2,5-Diaminotoluene is a colorless crystalline solid, although commercial samples are often colored owing to air oxidation.

[3] Other methods include the reductive cleavage of 4-amino-2,3'-dimethylazobenzene as well as the condensation of 2-amino-1-methylbenzene and toluene-4-sulphonyl chloride to produce 4-toluenesulphono-2-toluidide which is then coupled with diazotized aminobenzenesulphonic acid and reduced.

[3] 2,5-Diaminotoluene is a substitute for phenylenediamine (1,4-diaminobenzene) in commercial hair dyes.

In these applications, these diamines function as a primary intermediate, which means that it is first oxidized with hydrogen peroxide and then combined with a coupler to form the hair dye.

[2] 2,5-Diaminotoluene is commonly used to produce black, drab and warm browns, and shades of blonde and gray hair dyes.