I always like to frame it this way: the difference between toner (demi-permanent) and permanent colour is like comparing lip products. Demi-permanent colour is like a lip gloss; it can shift tone, add richness, shine and softness, but still allows dimension and natural variation to show through. Permanent colour, on the other hand, is more like lipstick; it provides fuller coverage, stronger intensity, and a longer-lasting result.
We are constantly surrounded by new language in the hair world that can leave people confused about what to ask for: toner, regrowth colour, gloss, semi, full colour and so on. So consider this your breakdown of what you need to know to avoid getting lost in hairdressing lingo and to know exactly what to ask for at your next appointment.
What is a Permanent Colour?
Permanent colour is mixed with a higher-strength developer, which opens the cuticle layer of the hair, allowing the colour to penetrate further into the hair shaft than a demi-permanent colour. During this process, the developer and permanent colour work together to alter the hair’s natural melanin (pigment), allowing the hair to lift and/or deposit colour simultaneously. This means permanent colour can lighten the natural hair colour by approximately 2–3 levels, depending on the hair and formula being used.
However, it’s important to understand that permanent colour can only lift natural, virgin hair. Once artificial colour has been applied, colour cannot lift through colour. Reapplying or overlapping permanent colour over previously coloured hair won’t make the hair lighter; it will simply continue to add more pigment and depth, often causing the ends to become darker over time. This is something we commonly see in corrective colour work, especially when clients have tried to use an at-home or boxed colour to ‘lighten’ their already coloured hair, which is why proper colour placement and maintenance matter so much.
Because permanent colour changes the natural pigment within the hair as the hair grows, you’ll typically see a more noticeable regrowth or line of demarcation between the natural hair and the coloured hair. This is why permanent colour is often the best choice for stronger grey coverage, significant colour changes, or clients seeking a richer, longer-lasting result. It’s our go-to when we need more intensity, longevity, or complete coverage rather than a softer, lower-maintenance finish.
At Becky B, we utilise the Redken Colour Fusion, Cover Fusion, and Colour Gel Lacquer ranges, allowing us to fully customise your colour to your hair goals, maintenance preferences, hair integrity, and grey coverage needs. During your in-depth consultation, we’ll always guide you through which option will work best for your hair and, most importantly, why.
What is a Toner?
“Toner” has become a bit of a catch-all term for clients, but in salon, when we refer to a toner, we’re usually talking about a demi-permanent colour.
Where Toners vs Permanent Colour Lives
Demi-permanent colours are mixed with a low-volume developer, meaning they are more gentle on the hair and don’t penetrate as deeply into the hair shaft as permanent colour. Instead of lifting or lightening the hair, they are designed purely to deposit tone and slowly fade over time.
This makes them perfect for refining and enhancing colour rather than completely transforming it. We commonly use toners after blonding services like foils, balayage, or scalp lightening to help neutralise unwanted brassiness, soften warmth, or enhance existing shades. Demi-permanent colours and toners can also be used to enhance natural tones, making them perfect for brunettes wanting added richness and shine or coppers needing a refresh of warmth and vibrancy. Toning can also enhance specific shades such as champagne, rose gold, or icy silver.
Demi-permanent colours can also be a great option for softly blending greys. While they don’t have the intensity or full coverage of a permanent colour, they can help diffuse and soften grey hair by adding tone rather than completely masking it. This is often ideal for clients who don’t want their greys to be as noticeable, but also don’t want harsh regrowth or an obvious line of demarcation as their hair grows out.
Because demi-permanent colours use a gentler developer (hydrogen peroxide), they’re typically a softer option for hair while also helping improve shine and condition. In-salon, we use Redken Shades EQ, an acidic demi-permanent colour that helps smooth the cuticle, leaving hair looking shinier, healthier, and more refined after colouring.
Think of toners as a refinement tool rather than a major transformation tool; they can perfect the tone you already have or wish to achieve, rather than dramatically changing your overall level of colour/lightness.
Where Toners vs Permanent Colour Lives
Chart Showing Demi Vs. Permanent Colour
You probably need a toner if…
Your highlights, balayage, or blonde have started to look brassy or yellow, and you simply want to refresh or refine the tone rather than completely recolour your hair. Toners are also a great option if you simply want to revive the shade or shine of your hair (whether that’s your natural colour or artificial colour); they’re the perfect in-between touch-up.
