Going blonde? There are loads of shades out there to choose from - warm golden blonde, beige blonde, icy platinum blonde, and more.
To achieve a specific blonde shade, one thing will be true in virtually every case - you need a toner, and Wella T15 is one of the most popular blonde toner shades you'll come across.
If you're wondering whether it's the right toner for you, this is the place to be.
In this article, we'll tell you all about Wella T15 before and after expectations. We'll share how your hair should look before using this Wella toner, what you can expect after using it, and much more. Let's get right into it!
What Is Wella T15?
Starting with the basics, Wella T15 is a permanent hair toner designed for two main purposes: (1) to get rid of brassy yellow tones that appear when lightening the hair and (2) to give the hair a new hue.
Free 50-page guide
Your hair is already growing. The problem is keeping it.
On average, hair grows a third to half an inch a month, and curlier hair tends to grow more slowly. If your length looks stuck, that’s your hair breaking off as fast as it grows in. Here are the seven causes of breakage and the weekly routine that stops them.
Free. One email a week after that. Unsubscribe anytime.
In the case of Wella T15, the new hue will be a pale beige blonde. It's a nice, cool-toned shade that meshes well with skin tones that are either neutral or warm. At the same time, the shade isn't too cool for someone with a cooler skin tone.
Being that the toner is permanent and meant to penetrate the hair shaft, you'll need to use a developer in order to activate it. Wella recommends using a 10 or 20-volume developer.
You can use one from the Wella brand - doing so will yield the most predictable results. But if you'd rather not use a Wella brand toner, you can use a developer from another brand - just make sure the strength is volume 10 or 20.
How Your Hair Should Look Before Using Wella T15
For Wella toners, you'll need to lighten your hair one shade lighter than the shade you'd like to achieve. So, before using Wella T15, ideally, your hair will be level 8 or higher. If your hair isn't light enough, you won't get the results you see on the box. To get your hair to level 8, of course, you'll have to bleach your hair.
If you're confident enough to take on the bleaching process at home, follow the below instructions to get the best results:
- Ensure that your hair is free of any product residue. If you don't have any obvious residue, you don't have to wash your hair. If you do, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo and then wait at least 48 hours to bleach your hair.
- Mix your bleach powder and developer in a bowl according to the instructions on the box. In most cases, you'll be instructed to mix 1 part bleach with 2 parts developer. You can use either a 10 or 20-volume developer. The 20-volume developer will lift your hair more shades and do it in less time, but it could do more damage to your hair.
- Apply the mixture generously to your hair in small sections, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends, and then going back to apply the bleach to the roots.
- Leave the bleach on for 30-45 minutes or until you achieve your desired level of lightness - level 8. Every 5 minutes or so, you can check the progress by wiping the bleach away from a tiny section of hair. If you haven't reached level 8 yet, put more bleach on your hair and continue to let the hair process. But do not leave the bleach on for more than 45 minutes.
- Once you've reached a lightness level of 8, rinse your hair thoroughly and then shampoo your hair to remove any bleach residue.
What Your Hair May Look Like After Bleaching and Before Toning
After bleaching your hair, chances are you'll end up with a yellowish-blonde shade. This happens when the natural pigment in your hair (the melanin) is removed. What you're left with are the underlying red-to-yellow pigments.
These give off the brassiness we hate.
If you do succeed in lifting your hair to level 8, it'll look like the inside of a banana. This is what you want. In cases where you see orange undertones peeking through rather than pale yellow ones, you haven't lightened your hair enough.
Wella T15 isn't formulated to eliminate orange tones.
