Your Guide To Lifting & Toning Sun-Kissed Brunettes

How To Navigate Warmth When Toning Sun-Kissed Brunettes 

Sun-kissed brunettes are trending: This look is defined by creating seamless, blended highlights; then, utilizing the hair’s natural warmth when toning to create an effortless glowy finish.

BTC had the special opportunity to attend Schwarzkopf Professional®’s exclusive LIFT event in Los Angeles where we chatted with Schwarzkopf Professional Digital Artistic Team Members Brendnetta Ashley (@edgybgirl), Carly Zanoni (@the.blonde.chronicles) and Carlos Rojas (@colorbycarlos). Learn their expert tips for lifting the perfect sun-kissed brunette and navigating toning naturally dark bases below.

What Defines a Sun-Kissed Brunette?

You know it when you see it: A glowy, warm brunette with effortless, blended highlights—but what are the technical details you need to get clients there? To Brendnetta, there are two things that define today’s modern sun-kissed brunette: 

• A seamless blend that provides a smooth transition from the natural base to the highlights to create a sun-kissed feel.
• When toning, don’t formulate too gold: “If the color is too warm, it almost takes away from that nice glow. Think about how your skin looks when it first goes in the sun. You just have a little hint of something, and you want to have that same effect in the hair,” Brendnetta explains.

Photo Credit: Instagram via @edgybgirl

Clients are requesting softer, more blended brunettes versus the stark contrast we used to see from the money-piece era: “We’re doing a blend rather than that intense contrast,” Carlos shares. “It’s softer, a little bit more approachable but still hard to get.”

Photo Credit: Instagram via @colorbycarlos

Meet the SKP Team in CHICAGO on September 22-23 for their next LIFT stop—click to register!

PSA: The Level of Lift Will Make or Break a Sun-Kissed Brunette

You don’t need nine Levels of lift for every client. After you pass a Level 8, you risk losing that rich warmth that comes with lightening the hair—which will make or break your end result. 

Key Tip: Leave warmth in the hair to avoid a ‘fake’ looking end result. “One of the hardest things I’ve ever encountered is lifting somebody to a Level 9 and having to tone them down to a natural-looking Level 7,” Carly explains. “The key to getting a warm brunette looking natural and not fake or artificial is not lifting too light and then having to tone back down, adding in all that work.”

“If the hair is a Level 7 when you pull the foils, all you need to do is simply refine the existing warmth so it looks intentional and not accidental. This is super easy to do with your gloss!” she adds. 

Photo Credit: Instagram via @the.blonde.chronicles

Carly’s Go-To Toners for Sun-Kissed Brunettes:

“When I’m creating a sun-kissed brunette, I love mixing together Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA VIBRANCE® -0 (which is an N) and a -65 which is a chocolate gold. It’s a little bit warm but not brassy, or too orangey. It’s very sun-kissed, very soft and natural-looking,” Carly shares.

Click here to read more about why Carly loves IGORA VIBRANCE®:

Pro Tip: Carly prefers IGORA VIBRANCE® because it offers her flexibility of technique: “IGORA VIBRANCE® is an alkaline demi-permanent color so it has the ability to swell the cuticle. This means it can slightly shift the natural base and it can blend grey. It doesn’t always do those things (it can just deposit too!) but it CAN and I love options,” she shares. Plus: “The shine is unmatched: There’s nothing like it in my opinion.”

Toning Sun-Kissed Brunettes: Try Double-Toning on Dark Natural Levels

Sometimes, one round of toning isn’t enough when lifting super-dark bases—that’s why Brendnetta pre-tones before going in with her primary toner: “I like to call it double toning the hair: Sometimes, you’ll pre-tone and then do your final toner. That just helps to ensure you get that nice neutralness to the hair without having it too warm or too red underneath,” Brendentta explains.

Brendnetta’s Favorite Sun-Kissed Brunette Formula: “IGORA VIBRANCE® is definitely my go-to brand when it comes to toning, but when you think about the series: Any of the -46’s or -65’s, those are my absolute favorites,” Brendnetta shares. “A 6-46 is going to give you that nice neutralized, controlled sun-kissed brunette you’re looking for.”

• Formula A (toner):

  Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA Vibrance® 6-46 + 6-volume Schwarzkopf Professional Activator Lotion

Photo Credit: Instagram via @edgybgirl

“I do a lot of darker [natural] Levels and back in the day, we used to neutralize a lot—but right now, I’m not,” Carlos explains. “My go-to is IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-0 because we’re not canceling out, we’re enhancing the lift that we got.”

Photo Credit: Instagram via @colorbycarlos

Want to see celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton LIVE along with the Schwarzkopf Professional artistic team? Meet up with them in Chicago and Austin next—click here to learn more.

Products Used

Demi-Permanent Color

IGORA VIBRANCE®

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

IGORA VIBRANCE® ACTIVATOR GEL

Schwarzkopf Professional®