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best purple shampoo

The Best Purple Shampoos for Blonde Hair

By Ellie Child - 4 years ago | Updated 6 months ago

Only blondes will understand the sheer frustration that those dreaded brassy tones can cause when they emerge on your once vibrant, platinum blonde hair.

Wreaking havoc on both natural and dyed locks, yellow hues can be caused by an array of things: either you’ve got naturally porous hair with brassy undertones, or you’ve enjoyed your hot-girl summer a little too much. By that, we mean the constant chlorine and sun exposure have finally had their comeuppance and left your strands looking a little too golden (or even worse, green).

But, before you rush out to stock up on at-home corrector kits and semi-permanent dyes, you might want to try out a purple shampoo.

Yep, this neutralising, godsend product is an absolute must for blondes as it easily washes out those brassy hues and tones them down with a cooler shade that keeps your ‘do in check.

Long-time blondes probably already know about the magical toning properties of purple shampoo. But in case you're a new blonde or just a bit sceptical about dolloping a brightly coloured substance on your bleach blonde hair, here are our answers to the main questions you might be having about using a purple shampoo.

Will purple shampoo tint my hair lilac?

In short, no. What it will do is neutralise the obviously yellow, brassy tones when used correctly (once to twice a week). If you start to use the purple shampoo in place of your regular one every wash, then you may start to see hair becoming a little more of grey and/or lilac as the colour pigments build up.

Does purple shampoo actually work?

We will leave Google image results to answer this one for you (search ‘purple shampoo before and after’), but to summarise, yes it does. Since violet and yellow are on opposite sides of the colour wheel (think back to your primary school art class), purple shampoo tones the unwanted yellow tones back to a lovely blonde.

What is the difference between purple and silver shampoos? Do I need both?

Silver and purple shampoos both set out to do the same thing and are essentially the same product. ‘Silver’ shampoos will often contain a purple shampoo liquid, but they’re just titled differently because, well, marketing.

What’s the best purple shampoo for blonde hair?

We’re glad you asked! Here is our penultimate guide to the best purple shampoos that will transform your locks from a two to a 10:

Olaplex No.4p Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo

£21.00 £28.76 (27% off)

It's no surprise that this purple shampoo version of Olaplex's legendary No 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo is at the top of our list. It works hard to banish brassy tones while also repairing damaged bonds in your hair, which is exactly what any peroxide-lover needs.

Matrix Total Results So Silver Purple Shampoo

£9.95 £15.04 (34% off)

This one came up a lot during research, so much so that we had to try it out for ourselves. Sure enough, it passed the test with flying colours (purple, to be precise), ridding our hair of that messy chlorine-stained colour that had replaced a once vibrant blonde tone. The formula is suitable for natural or colour-treated blonde, grey and silver hair and smooths out distressed tresses for a sleek finish.

Fudge Professional Clean Blonde Shampoo

£12.55 £15.00 (17% off)

Loved for its ability to return brassy blondes back to a more natural-looking, brighter shade, this shampoo lathers up to cleanse, balance and hydrate your tresses. It cleverly forms a barrier that protects your skin against both UV and environmental damage for the healthy, shiny locks that you’ve been lusting after.

Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Lumiere Shampoo

£27.72 £28.25 (2% off)

Reigniting your colour, this powerful formula kicks yellow hues to the curb whilst deeply cleansing the hair for purified results. Hyaluronic acid and edelweiss flower is used to restore that all-important moisture, making it an all-rounder shampoo for your blonde hair.

Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo

£18.48 £21.99 (16% off)

Another hair-repairing option is this Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo from Moroccanoil, a sulphate-free deep violet formula that also works on slightly more orange-y tones.

Biolage ColorLast Purple Shampoo With Fig & Orchid

£9.95 £16.99 (42% off)

Ideal for grey, highlighted and bleached blonde hair, this intelligent shampoo uses gentle violet hues to rid the likes of yellow tones, leaving you with brilliantly bright, blonde hair.

Better still, it contains fig and orchid to condition the hair and help to protect against breakage!

While you're feeling inspired, why not check out Brown to Blonde Balayage Looks to make the most of your freshly toned blonde 'do!

Written by Ellie Child

With five years’ experience under her belt, Ellie has worked alongside a range of highly regarded makeup artists, giving her a real insight into what consumers should be spending their money on.