What base toner would be used to produce a neutral blonde on pre-lightened pale yellow hair?

• A. Violet
• B. Blue
• C. Green
• D. Orange

Answer: (A)

Neutralizing yellow undertones with a complementary toner is the idea. When hair is pre-lightened to pale yellow, you want to cancel that yellow with a toner that contains violet pigments, since violet sits opposite yellow on the color wheel. Depositing violet neutralizes yellow and helps you achieve a neutral blonde rather than a warm or yellow-tinged result. Using blue would counter orange tones, not yellow, and green targets red hues, so they aren’t the right choice here. Therefore violet is the best base toner to produce a neutral blonde on pale yellow hair.