If you bleach your hair in any way, you’ve probably noticed that your hair turns yellow or orange when you haven’t had it done in a while. These brassy tones will spread through your hair unevenly and ruin your desired cool-toned look. Express.co.uk chatted to three haircare experts to find out whether or not purple shampoo actually works.
Does purple shampoo really work?
Purple shampoo promises to neutralise any orange or yellow tones in your hair, and it really does work.
Josh Kelly Owner of Zest Hair Salon said: “Purple shampoo is a cost-effective, DIY at home toner which removes any unwanted brassy tones from highlighted or pre-lightened hair.
“It enables you to keep your blonde bright and can act as a colour refresh in between salon visits.”
The reason purple shampoo keeps brassy undertones at bay is all to do with colour theory.
If you look at the colour wheel, you’ll notice that purple is the colour directly opposite orange.
This means that the two colours neutralise and cancel each other out, so applying purple shampoo to orange or yellow hair will return your hair to the colour it was bleached.
Purple shampoo is very dark and inky because it essentially needs to stain your hair.
When your purple shampoo is diluted with water and is rinsed out, it stains your hair and has a colour-correcting impact.
Always follow the instructions of the purple shampoo you have bought, as different formulas vary.
Some products should be washed out immediately and others need to be left on for at least five minutes.
Lauren Vaughan, Stylist at Doll Beauty HQ, recommends using purple or silver shampoo in between salon visits.
She said: “Maintaining those blond locks in between salon visits are super important! And that’s where silver shampoo comes in.
“As we’re spending long periods of time in between salon appointments at the moment, silver shampoo is great for a number of reasons.
“The silver shampoo acts like an at-home toner in between salon appointments, keeping those ashy tones bright and healthy.
“This keeps the hair looking refreshed and salon-fresh and removes the yellow brassy tones that can occur if left too long.”
If you leave the shampoo on for too long or use it too often, it could stain your hair purple.
Lauren said: “Purple or silver shampoo doesn’t have to be used every wash so it lasts a while alongside your normal shampoo.”
Frey Necole, Founder of Wig brand FORHALLE and ZEE ELLE agrees that sometimes purple shampoo can be too intense.
She said: “Most purple shampoos are quite intense and if used directly on your hair can leave patches and uneven colour.
“I mix one part purple shampoo with one part regular shampoo thoroughly on my hand before applying directly on hair. I like to leave the mixed shampoo on for at least five minutes – it takes out more brass if left on.”
If you wear wigs, you should avoid using purple shampoo on the wig.
However, Frey sometimes uses a tiny bit when dyeing wigs in the salon.
She said: “We usually won’t dare use purple shampoo directly on wigs (when colouring) because it can easily leave patches on the hair.
“If we ever use purple shampoo, it will be in a bowl of warm water with a tiny drop of purple shampoo.
“Shake the water thoroughly so that the shampoo is thoroughly mixed with the water and then dip the wig inside and leave it for about five minutes. It is better to use a small amount of purple and leave it in the water for longer, than use more purple shampoo.”