Salvatore Tanino Therapy Blond Hair Mask Step 2 (250ml) is the rinse-off toning blond hair mask, for grey hair too, built on a violet pigment, tucuma and cupuacu butters and macadamia oil. The list carries no formaldehyde, no formaldehyde releaser, no glyoxylic acid and no sulfates. It is Step 2 of Salvatore's home pair. After the Step 1 shampoo has cleaned, this jar deposits the cool tone and softens, held 3 to 5 minutes or timed to the shade you want. Sold on its own here, or as the 550 ml duo.

Why this mask

Bleached hair drinks up pigment and dries out at the same time, so a toning wash alone rarely holds. This jar sits on the lengths and deposits more colour than the shampoo can, while the butters and oils put softness back. Salvatore frames it as a toning step with a hair toner, and that is the job: cool the shade and soften at once. We'd hand this to any client whose blonde goes warm within days, because the mask is where the tone is set and held. Made in Brazil at Salvatore's plant in Presidente Prudente.

Key ingredients

The violet pigment (CI 60730) does the toning. Two Amazonian butters (tucuma, cupuacu), buriti, babassu and macadamia oils rebuild what lightening strips. Silk, sericin, wheat protein and panthenol smooth the cuticle. Cetearyl alcohol and conditioning quats form the cream base, silanetriol holds moisture, a light methicone gives slip, and citric acid sets the pH. Preserved with sodium benzoate. Full INCI on the product image.

What to expect

Cooler blonde, brass pulled down, and lengths softer than a wash leaves them. What we tell clients is plain. Leave it short for a light refresh, longer for a deeper cool. On very porous or platinum hair, watch the clock, because that hair takes the pigment fast.

Who it is for

• Blonde, highlighted or balayage lengths that warm up between salon visits
• Grey and silver hair that wants to stay cool, not yellow
• Anyone replacing the mask half of the Blond Hair pair

Who it is not for

• Dark or natural hair with no lightening, where a violet pigment has nothing to correct and the Hydrating or Restructuring pairs fit better
• Anyone expecting a permanent colour change, because it deposits a cool tone and washes down over time
• The scalp, which the Scalp duo covers; this is a lengths-and-tone mask

Professional tip

The mistake we see most is the same timing for every head. Platinum and porous hair grabs the pigment in a minute or two; deeper or resistant blonde wants the full five. Salvatore's own jar says it: leave it 3 to 5 minutes, or adjust the time to the tone you want. On a first use, do a strand test and check the shade wet, because it reads a touch cooler when it dries. And comb the mask through with a wide comb so the tone lands even, root shadow and ends alike.

How to use

Use it as the second of two steps, after the Blond Hair shampoo, as often as the tone needs. Rinse with cool or warm water; the pigment sets in the minutes it sits, not in the rinse.

The order matters because the mask deposits best on lengths the shampoo has just cleaned. A small amount is the printed quantity, so a 250 ml jar lasts a good few tone-ups.

1. Squeeze first. After the shampoo, press the excess water out with your hands, because the mask spreads further on damp lengths than on dripping ones.
2. Work it through. Take a small amount and work it through the lengths and ends with your hands, so the pigment reaches the parts that go warmest.
3. Comb. Comb it through with a medium comb until the whole length takes it up, which is what the label asks for.
4. Time it to the tone. Leave 3 to 5 minutes for a standard cool, less on porous hair, the full five for a deeper result.
5. Rinse and finish. Rinse thoroughly, then style as you like. Close the jar afterward and keep it out of the shower spray.

Where it fits in the range

This is the second half of the pair; the Step 1 shampoo 300ml lays the cool base, and the 550ml duo is the two together. We'd buy the pair first and this jar alone when the mask runs out first. The other concerns, chemical aftercare, scalp, body, curl and moisture, each have their own pair under Salvatore Home Care.

In short

• 250 ml of the toning mask for blonde, bleached and grey lengths
• Violet pigment, Amazonian butters, macadamia oil, silk and wheat protein; no formaldehyde, releaser or sulfates listed
• After the shampoo; squeeze, work through, comb, 3 to 5 minutes timed to the tone, rinse
• Step 2 of the pair; the 300 ml shampoo goes before it

Blond Hair is the toning home care that follows a salon lightening service. The Salvatore home care chooser shows which set follows which service, and the aftercare guide covers the first thirty days.