Blondes or brunettes with lightened or highlighted hair are often told to use purple shampoo. You might be wondering if it actually works or what the point of purple shampoo actually is. To help get to the bottom of the purple shampoo debate, we’re diving into the innovation behind it to help you decide if you really need purple shampoo.
Purple shampoos are pigmented shampoos that have a highly concentrated lavender hue within them. They most often come in the form of shampoo, but you can also find purple conditioners, deep conditioners, or leave-in treatments that also include this technology.
When hair is lightened, pigments are removed from the hair and leave an underlying tone. Naturally blonde and brunette hair color tend to have yellow or orange undertones when their hair is lightened. This can be corrected with the use of a hair toner or gloss to cancel out the warmth. Over time as toners or glosses fade, or with exposure to water and sun, hair color can start to appear yellow or orange a.k.a brassy. Purple shampoos deposit a small amount of pigment each time you wash to balance your tone and get rid of the unwanted color.
It all goes back to color theory and the color wheel. Colors next to each other on the color wheel are complementary, while those opposite are contrasting. Complementary colors will enhance shades, while contrasting colors will cancel each other out. Yellow and Purple (violet or lavender) are opposite each other on the color wheel, so if your hair color looks yellow, you can add purple to it to even out the tone and create a more neutral finish.
Yes. If you have lightened blonde, brunette, or even grey/white hair, the purple shampoo will work to remove unwanted warm tones from the hair to create a cooler finish. For best results, ask your stylist how often you should use purple shampoo.