Who Should You Use Purple Shampoo and How to Use It Properly?

Last Updated on January 2, 2023 by Gaga

What Is Purple Shampoo?

If you are a salon blonde, you know it can be a pain to keep your hair color looking bright, vibrant, and beautiful. Blonde hair can easily pick up unwanted tones due to lifestyle factors, smoking, or external elements. If you’re in a hard water area or spend much of your time in the sun, your hair color can quickly lose its initial beauty and turn dull and brassy.

One of the most effective ways to fight brassy and orange tones in your bleached hair is to use a purple shampoo. Purple shampoo is designed to neutralize those unwanted yellow and brassy tones that your hair has picked up over time and to bring it back to a pretty blonde color.

A purple shampoo makes your blonde color stay bright which helps prolong the time between color appointments.

beautiful blonde girl with brassy hair

What does Purple Shampoo Do?

the color wheel

The purple toning shampoo is specially formulated to brighten up the blonde color and cancel out the appearance of the yellow base color. That happens because opposite colors in the color wheel neutralize each other when combined. Since violet is the opposite color of yellow, the purple pigments in the shampoo work to neutralize the yellow pigments in blonde hair.

When mixed, yellow and violet produce a pale beige or white. That’s why washing the hair with purple shampoo takes brassy and yellow tones out of blonde and gray hair.

Who Should Use Purple Shampoo?

  1. The purple-pigmented shampoo is most often used by individuals who have bleached or dyed blonde hair. The cool violet pigments in the shampoo help counteract warm tones in blonde hair, keeping the color fresh and bright.
  2. Women with platinum blonde locks need a purple shampoo to make their blonde platinum color more vibrant and to keep the brass away.
  3. People with natural blonde hair often use purple shampoo to get rid of brassy tones and enhance their natural blonde color.
  4. Brunettes with blonde highlights can benefit from using purple shampoo as well. The toning violet pigment helps keep the brass away without affecting dark hair color.
  5. Individuals with gray hair can also benefit from using purple shampoo occasionally. These shampoos will keep gray hair from yellowing while improving shine.
  6. Virgin hair won’t get as many benefits as bleached hair from using a violet shampoo. The hair that has gone through an extensive bleaching process is porous and ready to absorb violet pigments quickly. Virgin hair is less prone to discoloration, but it is also less ready to absorb the pigments present in the purple shampoo.
hairstylist washing clients' hair with a purple shampoo

How to Use Purple Shampoo?

It is advisable to start using purple shampoo a few weeks after the coloring service to prevent your blonde color from becoming dull and brassy.

  1. Wet your hair with warm water before using violet shampoo. Hot water will lift the cuticles resulting in better penetration of the purple pigments.
  2. Massage the violet shampoo into your hair and leave it on for the recommended time.
  3. Rinse your hair with cold water. Cool water will close the cuticles, sealing the pigment into hair strands and leaving your hair smooth.
  4. If you have dark hair with blonde highlights, you can wash the hair with your regular shampoo first, and then apply the purple shampoo to the areas with lightened hair. Such partial application helps reduce the drying effects of purple shampoo.
  5. If you have hair or scalp problems, you can use the shampoo recommended by your dermatologist first, and then apply purple shampoo to eliminate unwanted tones.
  6. Make sure to use a conditioner afterward, as most purple shampoos tend to strip moisture from your hair and scalp. Too much purple can be unfavorable, so use either a purple-based shampoo or conditioner, not both.

How Long Should You Leave Purple Shampoo in Your Hair?

Generally, it is recommended to let the violet shampoo sit in your hair for 1 to 5 minutes. If your hair is very yellow, let it sit for about 5-7 minutes. Overly porous hair tends to absorb purple pigments quickly. Never leave the shampoo in for more than 5 minutes on heavily bleached hair. Otherwise, your overly porous hair will soak up too much pigment and turn purple.

If violet shampoo leaves your hair with a purple hint, wash the hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove the excess purple.

How Often Should You Use Purple Shampoo?

This product is not intended for daily use. To combat an unsightly color and keep natural brightness, you need to tone your blonde hair occasionally. Wash your hair with purple shampoo once a week or whenever your hair needs it. To avoid over-drying the hair, rotate it with your regular shampoo.

A good purple shampoo is one of the most reliable products for preventing brassiness in blonde, gray, or streaked hair. If you find that violet shampoo makes your hair a bit dry, a gentler alternative is a purple mask. Violet masks are less intense but they have more conditioning agents that work to prevent dryness.

You can also add a bit of purple shampoo to your regular cleansing product. This will add some toning properties to your regular shampoo without any risk of over-drying.

attractive blonde woman with hair washed with purple shampoo

About the author

Website | + posts

Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.