Tricky to do well yourself, 82% of women dye their hair at some point in their lifetime but the way we approach hair dye is changing. Of course, hair salons are currently closed and had their doors shut for most of 2020, but even before that, beauty booking website Treatwell noticed a decrease in colour appointments across 2019.

It’s no surprise, then, that ‘What is toner?’ was (and continues to be) one of the most googled questions in Europe, as more of us resort to colour upkeep at home. Something we’ll likely continue to do as lockdown goes on.

“Toners work to add depth to hair,” says celebrity colourist and Virtue brand ambassador Nicola Clarke. “They’re used when hair is bleached or coloured to enhance the tones and dull unwanted brassiness.”

Toning hair is something we usually went to the salon for (pre-lockdown), but new foolproof formulas mean they’ve now become a popular at-home option. Used once or twice a week, they’re applied to clean, wet hair, then left in like a styling product or washed-out after 15 minutes like a mask.

Several factors can affect hair colour, including hard water with minerals and metals in it, pollution, build-up and certain parabens found in hair products, says Clarke.

To counter these and maintain your colour’s brightness, she suggests giving hair a weekly detox with a purifying shampoo.

And when it comes to visible roots, they’re surprisingly easy to mask with products such as powders, which can be brushed or sprayed into hair.

“There are great camouflage powders out there now, I’d highly recommend these in between appointments,” says Clarke.

Main image: Getty