Wella T14 Vs T18

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Learn more about what is the difference between Wella T14 vs T18, which of these toners you should choose and how to mix the Wella toners.

I have naturally dark hair so I have to often bleach my hair to get blonde hair color. The pale blonde and ash blonde tones are really in vogue right now but due to the bleaching this hair color often develops orangish tones.

Even if you have natural blonde hair, the hair is prone to yellowness over time. In such cases, it’s better to use a hair toner to remove brassy tones and yellow tones from tresses.

These toners often contain a blue/purple dye. As blue and purple are opposite from orange and yellow respectively in the color wheel, these tints can cancel out brassiness from bleached, blonde hair.

The most popular tones used in salons worldwide are the Wella toners that come in two shades – the Wella T14 and the Wella T18.

Now there’s a lot of confusion among people who dye and bleach their hair at home about whether they should use Wella T14 vs T18. So I decided to write this article as a guide to help you choose the right Wella hair toner for your hair.

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What is Wella T14

Wella T14 is liquid toner that gives you pale ash blonde hair. A hair toner is a product with dye pigments that help cancel out another shade of color from your hair by using the color wheel.

This particular hair toner has a violet-blue pigment base and helps remove orange and gold undertones from newly bleached hair.

Sometimes hair tones contain extra nourishing ingredients as well and help leave bleached hair shiny.

The Wella T14 helps give you a cool shade of pale ash blonde hair in just 30 minutes according to the instructions.

It can be mixed with either a 10 volume or 20 volume developer.

What is Wella T18

Wella T18 is another variant of the liquid Wella toner for bleached hair. Unlike the T14, the T18 has a purple base and helps cancel out yellow tones from hair.

The Wella T18 toner leaves bleached hair a very light ash blonde (almost platinum) shade.

You can also see slight violet undertones to the hair when you use this toner.

This toner too can be used with either a 10 volume or a 20 volume developer depending on your hair’s needs.

On the surface the two toners might seem similar but the Wella T14 and T18 results are poles apart. So here I’ve listed out some key differences between the two.

Wella T14 Toner	Wella T18 Toner
Contains blue-violet pigment base	Contains a violet-purple pigment base
Removes orange/brassy tones from bleached hair	Removes yellowness from bleached hair
Gives your hair an ashy, gray tone after use	Gives hair slight violet undertones after use
Should be used if you want a pale or ash gray blonde hair color	Should be used if you want platinum or white blonde hair color
A sulfate-free shampoo is enough to prevent toner from washing out	Using a purple shampoo is recommended to keep up the violet undertones and remove yellowness

Can you mix Wella T14 and T18?

Can you mix the two toners together? Technically, yes. Should you do it? No, I don’t recommend it.

Yes, sometimes you can end up with both a mix of orange and yellow tones in your hair after bleaching. So the easiest solution seems to be to mix these two toners together to apply on your hair.

But if you ask any professional stylist they will not suggest you do so. Why?

Well firstly, you’ll need to be very careful about mixing the developers with the toners so you get the developer to toner ratio right.

Wella T14 Before and After

Also, you need to determine exactly how much of your hair is yellow and how much of it shows orange tones. And then use the correct amount of Wella T14 and T18 toner based on this deduction.

For example, you’ll need more Wella T14 toner if you have more orange tones and more Wella T18 should be added if your bleached hair is more on the yellow side.

This measurement is tricky to make!

There is also the probability that mixing the two toners together will increase the staying power of the pigments. So instead of canceling out yellow/orange tones, the mixture might turn your hair a shade of purple instead.

It’s also very difficult to get even results by mixing hair toners.

So while you can technically mix Wella T14 and T18 together as it won’t “damage” your hair, the results are certainly uneven and unpredictable.

How to Use the Wella Toner

If you’ve decided on which of the Wella toners you need for your hair, then it’s time for the application. Here’s how to do it right.

