Blue-Based Toners Explained: 8 "killer" blue based toners for use in the salon

Blue-based toners are essential tools for professional colorists when blonde or brunette lightening results expose orange and brassy undertones.

Ugly Duckling has a range of blue based toners, both permanent creme toners as well as liquid toners.

They offer precise control over warmth correction across multiple depth levels, ensuring clean, cool, salon-perfect results every time.

Choosing the Right Blue Ash Toner by Level

But before you choose a blue-based toner, it is important to determine the level of hair that you are going to be working with.

Level 10 toners are going to be blonder. But they will be more sheer and have less color neutralisation.

Whereas as you go down, to level 9, 8 and 7, you are going to get more blue pigment concentration. And hence get stronger color neutralization.

In general it is a good idea to go no more than 1 level lighter than your natural level.

What is your client's hair color level?

So before doing anything else, assess your client's hair color level using the chart above

If you're seeing yellow and pale yellow, then the hair is level 9 or 10.

You should use Ugly Duckling's 10.1b or 9.1b in this situation.

If you're seeing mainly gold and orange, then your client's hair is level 7 or 8.

At this level you would be better using Ugly Duckling 8.1b or 7.1b and combining with some Ash Blue Additive.

If you're seeing mainly deep orange to red-orange tones, then you are at level 5 to 6.

At this level you should use Blondify 09B and mix that with some Ash Grey Additive.

Choose the right toner for your hair level, and you will get much better results.

With fewer surprises.

We will go through all our blue based toners now in a little more detail.

10.1b Blue-Based Extra Light Ash Blonde

Use this toner when working on very pale yellow to nearly white blondes.

The blue base ensures a more silvery, clean tone without turning icy violet.

This toner is perfect after a full pre-lightening service or when refining platinum blonde.

Mix with 20 Vol developer in a 1+1 mix.

9.1b Blue-Based Very Light Ash Blonde

This toner is ideal for yellow-gold underlying tones at level 9.

The blue base refines the warmth while adding brightness, giving you that classic neutral ash blonde look without dullness.

You will get a beautiful neutralization of yellow and remain at a level 9 using this toner.

8.1b Blue-Based Light Ash Blonde

This toner targets level 8 orange-yellow undertones. It is ideal after balayage or foil lightening on darker blondes.

It produces a balanced cool tone that looks dimensional rather than flat.

This toner will give you stronger neutralisation and coverage of yellow tones and will produce a medium/dark blonde result.

7.1b Blue-Based Medium Ash Blonde

This toner is designed for level 7 orange undertones.

When clients lift to coppery orange, this formula brings the tone right back to a clean, cool dark blonde.

Perfect for root melts or blending darker blonde zones into lighter ends.

6.1b Blue-Based Dark Ash Blonde

This is a true dark blonde color with blue toners.

Use this for correcting for deep orange to red-orange underlying pigments.

This toner is great for neutralizing warmth when working on brown-to-dark blonde levels.

And it blends beautifully into cooler brunette formulas without banding.

Blondify 09B Blue Ash Blonde

This is the toner you need to use when you want to get a maximum of blue pigments built into a toner for a maximum of color neutralization.

Blondify 09B is a true blue-based level 9 toner designed specifically for clients who want to quickly remove orange or gold undertones without over-processing.

The 09B formula is ammonia-free, meaning that it does not lift. But it offers really strong toning power, in particular neutralization power thanks to the concentration of blue pigments.

The concentration is so strong that depending on your hair, you should be able to cover unwanted orange and even red tones using this toner and 20 Vol developer.

How to Use Blondify 09B

Mix Blondify 09B in a 1:2 ratio with 20 Volume Developer.

The toner comes in 2 oz bottles and is a liquid color. Use two bottles for longer hair.

Mix thoroughly until the consistency becomes gel-like, then apply evenly with a tint brush for full saturation.

Massage through with gloved hands to ensure complete coverage and even pigment distribution.

Process for 10 minutes only, monitoring tone development visually.

Once the warmth has neutralized, rinse thoroughly and finish with a sulfate-free, acidic conditioner to close the cuticle and lock in tone.

For very warm orange hair, consider following up with a small amount of Ash Blue Additive to maintain long-lasting cool tones.

Ash Blue Additive

Ugly Duckling’s Ash Blue Additive is a concentrated blue pigment that can be mixed directly into any Ugly Duckling permanent or demi-permanent toner, color, or developer mix.

Use it when the hair is truly very warm or excessively orange after lightening.

You can also use it to boost the ash strength beyond a traditional blue-based toner.

Also, it is a useful tool when you’re combining highlight zones with darker melt or shadow root areas, preventing warmth creep.

dd approximately 1 inch of Ash Blue Additive for every tube or bottle of regular color or toner that you are using.

Adjust the amount to vary the intensity of the blue pigments depending on hair porosity and level.

Ash Grey Additive

This is the very strongest additive we have at Ugly Duckling Color.

It removes red tones from level 4 and level 5 brown hair using blue and ash pigments.

It will darken the hair. But it will cover over basically any red and orange.

Mix about an inch of this with your chosen toner, which should really be level 6 at the highest. No lighter.

Pro Tips for Salon Use

Add Ugly Duckling Brilliant Blonde Purple Shampoo after toning to refine residual yellow before applying blue-based toners.

Final Thoughts

Whether your goal is a clean platinum, smoky blonde, or cool brunette, the Ugly Duckling Blue-Based Toner series, Blondify 09B, Ash Blue Additive and Ash Grey Additive make it possible to neutralize any yellow, orange or even red that you may have in your hair.

What was previously hit or miss becomes more predictable and controllable.

By selecting the right formula for the exposed pigment level, you can deliver beautifully cool, salon-grade results and get rid of the brass in your hair.

Whatever the hair level you are at.