones or dropped into your hair mask for a deep conditioning treatment. The beauty of them is they can be customised; you create a bespoke dosage to achieve the tone you want for your hair. For maintaining your hair colour the recommended dosage is three to five drops per wash and for deeper toning it’s six to eight drops.
Who can use hair toning drops?
All hair colours can use toning drops; if blonde hair is looking brassy or brunette hair has taken on a red tinge, corrector drops can address the problem.
Bouclème’s deep indigo toning drops are universal so work for blondes, silvers, highlights and dyed brunettes, while IGK and The Hair Boss have two different drop shades in their ranges for blonde and brunette hair.
Hair toning drops to try now
Best for all hair colours: Bouclème Colour Toning Drops, £25
Housed in a 90 per cent recycled plastic bottle these deep blue drops remove yellow, orange and red tones from blondes, silvers, highlights and dyed brunettes, for vibrant, salon-fresh hair even when you haven’t sat in the stylist’s chair for months. You can add these to any shampoo, or add to leave-in products for a more concentrated effect.
Best budget buy: The Hair Boss Corrector Drops, £7.99
The Hair Boss’ drops were designed to act as a CC cream for hair to correct discolouration. There are separate drops for blondes and brunettes . The whole Hair Boss range was created by award-winning colourist Lisa Shepherd in January 2020, creating 100 per cent vegan haircare designed to educate women on how best to look after their hair at affordable prices.
Best for blondes and brunettes: IGK Mixed Feelings Leave-in Toning Drops, £25
These blue drops boost their beauty of brunette hair, banishing orange and red tones, there's a blonde version too, named Mixed Feelings Cooling Blonde Mixing Drops which are purple.
Stand by for more toning drop launches – we'll report them as they land.
MORE GLOSS: 'I tried hair waters and now I've got the swishiest hair of my life"