Wella Color Charm toners
Which Wella toner for the level you reached
Your hair has to be light enough before any of these toners can give you the result shown on the box. The rows move from less pre-lightening to more, so find the level your hair has already reached and choose a toner from that row. Don’t move to a higher row unless you lighten your hair again. Each shade code opens the before-and-after guide for that toner.
| Toner | What it leaves | Lighten to | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| T27 | Medium beige blonde | Level 8 | Your hair is level 8 and you want a soft, medium beige blonde instead of a pale or ashy result. T27 itself sits at about level 7. |
| T15This page | Pale beige blonde | Level 8 | Your hair is pale yellow at level 8 and you want a cool, pale beige blonde. T15 isn’t strong enough to cancel noticeable orange tones. |
| T28 | Natural, neutral blonde | Level 8 | Your hair has yellow and light orange tones, and you want a natural-looking blonde instead of an ashy one. |
| T35 | Beige blonde | Level 8 | You want a natural beige blonde with a little warmth instead of a cool ash blonde. Your exact result will depend on how light your hair is before you tone it. |
| 7A | Medium cool blonde | No fixed pre-lightening level | You want to tone, gloss, refresh, or blend gray with a demi-permanent cream color. For the closest match to medium cool blonde, start around level 8. Unlike the other shades in this chart, 7A isn’t a T-series liquid toner. |
| T11 | Lightest beige blonde | Level 9 | Your hair is level 9 and you want violet pigment to soften yellow and brassy tones. T11 itself sits at about level 8. |
| T14 | Pale ash blonde | Level 9 or 10 | Your hair is yellow with a little orange left in it. T14’s violet-blue base gives you a cooler result, but it won’t completely neutralize hair that is still strongly orange. |
| T50 | Pink blossom, a pinkish blonde | Level 9 or 10 | You want a visible pastel-pink tone instead of a neutral blonde. This toner creates a new color rather than simply correcting brassiness. |
| T10 | Pale blonde, sold as Ivory Lady | Level 10 | Your hair is light yellow with a hint of gold, and you want the palest blonde result. It can work on darker blonde hair, but the result will be darker and cooler than the shade shown on the box. |
| T18 | Lightest ash blonde | Level 10 | Your hair is a pale or bright yellow with little to no orange left. If your hair is below level 10, T18 won’t give you the lightest ash-blonde result shown on the box. |
The level is the part most people skip. Toner can change the warmth or coolness of your color, but it can’t take level 8 hair to level 10. Check a strand in daylight before you buy. The full Wella toner chart sets all of these shades side by side. If your curls feel gummy, brittle, or begin snapping after bleaching, stop there and give them time to recover instead of lightening again just to use a paler toner.
What Your Hair Will Look Like After Using Wella T15 Toner
Now, let's get into how your hair will look after using Wella T15 toner. Your results will largely depend on the condition of your hair beforehand and how well you're able to follow the directions on the toner.
For those who are able to lighten their hair to level 8, they can expect their hair to look like a cool, pale blonde shade. This is the ideal scenario.
Wella T15 Before and After Results
This video shows the before and after results of a black woman using Wella Color Charm T15.
You can also take a look at this video where a woman with brunette hair uses Wella T15 toner on bleached hair, creating beautiful blonde hair.
What If Your Hair Is Orange?
All over the internet, you'll see people with bright orange hair trying to use blonde Wella toners like T18, T35, and of course, T15. If your hair is darker than the shade of the toner, you won't notice much of a change in your hair. So, your hair will likely still be brassy, and it definitely won't turn out blonde.
What if You Leave the Toner On Too Long?
If you leave the toner on too long or use a developer that is too strong, you may end up with a wonky grey or purple shade. Toners are only supposed to be in contact with the hair for a short amount of time.
Any longer than the recommended amount, and you risk overtoning your hair. Granted, the grey or purple cast won't be permanent, but it'll take a few days to a few weeks to fade out.
How to Get the Best Results with Wella T15 Toner
Using Wella T15 can be a great way to get that pale blonde look you've been dreaming of - but only if you follow the directions closely. There are instructions on Wella toners, but we'll include a thorough description of the process below.
- Bleach or otherwise lift your natural hair to at least a level 8.
- Mix the toner in a bowl according to the instructions on the box. For Wella toners, you'll usually be instructed to mix 1 part toner with 2 parts 10 or 20 volume developer.
