Is Pre-Toning Necessary? Read This!

Should Every Colorist Pre-Tone Before Applying Fashion Colors?

Pre-toning the hair before applying fashion colors—is it a must? Depends on who you ask. While some colorists are team pre-tone all the way, others like BTC Team Member Kelly O’Leary-Woodford (@hairbymisskellyo) don’t consider it a requirement. “When doing fashion colors, personally for me, a part of that creativity is using the color wheel to achieve the perfect vibrant tone,” she shares. So keep scrolling to learn two reasons why Kelly doesn’t pre-tone AND how she uses the color wheel instead.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by behindthechair.com (@behindthechair_com) on Aug 19, 2019 at 10:02am PDT

If the end goal is a bright color, Kelly won’t pre-tone for two reasons:

1. It’ll require more time.
2. It creates a barrier, making the colors a little less vibrant.

If she’s painting a rainbow masterpiece, instead of pre-toning, Kelly gets strategic with her color placement:

• Areas that are holding some brass is where she’ll add pink, purple, orange or red. “That yellow undertone will give it that punch and something to hold onto,” shares Kelly.

• For areas with less brass/a more even canvas, Kelly will place blues, greens and lighter tones.

“If a guest is open to fashion color, chances are that they will be open to you using the wheel to correct,” notes Kelly.

Pre-Toning With Color-Depositing Shampoo—Here’s How It Works!