Shades EQ toner guide
How to tone level 9 yellow to an icy level 9 blonde with Shades EQ
Short answer
Level 9 lifts to a yellow underlying pigment, and violet cancels yellow. One example starting formula: 09V Platinum Ice 1 oz + 09N Café au Lait 1 oz with 2 oz Shades EQ Processing Solution, processed 20 minutes at room temperature on dry hair. It is intended to cool an adequately lightened level 9 canvas; a near-white platinum result requires a sufficiently pale starting canvas. Strand test first.
Why level 9 looks yellow
Lightened hair shows the underlying pigment of its level. At level 9 that pigment is yellow, so a cool or icy result needs a violet-based toner to neutralize it. Shades EQ is deposit-only: it tones, it can’t lift. Cooling a level 9 blonde is possible, but toner can’t make it a lighter level 10, near-white platinum.
Two example starting formulas
Both are intended for an adequately lightened level 9 canvas showing yellow. They are starting points, not guarantees: strand test, then adjust the formula to how the hair responds.
Option 1
Cooler- 09VPlatinum Ice1 oz
- 09NCafé au Lait1 oz
Violet cancels yellow. 09N’s brown-to-tan background can help control the no-background violet, but it doesn’t guarantee the result won’t read lilac.
Option 2
Softer- 09POpal Glow1 oz
- 09NCafé au Lait1 oz
The blue-violet pearl neutralizes pale yellow for a gentler, pearly cool.
How to apply
- Strand test first. Check the result on a strand and adjust the formula to how the hair responds.
- Mix 1:1. Total color-side ounces, including any 000 Crystal Clear, equal the Processing Solution ounces. For example, 1 oz shade + 1 oz Clear needs 2 oz Processing Solution.
- Apply to dry hair, in the order the zones need. Porous ends grab more pigment, so they often go on last.
- Process the full 20 minutes at room temperature.
Porous ends grab more pigment: apply them last, or dilute the ends formula with 000 Crystal Clear. The Clear counts toward the color side of the 1:1 mix.
Common questions
Can toner take a level 9 to platinum?
No. Toner can cool a level 9, but it can’t make it a lighter level 10, near-white platinum. A near-white platinum result requires a sufficiently pale starting canvas.
Can I use Bonder Inside for this?
Yes. 09V, 09N and 09P all come in both Shades EQ Gloss and Bonder Inside.
What if the client is level 8, not 9?
Level 8 shows a yellow-orange pigment, so it needs a blue-violet corrective tone and a different formula.
Sources
Checked against Redken US materials, October 2026.