Before I went from brunette to blonde (and now back to brunette), I had never heard of purple shampoo. Why? My hair required little to no maintenance before being color-treated. My hair was healthy and silky, and I really only used conditioner to get rid of tangles. That all changed when I made a drastic decision to play around with color, and my hair journey taught me A LOT about haircare and the importance of using the right products.
[ Intersted in going from brunette to blonde? Click here to read my tips! ]
The most shocking thing I discovered as a new blonde was that my hair naturally had a brassy tone despite how many hair appointments I scheduled. While I love a deep maroon hair color, the unflattering orange tone between appointments left me frustrated and disappointed. The brassy color washed out my skintone and left my hair looking dull and awkward – quite the opposite of the glowing blonde I had envisioned! In search of desperate advice, my (natural-ish) blonde friends introduced me to purple shampoo, and it was an absolute game changer!
Why Purple Shampoo?
If you take a look at a color wheel, you’ll notice that purple is the opposite of yellow and orange. Because of this, the purple tones neutralize the golden/brassy tones and bring out the cooler colors of your hair. Aside from getting rid of the brass, it also brightens up your blonde and helps stretch out the time between your hair appointments – which cuts back on hair appointments and saves money!
How To Use
In order for the purple shampoo to take effect on your hair, you’re going to have to let it sit for a bit. After rinsing your hair with warm water to expand the hair follicles, apply the purple shampoo and let it sit for 1 to 5 minutes. The longer the product stays on your hair, the more effect it will make. Since I was pretty pumped about my new love of hair color, I let mine sit for about 15 minutes from time to time to add a lilac hue to my hair – the shampoo can be quite drying, so I don’t recommend this length of time!
To avoid lilac hair OR serious dryness, only use this shampoo 2-3 times per week.
Don’t Forget To Condition
Most of the time, purple shampoos are sold with a purple conditioner – makes sense, right? Unlike an everyday shampoo, the purple shampoo can be extremely drying, so I recommend skipping the coordinating conditioner and going for something with extra hydration to offset the dryness. Try using a deep conditioning hair mask twice a week to give your hair a little TLC.
My Favorite Purple Shampoo
A lot of times people believe the best product is the one with the highest price tag, however that’s not always the case. The product that made the most impact on hair and really got rid of the brassiness was Clairol Shimmer Lights. It’s inexpensive, plus you can find it at your local Sally’s Beauty Supply. Note: it is one of the most drying products I tried, but my hair really channeled orange without it. This is where the conditioning hair masks came into play.
So whether you’re a brunette going blonde, or simply a blonde who wants to add some luster to your locks and cut back on highlight appointments, purple shampoo really makes a difference! Interested in trying purple shampoo? Shop some of my picks below:
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