Start off with gathering all the things you need to tone hair including a plastic mixing bowl, plastic applicator brush, developer, comb, etc.
Then start mixing the T14 or T18 toner with either a 10 or 20 developer in the ratio 1:2 (that is 1 part of toner with 2 parts of developer).
Comb your hair to remove knots or tangles and part it down the middle. Then, divide hair into 1-2-inch wide sections.
Apply the mixture of toner and developer to hair one section at a time. Always pin up the section you’re done with to make application easier.
Leave the toner on for 30 minutes after application
Rinse off the toner. You can use a sulfate-free shampoo to wash your hair or use a purple shampoo if you’re using the T18 toner.

Hair Pro-Tip: You can apply the toner to the bottom of a small section of hair to check if it comes out in the desired color. This will prevent any accidents or disappointments when you see the toner results.

Here are some pro-tips to keep in mind before starting to use either the Wella T14 or T18 on your hair:

Some sections of your hair might absorb the toner better than others. So using a product that equalizes hair porosity can help you get an even toned look.
Always keep a timer handy when you’re bleaching or toning at home as toner shouldn’t be left on your hair for more than the recommended time.
If you have damaged, thin hair then using a 10 volume developer is a good choice, however the results with this developer will be semi-permanent. If you want long lasting results use a 20 volume developer.
Both these toners will only work if your hair is bleached to a high enough level. So you’ll need to make sure you have bleached your hair to a level 9 or more. The toners do not work on darker hair.

FAQs

Will Wella T14 work on yellow hair?

No. Wella T14 has a blue base that cancels out orange brassy tones from bleached hair. If you want to remove yellowness from hair you’ll need to use a T18 toner that contains purple pigments.

Is T14 a good toner?

If you want to use a Wella T14 toner for your bleached hair then go ahead as Wella is a well-known and respected salon brand. The Wella T14 toner is a permanent toner so it’s long lasting. It’s pigment strength is also good which means it’s very effective at removing orange and gold tones from hair.

Is T14 or T18 lighter?

T14 will give your hair a pale ash blonde shade while T18 will leave it the lightest blonde shade. However, T14 gives hair a lighter color result as it brings a gray undertone to hair while T18 gives hair darker violet undertones.

Can you use T18 with 10 volume?

Yes, if your hair is already lightened up to 7-8 levels then you won’t need a high lift developer.
Also the higher the developer volume, the more it’s likely to damage your hair due to the concentration of peroxide. So yes, you can safely use T18 with a 10 volume developer.
However, the 10 volume developer might not give quick or long lasting results. So if you’ve bleached virgin hair and chances of damage are less, it’s okay to use a 20 volume developer to make the violet pigments last longer.

Should I use Wella T14 or T18 for orange hair?

Before I get to which Wella toner to use, you need to learn about color theory. This theory deals with complementary and opposing colors on the color wheel and how they can be applied to hair toning.
Violet is the color opposite yellow in the color wheel and blue is the color opposite orange in the color wheel. So using a toner with yellow pigments can help remove yellowness from hair while using a toner with blue pigment can remove orange or brassy undertones.
Since Wella T14 has a violet-purple base and Wella T18 has a blue-purple base, I suggest going for the Wella T18 to remove orange undertones from hair.

A lot of people forget to use hair toners when bleaching their hair at home, but it’s one of the most important aspects if you want a brilliant, pale or ash blonde hair color.

And when it comes to the Wella T14 vs T18 controversy, the answer is quite simple.

You should use the Wella T14 toner on your hair if you have more orange/coppery tones on your hair after bleaching. But if your hair feels more yellow or if you’re trying to lighten honey/yellow blonde hair, you should go for T18 toner.

It’s also important to use the right developer to mix with the toner – a 10 volume developer is best for damaged hair while a 20 volume developer can give you more long lasting results.

If you have all the information you need about bleaching and toning your hair, your at-home hair dye is bound to look salon-fresh!