Toner Treatment in Chicago

A toner is a semi- or demi-permanent color that deposits pigment without lifting the hair. Its job is to neutralise the unwanted warmth left behind by lightening — orange, gold, yellow, red — and replace it with the exact shade you were going for. Icy platinum, cool ash, sandy beige, warm honey: all of it is toner work. Without it, lightened hair is just lifted hair, which is what "brassy" actually means. At Reverie Salon in River North, Chicago, toner is priced by your stylist and is added to every lightening service.

Toner, gloss and glaze are closely related. A toner corrects tone; a gloss or glaze does the same job while also adding shine and a little depth. In practice we choose between them based on what your hair needs on the day.

When you need one

After lightening. Every balayage, highlight, foilayage, AirTouch or bleach-and-tone service at Reverie finishes with a toner. It is the step that makes the color complete, and it is priced separately at the price your stylist sets. We treat it as non-negotiable rather than optional — and we quote the number in writing before we start.

Between appointments. Toners fade over 4 to 6 weeks. If your blonde starts pulling warm before your next lightening appointment, a standalone toner refresh takes about 20 to 30 minutes and brings the tone back to where it should be — much cheaper and faster than a full color appointment.

To correct tone. If you left another salon with color that is the right lightness but the wrong tone — too warm, too cool, too flat — a toner is often the whole fix. If the problem is banding, patchiness or uneven lift rather than tone, that is color correction and is quoted at a consultation. A color correction is never quoted by phone, text or DM — a standalone consultation is $50 for 15 minutes, or $150 for 30 minutes with Sal, and the fee is credited in full toward any service or any product at Reverie within 30 days.

Why blonde goes brassy in Chicago

Two things pull tone out faster than most people expect. The first is heat: hot water and hot tools open the cuticle and let deposited pigment escape. The second is Chicago's hard water — dissolved minerals bind to lightened hair and read as orange. A chelating or clarifying wash before your appointment, and cooler rinses in between, meaningfully extend how long a toner holds.

Purple shampoo helps, but sparingly. Once a week is usually plenty. Used daily it can dull warm blondes and turn icy ones grey.

Toner is never included — and here is why we say so

Plenty of salons fold toning into a headline color price and recover it elsewhere. We would rather show you the real number. Toner is charged separately on every service that needs it, at the price your stylist sets, and it appears on your written quote before any color is mixed. Nothing about your total should be a surprise at the front desk.

Pricing and timing

Every stylist at Reverie sets their own pricing. When you book online you’ll see your stylist’s current price before you confirm. Our colourists range widely in experience, and one flat salon-wide number would be unfair in both directions — so each of them prices their own work and the booking site shows it to you up front.

• Standalone toner or gloss — priced by your stylist, with or without a blow-dry
• Toner added to a lightening service — priced separately by your stylist
• Standalone appointment time — about 20 to 30 minutes
• Consultation in the chair at every appointment — no extra charge
• Standalone consultation before booking — $50 for 15 minutes, or $150 for 30 minutes with Sal, credited in full toward any service or any product within 30 days

Within a stylist’s pricing, toning is priced by length and density, never by gender. Not sure who to book? Find your stylist.

Related services

• Hair gloss · Blonde specialist · Balayage · Highlights
• Foilayage · Root touch-up · Color correction · Gray blending

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does hair toner actually do?

A toner is a semi- or demi-permanent color that deposits pigment without lifting. It neutralises unwanted warmth left by lightening — orange, gold, yellow — and sets the exact shade, whether that is icy platinum, cool ash, beige or warm honey.

How much does toner cost in Chicago?

Every stylist at Reverie sets their own pricing, so there is no single toner price. When you book online you choose your stylist and see their current price before you confirm — standalone, with a blow-dry, or added to a lightening service.

Is toner included with balayage or highlights?

No. Toner is added to every lightening service at Reverie but is always charged separately, at the price your stylist sets, and it appears on your written quote before any color is mixed.

How long does toner last?

Toner fades over roughly 4 to 6 weeks. Hot water, hot tools and Chicago's hard water all shorten that. A standalone refresh takes 20 to 30 minutes and resets the tone.

What is the difference between toner, gloss and glaze?

A toner corrects tone. A gloss or glaze does the same job while also adding shine and a little depth. Which one you get depends on what your hair needs on the day.

Will toner fix brassy blonde?

Yes, if the lightness is right and only the tone is wrong — that is exactly what a toner is for. If the hair is banded, patchy or unevenly lifted, that is color correction and is quoted at a consultation instead — $50, credited in full toward any service or any product at Reverie within 30 days.

What it costs

A toner or gloss at Reverie Salon in River North, Chicago is $75. It is charged separately from any lightening service rather than folded into it, and your artist confirms the exact price at booking, before anything is charged. See the full price list.