Wella Toner Chart: all 20 Color Charm toners by pre-lightened stage

Wella’s official US store sells 12 Color Charm liquid toners. 4 of them (T05 Pale Rose Blonde, T19 Pearlescent Blonde, T30 Sheer Golden Blonde and T81 Intense Ash Blonde) are not on the stage chart above or on Wella’s 2022 toner sheet, and the store page gives no stage for them. We list them by their official names only: giving them a stage we couldn’t find in Wella’s documents would be guessing.

A separate range: 8 crème toners, four pastel and four cool blonde. Wella’s rule is strict: mix them only with 10 volume developer. In Wella’s words, 20 volume "may cause uneven results and scalp sensitivity". The 2022 sheet gives no ratio for them; the product page on Wella’s US store gives 1 part crème toner to 2 parts 10 volume, for 10 to 20 minutes.

Both are Ash toners for hair pre-lightened to pale yellow (level 10 on Wella’s pigment guide). Wella separates them in two ways. The base: its Color Charm education book lists T18 Lightest Ash Blonde as base violet and T14 Pale Ash Blonde as base violet-blue. And the intensity: on the 2022 sheet T18 opens the brass-kicking scale and T14 comes second.

So when you read online that T14 is violet-blue based, that part does come from Wella. What the chart does not support is the next step, "T14 is the toner for orange": Wella charts T14 for pale yellow, like T18. Choose the stage first, then the result you want, then the intensity.

The Color Charm stage chart has three pre-lightened stages: yellow, pale yellow and gold, which Wella’s pigment guide places at levels 8-9, 10 and 6-7. None of the liquid toners on the Color Charm stage chart is charted for orange. If the hair reads gold, T35 is the one charted for it. Wella’s instruction is to pre-lighten "to approximately half a shade lighter than your desired result" before toning.

So the first question is the target level. If the client’s goal sits at the level the hair is at now, tone there with a blue reflect, the complementary of orange on the color wheel, knowing the result will be deeper and more neutral. If the goal is a very light blonde, lift to the stage the toner needs, and only if the hair can take it; with compromised elasticity or porosity, plan two sessions. In Wella’s salon line there is a documented case: in a Freelights balayage, its Blondor guide assesses the underlying pigment as level 7 orange-gold and tones with /03 Lightest Natural plus one cap of /86 Brass Kicker, which Wella says turns it into "a cool nude palette". The toner selector gives the family by undertone and level, and this guide covers blue toners.

• 1 part toner to 2 parts 20 volume Color Charm developer: that is the instruction in Wella’s education book and on its current US store page. Wella’s 2022 toner sheet also allows 10 volume for gentle toning, with 20 volume "for slightly more intense toning and lift".
• They are permanent toners. Apply to towel-dried hair after shampooing out the lightener, check frequently, and keep to Wella’s maximum of 30 minutes.
• Strand test: Wella’s education book says it is "always recommended, especially if hair is porous or has previously been subjected to lighteners", which is every toning service: porous ends can take more color than the rest. In its Blondor guide, Wella applies toner to the regrowth first, then pulls it through the mid-lengths and ends.
• Before each service, follow the safety warnings on the package, including an allergy test where the package calls for one.
• Crème toners: 1 part to 2 parts 10 volume only, 10 to 20 minutes (Wella US store product page).

Wella has two additives for its Color Charm shades: 050 Cooling Violet (formerly Light Drabber) reduces unwanted warm tones, and 042 Warming Gold (formerly Gold) adds warmth. Wella’s dose is 2 to 4 capfuls in a full mixture of Color Charm color, and the more you add, the more pronounced the effect. The education book describes them for Color Charm shades and gives no separate dose for the T toners; its own tip is that lighter shades "will normally require less Cooling Violet Additive", so on toned blondes start low and strand test first.

Color Charm is sold in beauty supply stores and on Wella’s US store. Wella’s other liquid toner line is Blondor Permanent Liquid Toners: five intermixable shades (/01 Medium Beige, /03 Lightest Natural, /16 Lightest Pearl, /18 Pale Platinum, /81 Pale Silver) plus /86 Brass Kicker, an additive that reduces warmth.

Watch the numbering: Blondor /18 Pale Platinum is not Color Charm T18. Different line, different system. Wella gives two ways to use Blondor, always towel-dried and with no heat: express pastel toning, 1:2 with Welloxon Perfect Pastel developer for 10 minutes, and base break and tone, 1:2 with 6% Welloxon Perfect for up to 30 minutes. Brass Kicker goes in at 1 to 3 capfuls per bottle of toner, adding two capfuls of developer for each capful.

Working with salon demi-permanents instead? See the Color Touch chart and the Shinefinity chart.