The 6 Best Purple Shampoos for Blonde Hair, According to Expert Colorists
Say goodbye to brass with these shampoos for blonde hair.
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Purple shampoos aren't just made for a fun Instagram shelfie or viral TikTok beauty moment. According to several hair colorists, purple shampoos are game-changing products designed to neutralize brassy or yellow tones in blonde, silver, or gray hair.
Since they are a simple way to help maintain lighter hair tones, our beauty editor Nicole Saunders asked the professionals what everyone needs to know about selecting the best purple shampoo for them. Our experts also shared the best purple shampoo recommendations for easy at-home maintenance, and the best overall pick is only $10 on Amazon.
Best Purple Shampoos
What is Purple Shampoo?
So what exactly are purple shampoos? According to balayage expert Abby Haliti, they contain purple pigments to counteract the warm, yellow, or orange tones that can develop over time in lighter shades caused by sun exposure, environmental pollutants, and hair products.
Richy Kandasamy, a colorist and R+Co Collective Member, adds they help neutralize brassy and yellow tones because purple is directly opposite of yellow on the color wheel, meaning the two hues will cancel each other out. “Using purple pigment on color-treated brassy or yellow tones color-corrects your hair’s hue, restoring it to its former natural or neutral bright, cooler color tones,” he explains.
Benefits of Purple Shampoo
Haliti, the founder of Abby Haliti Color Studio in New York, notes the best purple shampoo will maintain someone's desired hair color and tone. So those with cool, ashy tones of blonde, silver, or gray hair can rely on this product to prevent their mane from becoming too warm or yellow-looking. “It can also help to prolong the time between salon visits for touch-ups by extending the life of your hair color and keeping it looking fresh and vibrant,” she says.
Who Should Use Purple Shampoo?
Purple shampoo sounds amazing, right? But who would actually benefit from using one? Haliti says anyone with natural or color-treated blonde, silver, or light hair and is concerned about yellow or brassy tones should consider using purple shampoo. Kandasamy agrees that those with a delicate, clean blonde tend to fade faster, lose shine, and quickly look brassy or yellow. They advise using purple shampoos, like R+Co SUNSET BLVD Daily Blonde Shampoo and L'Oréal Paris EverPure Blonde Shampoo, to maintain a clean blonde palette.
Can Brunettes Use Purple Shampoo?
So what about brunettes who want to try purple shampoo? Kandasamy says they can use purple shampoo on brown hair, but it really depends on the overall tone of their hair. “If you have dark brown hair, using a purple shampoo won’t be particularly effective, but if you’re brunette with blonde highlights, [a] purple shampoo will maintain your highlights,” he says.
Should You Only Use Purple Shampoo?
Like pretty much all goods in life, we should only use purple shampoo in moderation. Haliti argues it's also not a full replacement for someone's normal or clarifying shampoo. “It is designed to be used in conjunction with regular shampoo to tone down yellow tones and brassiness,” she says.
How Often to Use Purple Shampoo
Our experts agree that purple shampoo can be a great tool for neutralizing brassy tones, but Haliti cautions using it too often can lead to over-toning or even a purple tint to the hair. Yikes! As a general rule of thumb, she advises using it once or twice a week and regular shampoo for the rest of the week to avoid this beauty mishap.
If you are the kind of person who overdoes things (“It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.”) and notices an overload of purple tone in their hair, DM them this tip from Kandasamy RN: "Put the purple shampoo down! Opt for a clarifying shampoo to remove the tone, and keep your purple shampoo routine to once a week or less. Alternate using it with color-safe shampoos — or mix them for less violet deposit.”
Once users reach their perfect blonde color, Kandasamy advises alternating between purple and color-safe shampoos.
How to Use Purple Shampoo
Kandasamy also shares a quick tutorial on using purple shampoo to enhance lighter hair.
- Step 1: Always use purple shampoo on wet hair and lather on the formula. He advises against using it on dry blonde hair because the strands are more porous and will grab too much of the purple tone.
- Step 2: Leave the purple shampoo on for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the hair's brassiness level. The more intense the brassiness, the longer the shampoo can stay on the hair.
- Step 3: Rinse the purple shampoo out of the hair with cool water to help close the cuticles and seal the color.
- Step 4: Follow up with a purple deep conditioner, such as the SUNSET BLVD Blonde Toning Masque, to nourish the hair and provide more toning, if needed. He notes using a hair mask weekly (and increasing the frequency as necessary) will also prevent breakage and provide added conditioning.
What to Consider
Best Shade of Purple Shampoo
Beyond frequency of use, Haliti says the tone of purple shampoo is a key factor when shopping. Thankfully, her guidance is genuinely easy to follow: the lighter someone's hair, the lighter the purple shampoo, and vice versa.
“If you have light blonde hair, you can use a shampoo with a lighter purple shade, while darker blondes or brunettes may need a darker purple shampoo to counteract brassiness,” she says. Using a color too deep on lighter blonde hair could leave the hair purple, which likely isn’t what users expect or want.
How We Chose
Saunders isn't blonde, but she cares deeply about always sharing the most effective products with as much first-hand feedback as possible. To help readers only shop from expert-vetted products, she asked a few hairstylists and colorists about their no-fail purple shampoos that are perfect for preserving lighter hair. Their recommendations range from shockingly affordable (we're talking less than $10!) to splurgeworthy products that cost $49 or less.
For added reassurance, Saunders also carefully researched these picks to ensure they're available in a range of purple tones and offer other benefits, like volumizing the hair, adding a glossy finish, and minimizing frizz. Plus, each of these products amassed glowing online reviews, meaning they work in the real world outside of a salon setting, so you know they're good.
Nicole Saunders is the beauty editor at Best Products with over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing lifestyle content. She specializes in breaking down complicated topics, like high-frequency wands and microcurrent devices, into easy-to-understand guides. She takes great pride in heavily researching and testing featured beauty products, — such as hairdryers and foundations — on our site, and spotlights her all-time seasonal favorites in her quarterly column Best New Beauty. And she tests quite literally thousands of launches for our Beauty Awards package.
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