However, there are also times when a toner alone may not achieve the result you’re hoping for. Over time, previously toned hair can begin to hold onto old pigment, causing blondes to feel dull, muddy, overly warm, or unable to achieve the bright, clean finish they’re after. Much like repeatedly overlapping permanent colour can create excessive depth, continuously layering toner onto the hair can sometimes leave the blonde looking flat or darker than intended.
In these situations, we may recommend a lightening service before re-toning the hair. This helps us create a cleaner, brighter canvas so the new toner can perform properly and achieve a fresher, more polished result. Sometimes the issue isn’t that the toner “isn’t working”, it’s that the canvas underneath needs refining first.
You probably need a permanent colour if…
Permanent colour is your best friend if you want to change your natural base colour, achieve longer-lasting grey coverage, or make a more significant colour transformation. This allows us to achieve stronger coverage, more longevity, or the ability to lift natural hair.
Permanent colour is also often the better choice for achieving richer, more vibrant results, particularly with shades like coppers, reds, and deeper brunettes. Depending on your natural base colour, a demi-permanent colour may not always have enough intensity or lifting power to achieve that stronger, more impactful result, whereas permanent colour provides more depth and vibrancy.
You might need both if…
Many colour appointments actually involve both permanent and demi-permanent colour working together to achieve the final result.
For example, if you’re going lighter with foils or balayage, the lightening process creates the canvas, but you may also want to create an impactful base colour, whether that’s covering greys or creating contrast with depth. The toner then refines the final shade of your dimensional pieces. This is what helps us achieve everything from bright, creamy blondes to cool, icy tones or soft, lived-in finishes.
Another common example is grey coverage, or the need for a permanent colour for your regrowth to match your previous colour; however, we may only need a refresh on the mid-lengths and ends. More often than not, we are not using a permanent colour all over because, again, colour does not lift colour. Repeatedly overlapping permanent colour through the ends will usually only make them darker and more saturated over time. Using different colour types for different areas of the hair allows us to maintain a more balanced, healthy and dimensional result.
Why Professional Toner or Permanent Colours Get Better Results Than At-Home Products
At-home colour products will never achieve the same level of customisation as an in-salon service because they are formulated as a one-size-fits-all solution. In salon, every formula is specifically customised to your hair based on factors such as your natural colour, previous colour history, density, texture, and porosity to create the healthiest and most balanced result possible.
The same applies to at-home toners and toning shampoos. These products typically rely on blue and/or violet pigments to counteract warmth, but because they aren’t tailored to your individual hair, they can sometimes cause over-toning, dullness or uneven results, particularly on porous hair that grabs pigment more easily.
At Becky B, every colour appointment begins with an in-depth consultation designed to truly understand both your hair and your goals. Choosing the right colour isn’t just about the shade itself, it’s also about your lifestyle, maintenance preferences, hair health and the overall result you want to achieve.
During your consultation, we’ll guide you through everything from adding dimension, depth, or grey coverage to enhancing or softening certain tones in your hair. We also consider factors such as your skin tone, eye colour, and overall style to create a result that feels cohesive, flattering, and uniquely tailored to you.
This personalised approach is included in all of our colour services, whether you’re coming in for a toner refresh or a full colour transformation. At both our Becky B North Lakes and Caloundra salons, our team is here to create a luxurious, welcoming experience while guiding you towards the best option for you and your hair goals.
Choosing The Right Colour For Your Hair
Understanding the difference between demi-permanent and permanent colour is one of the biggest steps towards achieving healthier, more personalised and longer-lasting colour results. While social media often simplifies hair colour into “just a toner” or “just a colour,” the reality is that great colour is far more customised than that.
The products, formulas, and techniques we choose all play a role not only in how your hair looks on the day of your appointment, but also in how it fades, grows out, and maintains its integrity long term. Sometimes the best result comes from a toner alone, sometimes it requires permanent colour, and often the healthiest and most seamless outcome comes from strategically combining both.
Understanding how these different colour types behave in hair also helps explain why colour correction and removal can sometimes be far more complex than people expect.
At Becky B, we believe colour should feel luxurious, intentional and completely tailored to you. From your consultation through to your final result, our team takes the time to understand your hair history, goals, lifestyle and maintenance preferences so we can create a colour plan that works for both your dream hair and your hair health.
Whether you want a subtle tonal refresh, glossy brunette enhancement, seamless grey blending or a complete transformation, our North Lakes and Caloundra teams are here to guide you in the right direction.
Ready to find the best colour approach for your hair? Book a consultation with the Becky B team and let’s create a colour plan tailored specifically to you.
Written by Libby Milnes
