Commitment shy?
If you’re wanting to rid your blonde hair of brassy or yellow tones, but don’t want to commit to a permanent change, then Jerome Russell Bblonde Maximum Platinum Toner is a great choice. It’s perfectly normal to feel some trepidation when altering the colour of one’s hair since it’s not easy to disguise any mistakes. However, with a toner that lasts up to eight washes it’s simple – if you don’t like the result, wash your hair eight times and you should be back to your old self in no time, albeit a waste of money but with this one, you’ll only be £4.49 out of pocket.
- Firstly, the patch test. Before using any hair colourant it’s vitally important to patch test the product first. To do this, take a small amount of product, half the size of a pea should suffice – apply it behind your ear and leave it for around 24 hours. After which time you can’t see or feel any kind of reddening or irritation then you should be good to go.
According to the instructions on the box…
- You should wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo but not use a conditioner. In the likely event you don’t happen to have clarifying shampoo at hand, use washing up liquid (it’ll do the same job, honestly). Towell dry your hair and apply the toner evenly from root to tip. Pile your hair up and wrap in a plastic hood. Since this isn’t included in the box, my advice would be to use a cheap supermarket carrier bag, or even cling film, if desperate).
- Next: apply heat to your hair for 5 minutes with a hairdryer but keep it moving so that you evenly heat the entirety of your hair. Following this, allow the toner to remain on your hair for a further 30 minutes. If your hair is dry and/or damaged check it after 10-15 minutes as this type of hair will process quickly.
- Finally, rinse your hair until the water runs clear and all product has been removed from your hair, scalp and hairline.
Bblonde Maximum Platinum Toner is suitable for pre-lightened and blonde hair – it doesn’t contain any ammonia or peroxide so it can’t physically lift your hair colour to a lighter shade, all it can do is “neutralise” yellow tones by adding colour, rather than taking it away (as in bleaching). It’s gentle on the hair and won’t damage it in any way.
I washed my hair as instructed and applied the toner to my towel-dried hair. It’s a gel consistency so it’s easy to manage and doesn’t run everywhere. Obviously, it’s a violet shade but applies clear and lathers up like shampoo. I teased a wide-tooth comb gently through my hair to help get the toner evenly distributed. I then placed a hotel freebie shower cap over my hair and used a hairdryer to apply a gentle heat as instructed, for around 5 minutes.
I then left the toner to develop for a full 30 minutes, rinsed and conditioned as usual. My hair tends to be on the sandy side of blonde as I don’t like it to look too “bleach blonde” but knowing that this is a mild, semi-permanent product I figured it would be fine to try. After rinsing thoroughly and blowdrying my hair, I was pleased to see the product had indeed neutralised any yellow tones in my hair.
My results
I’m impressed with this drug store product and with its measly price tag, I’d certainly be tempted to use it again. In terms of condition, my hair doesn’t feel noticeably different, it’s generally quite soft and swishy and I’m pleased to say it’s remained so. I wash my hair pretty much daily so I imagine this will last the recommended 6-8 washes.
My hair is long and so I used the whole 75ml bottle, however, if your hair is shorter you may get away with two applications.
If you want to brighten up your blonde hair or refresh the colour, give this a try. It’s so easy to use and no mess.
Read about other hair care products I’ve tried.
Have you tried Jerome Russell hair products?