Special Effects ~ Semi-Permanent Hair Dye ~ Mixer / Toner

This works great as a toner as well as a mixer for colors to dilute the dye for pastel shades.

I've used this mixer/toner in the past, so I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon from the seller "Fatalimpact" for roughly $15 after finally bleaching my hair to a level 10 (since these types of toners work best on the lightest pale blonde shade that's possible). They're vegan products, so they are very gentle to use on the hair and can be left on for an hour or two without damage (just expect a pale lilac done if left on too long, which will wash out).However, for this order, it was shipped in a small ziplock bag, but unfortunately, the bottle had a large crack around the base of the cap that caused a lot of the product to seep out into the bag. The bag wasn't fully zipped, either, so some of the contents made its way into the box. I tried to salvage what I could, tested it out on a strand to see if it was usable as I needed it done ASAP, but of course due to it being opened and having a dry/tacky feel...it was rendered useless. The bottle had to have the crack prior to shipping because the Prime box was in excellent condition, no dents or tears. The SFX bottle is rather flimsy, which is another thing to factor in. I've included photos of the damage for anyone curious.The 1 star will be for this recent order in general to give a heads up to anyone ordering. I know it can happen to anyone with products like this, but still, it's good to know the possibilities. Amazon gave me a refund for the damage, even though I requested the product to be replaced. Since it's through a seller and not fulfilled by Amazon, they couldn't do that (so keep that in mind if it happens).-- MY REVIEW:As for my past experience with the product, it was a little above average compared to MP's Virgin Snow but not as great as my experiences with the Directions White Toner, so a 3-4/5 stars for this product. However, my hair wasn't the lightest shade possible at the time of using this, so that had a lot to do with the outcome. It was more like a level 7-8 with yellow brassy tones. Using it as a toner, it DID tone down some of the yellow, but not a whole lot considering it's a light lilac shade and isn't meant to tone any hard yellow or oranges that isn't on platinum hair. The hair MUST be as light as the inside of a banana peel for these to work fully. I've seen it work well for others though with very light hair, so it's a toss-up with it.Using it as a mixer, however, works really great. I've mixed it before in the past with several other SFX dyes on friends to make a pale/pastel shade and had great results with little to no hassle.PROS:- non-damaging- will tone out light yellow shades- mixes other colors well for a pastel shade- lots of product for one bottle- conditions hair after rinsing out- isn't tested on animals- lasts a little bit longer than other brands- quick results- comes in a squeeze bottle, not a jar or tube like othersCONS:- very thin, flimsy bottle- will only work on palest blonde shades to tone out yellowness (not orange)- will turn hair a grayish pale lilac shade if left on longer than an hour, whereas with other brands not so much- bit more pricey- product is a bit thicker when working it in hair, may need to use more than expectedOverall, despite my bad experience this time, I'd still recommend it to anyone with very pale blonde hair looking to tone out some yellow without damage, though. Use it as often as you need and you should be good.

I recently bleached out my hair and was looking to get rid of the brassy yellow tones that I had left over, so I bought this.I really wish I had gone with something different.The only thing this toner did was turn my hair slightly grey in some places, while not taking care of any brassiness.I actually ended up mixing this with a little bit of Purple Smoke in the hope that the purple tones would counteract the yellow. It worked better than the toner by itself, but it still didn't do much at all.Very disappointing, save your money.

I originally wrote a one star review based on my reaction directly after my use of this product. It appeared that it had absolutely no effect at all, but when I checked again the next morning it had indeed lifted some of the yellow-y tones and added an ashy slightly lilac color. It isn't a white blonde, but I think that takes more work than simply one bleach job and on toner application. I probably wouldn't rush to buy this product, but it isn't terrible. I think that it would be really good used as a mixer to mellow out bright or dark colors. I have some Punky Color Flamingo Pink that I will test this theory with soon and if the effects are amazingly awesome I will edit with info.

This toner is a pale lilac color and will NOT tone darker yellow shades (for that you need a dark purple toner - try a manic panic or special effects purple dye mixed with conditioner to get the best shade for your hair). My hair was a little lighter than straw yellow and it did not make a significant difference on my hair (I wasn't aware at the time of purchase how pale the purple is). This is perfect if you have extremely pale hair and want to transition to a platinum/ white color. Also, this would be better for use on damaged hair (i.e. from bleaching) as it acts doubly as a conditioner and can be left on indefinitely (as far as I can tell from reviews, my Aveda stylist and reading the ingredients). Try out some of the other Special Effects hair dyes for fun and crazy colors. Also, for tips on creating your own toner with dye and conditioner message me or search google/ YouTube for "d.i.y. purple conditioner toner". <3

I'm absolutely sold on this toner. It packs the power of a strong toner without the harsh ingredients. I have fairly light bleached hair, and this toner takes away any trace of brassy tones. It's easy to apply and rinses clean. The only bad thing I could say about this toner is that it does need to be re-applied every few weeks, but for how gentle it is on your hair it's totally worth it!

I've seen it work on other people and have seen other people pull it off, but it turned by hair a strange colour and I wasn't too happy with the result. But everyone's hair is different, and the product is definitely potent.