- Begin applying the toner to your hair wherever it needs the most toning - wherever your hair is the most brassy. Cover all the rest of your hair after you've taken care of the brassiest parts. Ensure that all of your hair is covered.
- Allow the toner to sit for up to 30 minutes. You may not need to leave the toner on for the entire 30 minutes. Keep an eye on your hair while the toner processes, checking every few minutes. All you need to do to check your progress is to wipe the toner off of a small section of hair and take a good look at the hair.
- When your hair is the shade you want, rinse the toner out thoroughly with lukewarm water until the water runs clear.
- Deep condition your hair afterward; your hair has been through a lot and can use some nourishment.
How Long Does Wella T15 Last?
After having achieved your pale beige-blonde hue, you may wonder how long you'll be able to enjoy your new shade. Wella T15 lasts for about 6 weeks. It may last a little longer if you're using sulfate-free shampoo and not washing your hair too often.
As you get closer to the 6 weeks, you'll notice your blonde hue fading and the brassiness coming back. Then, you'll do the whole toning process again if you want to keep your gorgeous blonde hair.
What Does Wella T15 Toner Do?
Wella T15 Toner is a popular hair toner that gives you a cool-toned, pale-beige hair color. It's commonly used to remove unwanted yellow or brassy tones from bleached or lightened hair and leave you with a beautiful, even-toned blonde shade. This toner works by neutralizing the warm tones in your hair and depositing cool, ashy tones instead. However, the final result may vary depending on the starting hair color, hair type, and the level of lightening achieved. Remember that toner is not designed to lighten your hair but rather to neutralize unwanted tones and add a subtle color.
What Undertone Does Wella T15 Have?
Wella T15 has a cool, ash undertone, meaning that the toner is designed to neutralize any warm or yellow tones in your hair and leave you with a cool-toned, ashy blonde shade. The T15 toner is ideal for those with light blonde hair who are looking to achieve a more natural-looking, cooler-toned blonde.
Which Is Lighter T11 or T15?
Wella T11 is lighter than T15. T11 is the lightest beige-blonde shade, while T15 is a very light pale-beige shade. Both toners are designed to give you a cool-toned, beige-blonde hair color, but T11 will give you a lighter, more silver-toned blonde, while T15 will give you a slightly warmer, beige-toned blonde.
Which Wella Toner Removes Orange Hair?
If you have orange hair, the Wella toner that is best for removing orange tones is the Wella T18 toner or a blue toner that cancels out orange, brassy tones more quickly. Orange hair is typically caused by too much warmth in the hair, which can be difficult to neutralize with a toner alone. Wella T18 toner neutralizes unwanted orange undertones and creates a cool-toned, ashy blonde. The T18 toner is ideal for those with light blonde hair who are looking to achieve a platinum or silver-toned blonde.
Will Wella T15 Work on Orange Hair?
Wella T15 is not the best toner to use on orange hair. It's designed to cancel out yellow tones rather than orange tones, so you may end up with a yellow color that still has some orange tones. To neutralize orange tones in the hair, use a toner with a blue base, such as Wella T14 or T18.
Can I Mix Wella T15 and T18?
You can mix Wella T15 and T18 toners for a unique color between light ashy blonde and warm beige, which isn't possible with just one toner. However, it's important to keep in mind that the final color will depend on the ratio of T15 to T18 that you use, as well as the starting color of your hair.
Will Wella T15 Work on Yellow Hair?
When applied to yellow hair, Wella T15 will help to cancel out the yellow tones and create a more neutral and natural-looking shade of blonde. The result will depend on the starting level of the hair and the amount of yellow that needs to be neutralized.
Is Wella T15 Blue Based?
Wella T15 has a violet-gold base. The violet-gold base in the toner is designed to neutralize any unwanted yellow or brassy tones in pre-lightened or bleached hair while adding a pale beige-blonde color to the hair. It creates a very natural, warm-looking color that's not as ashy as some other toners for blonde hair.
Related Articles
So, there you have it - everything you need to know about Wella T15 toner - the before and the after. We hope you found this guide helpful! Good luck!
