Part 1 of Toning Essentials is Examining the Hair! 🕵️‍♀️ ⚫️LEVEL - this is a time to be honest with yourself!! I know I’ve definitely lifted a guest before hoping it was a level 9 but truly it was a level 8, but I had already formulated in my head for a level 9 so I did it anyway! It did not neutralize the way I needed! When looking for true cool tones we need to tone at least half a level darker, if we are just looking to neutralize than we can tone on level! ⚫️TONE - While our underlying pigment chart is a great guide to predict what color we see, hair history can unveil something a bit different! Analyze to see exactly what tone you are seeing. It is a yellow orange or is it more of an orange yellow? Is it a vibrant orange or a soft orange will determine the amount of counteraction you need. ⚫️POROSITY - Often forgotten but plays a huge part in our final product!! Hair that is porous is going to suck up that toner much stronger and the added tone will appear more vibrant! Where as low porosity will not absorb as much and might appear more subtle unless more power is added. (Demo on this a few reels back) ❗️Remember!! These 3 things might be completely the same roots to ends but often, different parts of this equation might be different along the hair strand, and might require 2 toners!