If you love rocking a blonde hair colour, purple shampoo should be your best friend between the top-up visits to the salon. After all, it’s the best-known antidote to those pesky brassy tones that tend to creep into your blonde hair as the toner washes off. Not to mention, use of heated hair tools such as hair straighteners and curling wands as well as external environmental factors such as UV damage and pollution don’t make it any easier to maintain the ashy, cool-toned blonde (which, by the way, is one of the biggest hair trends of 2023). The milk tea hair, for one, headlined Coachella and is set to be a major trend this year.
So, if you’re considering to go blonde but want to kiss brassy warm tones goodbye, one of the best purple shampoos and conditioners for blonde hair is exactly the product your hair arsenal needs. Below, we’re put together a comprehensive guide on all the best options of the market now, as well as an FAQ on everything you need to know about purple shampoos and why you might need them. Enjoy.
Skip to: Why do I need a purple shampoo? | How does purple shampoo work? | How long should I leave purple shampoo in my hair?
Best purple shampoo at a glance – our top picks:
- Best purple shampoo overall: Olaplex No.4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo, £28, LookFantastic
- Best purple shampoo and conditioner set: L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Blondifier Trio, WAS £54.55 NOW £49.10, LookFantastic
- Best purple shampoo for natural blondes: John Frieda Violet Crush Purple Shampoo, £6.99, Boots
- Best strengthening purple shampoo: Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo, WAS £23.80 NOW £19.04, LookFantastic
Meet the expert:
Why do I need a purple shampoo?
A purple shampoo is a form of hair toner, which dispenses – you guessed it – purple pigments to help adjust, neutralise, correct or personalise your hair colour. For the majority of cases, when it comes to blondes, this means addressing the issue of brassiness.
Brassiness is when unwanted warm tones (such as butter yellows, reds and oranges) start emerging from strands that were previously a perfect shade of platinum, ash brown or cool blonde. While it tends to affect some hair colors more noticeably (that’s you, bleached blondes), it can happen to all tribes, whether you’re naturally blonde, you’ve dyed your dark hair a lighter colour or you’ve treated yourself to some highlights or balayage. Brassiness often happens in hair that’s been lifted several shades lighter as the melanin from your hair’s naturally deeper tone starts to creep back through. Because blonde hair is naturally quite porous, even those born with it can notice a change. Blonde hair tends to soak everything in a lot more, which includes build-up from chemicals like chlorine, minerals from hard water, pollution in the air and even UV rays from daylight – all of which can bring out brass tints.
How does purple shampoo work?
Purple toning shampoos rely on a little genius concept called color theory. Imagine if you joined the two ends of the rainbow together to form a color wheel. The colours that sit opposite each other can effectively cancel each other out and neutralise them. For example, orange offsets blue undertones (it’s why you get salmon coloured concealers to cover the blue tint of your under-eye bags). And purple and lilac erase yellow and orange tones, which is why the best hair products for countering brassy tones in blonde hair, grey hair and white hair.
How long should I leave purple shampoo in my hair?
Generally, it’s recommended to lather on your purple shampoo and leave it to works it magic for up to 20 minutes. You don’t need to follow up with your regular shampoo. Afterwards, rinse it out and follow with your favourite conditioner as usual.