Okay so we know blonde hair is demanding and so darn hard to keep looking bright and on point.
So maybe you’ve been searching for help with how to tone brassy hair at home. Cause going to the salon can be so darn pricey.
Sure you’ve tried purple shampoo. But you’re worried about what it’s doing to your mane on account of how drying it can be.
Plus you just don’t like how it makes your hair feel.
If so maybe you’re ready to embrace admittedly slightly off the wall brassy hair home remedies. You know, for anytime you feel like getting your cooler blonde vibe on?
In that case we’ve got a couple for you.
One that’s explored in this article using, spoiler alert, Manic Panic.
And one detailed in a second article on this site. It reveals how to tone blonde hair at home without toner. Covering how to do that with purple toning drops for hair. Heard of them?
They’re a great way to turn any styling product into a toning product. If that sounds good do check it out.
Now here we will not be getting into things like hollyhock, ACV or food coloring as some do.
Instead we’ll be sticking with dyes and such known to work. With the idea being to create a violet, purply blend to use to tone things down to the icey level you so love.
Ready?
Easy Homemade Toner For Brassy Hair Using Manic Panic
As a rough guide your basic recipe will look something like this.
- Any cheap white conditioner
- A semi-permanent ammonia and peroxide free violet shaded hair dye
- Gloves
- Something to mix in
- Optional: Application brush
The idea is to mix some Manic Panic Ultra Violet in with any brand of conditioner for dealing with hair that’s gone yellow. A good budget conditioner choice would be something like Aussie Miracle Moist.
WARNING: Being an intense color you don’t need more than a small dollop of purple blended into a whole lot of conditioner.
But what qualifies as a small dollop? I wondered the same thing.
As they say seeing is believing.
So just to give you an idea of how much Manic Panic to use here’s a helpful video showing one girl’s method. Even better, the before and after shot included is quite dramatic and exciting.
How To Use Manic Panic Ultra Violet As A DIY Toner For Brassy Hair
Since being a blonde bombshell is neither easy or cheap some turn to fixes like these which are at least cheaper.
Here’s the highlights.
Let the Mixing Begin
The base product you’re adding Manic Panic to in this case is conditioner. White only please.
She mixes the Manic Panic into about a cup of deep conditioner. To that she added lots more ordinary conditioner and mixed well.
To control the final result she adds the dye a little at a time. You can always add more.
Basically you’re going to be using a lot of conditioner so don’t sweat which brand you use. Buy based on price. Anything cheap found at Target or Walmart should be fine.
I don’t think there’s anything special about the products she uses. I specified the Aussie brand earlier because they do appear to be budget friendly which is what you want.
Her goal is to get to the lavender shade she knows works with her hair.
It will take a bit of trial and error for you to arrive at what shade works for you.
Oh and we have another article you might like on how to revive bleached blonde hair. It too goes into how to mix up your DIY Manic Panic toner. It’s might be worth checking out.
Next Comes Application
To me this is the key point to this video to see how she does it.
She repeatedly sections the hair all over her head. You can see how she does on the sides and then with the hair on the back of her head.
As she goes she slathers on her DIY toning product focusing on the roots.
Smart. Because this insures even coverage of her roots. Something easily overlooked.
One other thing here. It’s important to go with the right color of Manic Panic.
Many feel a cooler, blue based Manic Panic purple, think Ultra Violet, will deliver a brighter more vibrant color. Making it preferable to a dye with a warmer tone like Purple Haze.
Sure both can work. But the Ultra Violet will likely give you ashier result.
I brought this up since it may or may not be the color that comes to mind when contemplating using Manic Panic as a toner. But maybe it should be.
Naturally what happens with your hair depends.
Especially liked the tip to focus any leftover glop on the hair line to insure a uniform toning treatment.
Know why this is smart? The dye take up won’t happen as easily on the hair line as the ends. (The ends being more porous and all?) So a little extra can help with that.
Cover and Sit Tight
Then she covered with a little plastic hair cap and waited.
How long? Maybe 20-30 minutes to start. Recognizing if you wait too long there is apt to be a decided lilac cast to your locks that lasts a couple of washes.
Can you see how this is great for reviving your blondeness? Even better without subjecting your mane to harsh chemicals.
In fact it’s just the opposite. The conditioner left on like this will super-hydrate your mane.
As the before and after shots show towards the very end of the clip the results are pretty dramatic. Most of the unwanted yellow tones were lifted right out.
Naturally this isn’t going to last for long.
In fact every time you shampoo the bright platinum blondeness will fade a bit more.
But never fear there’s a fix to slow down that fade to brassy too.
This fix works for daily maintenance and to extend the life of your refreshed color. Just mix a teeny tiny bit of this industrial strength Manic Panic purple in with your daily conditioner. Then give it a few to work.
Oh and rinsing with cold water can help preserve the overall effect too.
A Few More Tips For Toning Hair With Purple Dye
Better to start slow and adjust to more purple if needed next time. Like maybe three quarters cup of conditioner and nickel sized dollop of ultra violet.
You can always test your mix on the ever popular “inconspicuous” bit of hair. That way you can see how it reacts if that makes you more comfortable.
This approach is applied to dry hair.
Just section.
Apply to saturation.
Move on to the next section until your entire head is covered.
Finally don’t think you’re limited to Manic Panic products. Two other popular brands rivaling Manic Panic are dyes from Iroiro and Pravanna.
So if you’re not a fan of Manic Panic for any reason, you’ve got options.
Plus if you want to stay more traditional you can always stick to off-the-shelf purple conditioner. And if you want to know more about how to use purple conditioner for blonde hair we’ve got you covered there too.
Including answers to five common questions that can help you rock this too.
If you want to keep your blonde looking cool and icy ideas like these DIY toners for brassy hair using temporary dyes can truly help. Following our Pinterest boards can help too. Help keep you from missing out on more ideas like these.

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