I had bleached highlights in my hair and recently went to get my hair dyed back to my "natural" color, a dark blonde. It turned out a very DULL brown with lots of gray tints (mostly on the ends/in the front where the highlights used to be). I just bought a blonde toner with activator but am too afraid to use it and have a temporary red rinse that looks cool but is too messy to use everyday. Should I just try dying it red? What will happen if I use the blonde toner? Is there any real way to brighten up or get rid of the unintentional gray?

Sweetie, do not attempt to fix it yourself, it will make matters worse. You should go back to the salon and have them correct the color. The stylist may be able to lighten your hair and remove the gray.