FAQ: Correctors, Fillers And Toner - What Is The Difference?

Question: 
What is a difference between correctors and fillers, and what is a toner. I have a 100% white hair that I color dark brown, but the hair never gets full coverage. It is always lighter. What do you suggest to do? Should I use a black color?

Answer:

• Correctors are used to correct the shade of the color (ie. should any light blonde hair gets green from swimming in chlorinated water, a corrector pigment/color is used to make it blond again). 
• Fillers are used to help the color to deposit into the hair correctly (ie. the hair is very damaged and porous and takes in places on different shades while coloring, filler is put on the hair prior to coloring to make sure the color will be evenly deposited into the hair). 
• Toner is a type of color that gets deposited only on the surface of the hair to give a hair a nicer hue (ie. a bleached blond wants her blond to have a cooler blond color, so she gets blue toner, or brunette would like a warmer tone so she gets reddish toner). Toner doesn't change the original color, it only temporarily gives a  different hue, and sometimes even just a luster.

Regarding your hair: it is very resistant to color. What it means is that the cuticle is very resistant to open and therefor the color cannot fully penetrate. You could do three things:

• Leave the color on longer and put plastic cap over to keep it moist (so the color doesn't dry up - it would stop working)
• Use so called pre-softener prior to coloring (it is sold in any beauty supply store)
• add about 1/4 of the black color to your brown color (do not forget to adjust the amount of peroxide)

Credit: The above image is from www.wwbeautystore.com website.

Note: 

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.