Shades EQ toner guide
Shades EQ tone families explained
Short answer
The letters after a Shades EQ level name its tone family: the base tone it deposits and what it neutralizes. Each family also has a background color (black to gray, brown to tan, or none), which affects how cool, natural or vivid the result is. In Shades EQ, A means Auburn, not Ash.
Background colors in one line each
- Black to gray: a cool, corrective foundation that cancels orange and yellow. It can overpower very porous hair and leave it darker than intended.
- Brown to tan: a balanced, natural foundation, usually used to enhance tone. It tends toward warmer results.
- None: pure reflect, the most true-to-tone and vibrant. No background does not mean no pigment or depth: these shades still deposit. On light blonde, violet can leave a visible violet cast when its deposit exceeds the warmth available to neutralize. Adjust the shade, concentration and background to the canvas and desired result.
The families
| Code | Family | Base | What it does | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | Titanium | Silver/blue | Neutralizes orange and yellow-orange; smoky, silver or metallic, ultra cool. Not a universal yellow corrector: Redken advises adding violet or a little red to avoid green or flat results | Black to gray |
| B | Blue | Blue | Neutralizes orange. Use care on gold: blue on yellow can produce green | Black to gray |
| NA | Natural Ash | Blue-violet | Neutralizes orange and yellow; cool | Black to gray |
| ABN | Ash Brown | Blue pearl | Neutralizes orange, red and warmth | Black to gray |
| VB | Violet Blue | Strong blue-violet | Neutralizes orange and yellow; for corrective toning | Black to gray |
| P | Pearl | Soft blue-violet | Neutralizes pale yellow, yellow and orange; soft pearl or silvery blonde | Black to gray |
| GN | Green Natural | Green-yellow | Neutralizes red and red-violet; cool, smoky | Black to gray |
| V | Violet | Violet | Neutralizes yellow and pale yellow | None |
| VV | Violet Violet | Violet | Neutralizes yellow; violet/violet reflect for icy blondes; how it compares with V depends on the particular shade and level | None |
| VRO | Violet Rose | Violet-rose | Neutralizes yellow and gold (brassiness), with a soft pink glow | None |
| NP | Natural Pearl | Blue-violet | Neutralizes pale yellow, yellow and yellow-orange; shimmering pearl blondes | Brown to tan |
| NV | Natural Violet | Violet | Neutralizes yellow and pale yellow; bright lilac-reflect blondes | Brown to tan |
| VG | Violet Gold | Violet-gold | Neutralizes yellow and pale yellow; the gold helps avoid a muddy result | Brown to tan |
| N | Natural | Blue-violet | Neutralizes yellow-orange; a natural foundation | Brown to tan |
| M | Matte | Blue-green | Neutralizes orange and red; matte finish | Brown to tan |
| AG | Ash Gold | Blue-gold | Neutralizes orange; controls warmth in blondes without going flat or muddy | Brown to tan |
| GI | Gold Iridescent | Gold-violet | Neutralizes yellow and intense gold; pearly rather than bright blondes | Brown to tan |
| NCH | Natural Chocolate | Blue-mahogany | Neutralizes orange and red-orange; balances cool and warm for rich brunettes | Brown to tan |
| NB | Neutral Brown Blonde | Red-violet | Neutralizes yellow-green; fills hollow hair, and the violet keeps the red from going brassy | Brown to tan |
| NW | Natural Warm | Gold | Neutralizes cool and ashy tones; adds honey | Brown to tan |
| GB | Gold Beige | Gold-mauve | Neutralizes ashy tones; golden beige tones | Brown to tan |
| G | Gold | Yellow | Neutralizes violet | Brown to tan |
| GG | Gold Gold | Yellow-yellow | Neutralizes violet and ashy tones; adds warmth and honey | Brown to tan |
| WG | Warm Gold | Yellow-orange | Neutralizes blue-violet; strong warmth | Brown to tan |
| HC | Honey Copper | Gold-copper | Neutralizes cool and ashy tones; soft honeyed warmth | Brown to tan |
| C | Copper | Orange | Neutralizes blue; natural, believable copper | Brown to tan |
| CB | Copper Brown | Red-orange | Neutralizes blue and green; amber tones, natural auburn | Brown to tan |
| A | Auburn | Orange-red | Neutralizes blue and green; warm red-brown for brunettes, not an ash tone | Brown to tan |
| AA | Auburn Accent | Orange-red | Neutralizes unwanted cool tones; boosts vibrancy in all reds | Brown to tan |
| RB | Red Brown | Red | Neutralizes green; cool strawberry blonde to rich mahogany | Brown to tan |
| GRO | Gold Rose | Gold-rose | Neutralizes excess violet or ashy tone in a warm formula; gold-and-rose reflect for rose-tinted results such as champagne blondes; still deposits, so it can change depth | None |
| CR | Copper Red | Copper-red | Neutralizes blue-green; bright copper-red deposit for vibrant fashion tones and warmth; still deposits, so it can change depth | None |
| CC | Copper Copper | Orange-orange | Neutralizes blue; the most intense, fiery copper | None |
| R | Red | Red | Neutralizes green; refreshes red and boosts red vibrancy | None |
| RR | Red Red | Red | Neutralizes green; double red, more intense than R | None |
| RV | Red Violet | Red-violet | Neutralizes yellow-green; warm vibrancy with cool richness; mix for longevity | None |
No background does not mean no pigment or depth: GRO, CR and the other no-background shades still deposit. A carefully selected warm formula may rebalance excess cool tone; strand-test because additional deposit can change depth and reflect.
Sources
- Redken: Platinum blonde haircolor ideas and formulas
- Redken: Champagne blonde haircolor ideas and formulas
- Redken: Shades EQ Bonder Inside copper blondes
- Redken: Shades EQ Silver Strong collection
- Redken: Shades EQ 1001 blondes
Checked against Redken US materials, October 2026.