Pricing Blog Formulas Tools Charts Colorists About Try the app
EN | ES | PT
Online tool

Neutralization wheel for color professionals

Tap the unwanted tone and discover the corrector you need. Based on complementary color theory.

Tap a tone Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet

Tap a color on the wheel to see what corrector you need

Step by step

How to use the neutralization wheel

1

Identify the unwanted tone

Look at your client's hair. That orange after bleaching, that yellow that won't go away, that red peeking through the ends. Identify the dominant reflect.

2

Tap the color on the wheel

Press the unwanted tone segment. The wheel will automatically show you the complementary color that neutralizes it.

3

Apply the recommended corrector

Add the corrector reflect to your color formula. The amount comes from your line's color chart: the wheel guides you and a test strand confirms it. If the formula is a permanent color or a toner mixed with developer, the allergy patch test comes first, and not on the same day as the color appointment.

Applied colorimetry

The color wheel and hair neutralization

Hair color neutralization is one of the fundamental skills of every color professional. When bleaching, when applying color over a base with history, when sun or water change the client's reflects, unwanted tones appear.

The solution lies in the color wheel: a color theory model that organizes primary and secondary tones into opposite pairs. Each pair cancels the other out. If you have an unwanted orange, you apply its opposite (blue). If you have a yellow that won't go away, you neutralize it with violet.

Neutralization table

Unwanted tone Corrector Reflect to look for in the chart
RedGreenMatte
OrangeBlueAsh
YellowVioletIridescent or violet
GreenRedRed or copper
BlueOrangeCopper or copper-gold
VioletYellowGold

The number for each reflect changes from one brand to another (in Wella Koleston Perfect, for example, matte is /2). Look it up by name in your line's color chart.

When you need to neutralize

The most common situations where neutralization is key:

  • After bleaching: Lightening exposes the underlying pigments, which are warm (orange, yellow). An ash or iridescent reflect neutralizes them.
  • Resistant grays: Gray hair can reveal unwanted reflects, especially in light formulas.
  • Over previously colored hair: Color history can produce unexpected reflects when applying a new shade.
  • Sun and water damage: Sun and washing can fade the color and shift its reflect. In blondes, green that shows up after the pool or with tap water can come from copper in the water: the metal comes out first and the color is corrected after (see how to fix green tones in bleached blonde).

If you want to dive deeper into color theory applied to hair, check out our colorimetry basics guide. And for specific neutralization techniques, read our article on how to neutralize unwanted tones. For a complete guide on toner types, developer volumes, and application technique, see our professional toning guide.

For complex cases like color correction after a disaster, see our professional color correction guide.

If you're looking for a toner to neutralize orange or yellow in blondes, try our toner selector: it guides you based on level and unwanted tone. You can also check the underlying pigment for each level in our hair color level chart. To see what level and reflect a mix of two shades would give, use the hair color mixing calculator.

We answer your questions

Questions about the neutralization wheel

Everything you need to know about hair neutralization

The wheel is built on the complementary color wheel, which organizes colors into opposite pairs. Each unwanted tone is neutralized with the opposite color on the wheel. Tap the tone you want to remove and the wheel shows the color that neutralizes it and the reflect to look for in your line's color chart.
The complementary color wheel is a color organization model that divides the spectrum into six main tones. Opposite colors neutralize each other: red-green, orange-blue, yellow-violet. Wella draws the same pairs on the color wheel in its Koleston Perfect usage guide.
The amount is set by your line's color chart or your toner's instructions. If they don't give one, start with a little and check it on a test strand before the full head. As a guide, a light shade needs less corrector than a dark one, because the reflect looks brighter on a light shade. Wella explains it in its Koleston Perfect usage guide, where the lighter the shade, the less Special Mix it calls for, with the exception of level 12.

Before a permanent color or a toner mixed with developer, do an allergy patch test, and not on the same day as the color appointment. Wella's Koleston Perfect leaflet says to always perform it 48 hours before any color service, and, if there is redness, burning or itching, not to apply the color and to seek medical advice before coloring again.
Yes. Color theory (which tone neutralizes which) doesn't depend on the brand. What changes is the reflect numbering: the same number can be a different reflect in another brand. In Wella Koleston Perfect, for example, /2 is matte. Look the reflect up by name in your line's color chart.
The wheel tells you what type of corrector to use. Blendsor goes further: it starts from the hair diagnosis you give it and suggests the complete, personalized formula with the brands and lines you use, without leaving the chair. Try it now.

Have more questions?

Email us at hello@blendsor.com
Take the next step

The wheel tells you which corrector.
Blendsor tells you how much, and over which base.

With your salon's brands, for each client, without leaving the chair.

Download on App Store Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play