"These at-home toning drops brought my bleach-blonde hair back to life"
When it comes to my hair, I am super impulsive. As soon as a turning point occurs in my life (most recently, a breakup), my way of dealing with it is to switch up my colour. I’ve been brunette, blonde, a mix of both and as you can imagine, my split ends are now crying just as much as my bank balance.
Today, my hair’s the brightest it's been – I can’t lie, I love it, but truthfully I’m just not made for this high-maintenance lifestyle. You know those people who are in the salon every other weekend with their oat latte and Lotus biscuit? That is not – and never will be – me. I want solutions I can do myself, at home. So, when I noticed that my once vibrant lengths had started to take on a yellow alter ego, I shivered at the thought of having to spend another small fortune to fix it.
So, like all good journalists, I took to TikTok to find an affordable, at-home alternative. After seeing many tutorials, I decided to give Shrine’s Drop It semi-permanent toner a go – and guys, I think I’ve hit the jackpot.
Essentially it's a pigment you mix into a conditioner or hair mask (like adding food dye to buttercream), which tones your hair to a desired colour. You apply the mixture, follow a few more steps and your hair is transformed – like magic. Of course, I was very sceptical to start, and I had an unnerving feeling that I would end up with bright purple lengths, but for the greater good of the Cosmo reader, I powered through.
The first thing I’d like to applaud is the brand’s low-plastic approach: all you get is a reusable mixing pot and the drops (which did mean I had to use an old toothbrush as a stirring tool and scavenge out some protective gloves, but for the good of the planet that's A-OK with me.)
Secondly, I love the fact that you can use your own trusted conditioner or hair mask to mix the product into. Knowing I could tone my hair using my favourite treatment (so not using a random formula that I'm unsure of) just made the entire experience much more inviting. You just need the £10 drops and can use what you’ve already got in the cupboard. How savvy.
Now onto the details: the whole saga seems kinda confusing, but really it’s as simple as filling the reusable pot with your conditioner, adding in the drops (the more you add, the more vibrant the colour will be), mixing, applying to damp hair, leaving it to marinate and then rinsing out. The whole process is very self explanatory (even for me who always pushes instead of pulls on both-way doors).
As I wanted to neutralise yellow tones, I opted for the ‘Ash Blonde’ toner, which I’d highly recommend for anyone doing the same. Obviously, the lighter you are (platinum babes, I’m looking at ya) the more effect you’ll see from the toner; however, I still found that employing the suggested five to six drops on my sun-kissed blonde worked wonders. (Just to reiterate, depending on which colour kit you have and your desired effect, the instruction guide will tell you exactly how many drops to use, so don’t stress).
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can play around with the lilac, peach or rose toners or you can mix two colours to make a new hue – eg, mix purple and red you get a vibrant Jessica-Rabbit style shade. I've seen tutorials of people using them on light brown hair (albeit using a lot more drops), but I would say you'd struggle to see any difference on dark brown or black lengths.
So, back to me, after letting the conditioner sit for 10 minutes and rinsing out, the toner left a natural, even and creamy hue, and all those yellow tinges had been neutralised into brighter streaks. Plus, my hair felt super soft and hydrated from the conditioner. In terms of lasting power, of course, this isn't a permanent dye that you’d pay triple figures for in a salon, so the results aren't as transformative. Roughly, the colour lasted about two washes – to its full vibrancy – and then about three with just a bit of colour left. But, freshly done, you'd be impressed how it gives your hair a salon-like finish that costs £10 and 10 minutes of your time (plus, the bottle is said to contain 30 uses).
Also, maybe the word ‘dye’ seems too far-reaching. Instead, think of these drops as a natural-looking, all-over tint that you can undo with just a few washes (also, you won’t end up with missing patches or a rogue colour that a box dye would conjure). And just in case you're thinking it: no, it doesn't stain skin nor the bathtub.
So, if you’ve got lighter hair and want to switch up your colour (temporarily) or are just fed up with constantly using the same purple conditioner that does sweet f*ck all, these drops are probably the best thing I’ve ever spent a tenner on – yep, they make for a better Friday night than a large glass of pinot at my local pub.
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