Buying guide for Best purple shampoo
If you dye your hair blonde or add blonde highlights, you probably know that the salon-fresh color doesn’t last forever. After a while, your blonde can take on an unwanted brassy hue. Or, if you have gray hair, you may experience yellow or brassy tones. For this reason, it’s a good idea to consider adding purple shampoo to your haircare routine.
Purple shampoo corrects the “off” tones in your hair using the principles of color theory: Purple opposes yellow on the color wheel, so the hues cancel each other out. If you have yellow or orange tones in your hair, a purple-hued shampoo will neutralize them, returning your hair to an ashier cool tone.
If you have blonde, platinum blonde, silver, gray or beige hair – or if you have highlights in any of these colors – incorporating a purple shampoo into your hair-washing routine can keep your strands looking fresh and polished. Our favorite purple shampoo is Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo because the tone-correcting wash contains nourishing ingredients to keep hair soft and healthy. But if you’re curious about other great options at different price points or with particular ingredients, read on.
Buying guide for Best purple shampoo
While purple shampoos can sometimes be drying, this luxurious formula is tone-correcting and nourishing to make hair vibrant, soft, and healthy. The secret? The sulfate-free product is infused with antioxidant-rich argan oil to help repair damage and seal the hair cuticle.
Violet pigments impart color, enhance depth and dimension and create a natural sheen – all with a lovely scent.
Conditioning milk proteins are the key ingredient in this violet pigment wash. Beyond that, raspberry, blueberry and mango extracts protect and invigorate your strands and give the product its signature fruity scent.
The product restores luster and shine while neutralizing excessive yellow or brassy tones on blonde, lightened and gray hair.
This sulfate-free shampoo is great for people with curly hair. The unique pigment combination of purple and blue removes yellow hues from the hair in favor of a more white-blonde look. The formulation is adjusted to a pH level of 4.5 for effective and long-lasting results.
Fanola’s No Yellow Shampoo is our top pick for people with gray hair. It’s suitable for people who want to soften their gray hair in a natural-looking way. It helps you keep your color consistent and vibrant while giving hair a cool, bright and even reflection.
This affordably priced vegan shampoo has a fresh coconut scent.
This purple shampoo by a much-loved brand is effective without harsh ingredients such as sulfates, parabens and salts. It protects your color while neutralizing brassy yellow and orange tones. It sells for a great price and is effective for blonde, bleached, highlighted and silver hair.
This shampoo uses pure violet (purple) pigments to remove unwanted brassiness and leave blonde hair color cool and bright. Its key ingredient is salicylic acid, which strengthens and repairs hair from its core.
It is recommended to use gloves when applying this product to avoid possible (and minimal) temporary staining.
For long-lasting results of up to 12 washes, try Joico’s purple shampoo, which uses violet pigments and green tea extract to instantly neutralize yellow and warm tones in blonde and gray hair. The paraben-free shampoo is also great at controlling static, and it boosts shine, strength and smoothness with rosehip oil, arginine and keratin.
Salon-loved haircare brand Olaplex makes this sulfate-free formula. It cleanses while the highly concentrated pigment mixture allows for customizable toning levels that neutralize brassiness and brighten hair. Suitable for natural and color-treated hair, it also works to hydrate and repair your tresses.
Say goodbye to frizz with this gentle yet effective shampoo, which uses glycerin to hydrate hair. The vegan and cruelty-free product neutralizes brassy tones and is color-safe for all shades of blonde. We especially love that this product is formulated without harmful ingredients like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, mineral oils and formaldehyde donors.
This salon-grade purple shampoo uses violet pigments to enhance and restore blonde, silver and gray tones. The non-drying formula relies on amaranth and plant-based proteins to hydrate tresses and promote overall hair health. It’s balanced at a pH of 5.0 to 5.5 and is safe for all hair types and textures.
Free from SLS and SLES sulfates, formaldehyde, phthalates and parabens, the product boasts a pleasant cucumber and oakmoss scent.
Don’t let the red bottle fool you: Oribe’s brass and yellow-correcting shampoo uses pure violet pigments to keep blonde hair at its brightest. It’s formulated with luxe ingredients such as watermelon, lychee and edelweiss flower extracts to protect hair from environmental aggressors and lemon, ginger root and chamomile extracts to optimize shade, tonality and luminosity.
What to know before buying purple shampoo
Shade of purple
Purple shampoos are not all the same shade of purple. They range in hue from light lilac to rich violet.
The darker the shampoo is, the more effective it will be in countering yellow tones in your hair. Light purple shampoos don’t usually have enough pigment to make much difference. For the best results, we advise potential buyers to choose a shampoo with a deeper, more saturated purple hue.
Consistency
The shampoo’s consistency is almost as important as its hue. The best purple shampoos have a rich, thick texture that coats hair evenly and effectively. This consistency makes it easier for the pigment to penetrate the hair and balance out brassy tones.
Ingredients
Purple shampoos can be fairly drying, which can damage color-treated hair. To maintain a soft, shiny mane, opt for a purple shampoo with moisturizing or nourishing ingredients to counteract the dryness such as olive oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, vitamin E or shea butter.
Some purple shampoos also contain titanium dioxide, which serves as a UV protectant. This can help prevent the sun from discoloring the hair.
Fragrance
Like most shampoos, purple shampoo is often scented. Because fragrance is such a personal preference, you might wish to sniff a shampoo before you buy it – or at least find out what other buyers think of the fragrance.
Fragrance-free purple shampoos also exist. Consumers with sensitive skin may want to select this type of shampoo to avoid scalp irritation.
Tips for using purple shampoo
- Before using a purple shampoo, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo. This will help remove product buildup. Residue from other products could prevent the purple tones from absorbing into your hair.
- If you’re new to purple shampoo, ease your way into it. Mix some purple shampoo with your regular shampoo to make sure you don’t overload your hair with purple the first time.
- You don’t have to apply purple shampoo all over your hair. If only the ends are brassy, concentrate the shampoo in that area.
- If your hair is particularly brassy, follow up your purple shampoo application with a purple toning conditioner.
- Allow purple shampoo to sit on your hair for only one or two minutes. To combat serious yellow or brassiness, you can leave it on for up to five minutes.
- Purple shampoo can be somewhat drying. Consider adding a deep-conditioning mask to your hair care routine.
FAQ
Q. How much does purple shampoo cost?
A. For a basic purple shampoo, you’ll typically spend between $6 and $12. These shampoos might have a lighter shade, a smaller bottle or fewer high-quality ingredients.
For $13 to $20, you can find purple shampoos with nicer packaging or better ingredients. For a high-end purple shampoo from a prestigious brand, you could spend between $20 and $50. For the higher price, expect an effective, quality-made shampoo that smells great.
Q. Will purple shampoo turn my hair purple?
A. Used improperly, purple shampoo could add lavender tones to light hair. Avoid leaving purple shampoo on your hair for more than five minutes until you know how your hair reacts to it. If your hair picks up lavender tones, you can tone them down by washing with a clarifying shampoo.
Q. Does purple shampoo work on dark hair?
A. Purple shampoo has no effect on dark hair. However, if you have highlights in your dark hair, you can use purple shampoo to tone down brassiness in those areas by applying it to individual sections.
Q. How often should I use purple shampoo?
A. In most cases, it’s not necessary to use purple shampoo every day. Start by using it every other day. If your hair still looks brassy, increase your frequency. If your hair starts to look ashy, you can use it just once a week.
