How to Use Purple Shampoo on Brown Hair + Other Purple Shampoo Tips

Using a purple toning shampoo is a key step in keeping your hair colour looking fresh, vibrant, and like you just left the salon. Read everything you need to know about why and how to use purple shampoo below.

What is purple shampoo?

Purple shampoo performs the same cleansing function as your regular shampoo but also contains pigments, giving it a purple colour that is imparted to hair during application. Examples of naturally derived pigments include Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) extract found in our Strength Cure Blonde products, Prickly Pair (Opuntia ficus-indica), and many other plants.

What does purple shampoo do?

To understand why this tinted product is so crucial to maintaining blonde hair, we first have to chat about brassiness.

Brassiness describes the unwanted warm, yellow tones that emerge in lightened strands, especially blonde hair. A whole host of things—UV rays from the sun, chlorine, mineral impurities in the water—can all affect hair colour and cause brassiness. Enter purple shampoo. As it cleanses strands, it dispenses purple pigment that helps return your hair colour to a cooler tone.

But why purple? Think back to the colour wheel art classes at school: Purple falls directly opposite yellow, meaning it will work to counteract and neutralize yellow-y tones that— especially cool or icy— blondes definitely don’t want. Regular usage of the vivid-hued liquid will help keep brass under control while refreshing your hair colour. It's a simple step that can make a big difference over time.

In short, whether you have lightened dark hair or blonde hair, purple shampoo is an easy way to eliminate brass. Make it a part of your regular hair care routine so your hair colour stays fresh and cool-toned.

How to use purple shampoo

Incooperating purple shampoo into your blonde hair care routine

After wetting hair, apply a 5 cent coin size to the scalp and use your fingers to emulsify into a rich lather, working down to the ends. You can also work a lather in your hands first before applying to wet hair. Focus on particularly brassy areas. Rinse out, then follow up with Strength Cure Blonde Purple Conditioner.

For extra nourishment and to spoil yourself, incorporate Color Fanatic Deep Conditioning Mask into your hair care routine once a week.

For on-the-go colour refreshing, hydration and shine, keep Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray nearby at all times.

How long should you leave purple shampoo in for?

In general, the cooler the blonde you want, the longer you should let your purple shampoo remain on your hair before washing it out. See our guide on how long to leave purple shampoo in for:

Warm Blondes: Wait 1-3 minutes before rinsing

Neutral Blondes: Wait 3-5 minutes before rinsing

Cool Blondes: Wait 5-15 minutes before rinsing

How often should you use purple shampoo?

How often you use purple shampoo is totally up to you. You can either use it daily or swap it in place of your standard shampoo whenever you feel like your colour is starting to go a little brassy or needs a quick refresh, suggests Pureology Artist Emily Alders. Use it just as you would any other shampoo— yes, it’s that simple.

Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo is gentle enough for daily use. And again, you won't accidentally end up with grape-coloured hair. But do expect your blonde to look more cool toned and brighter.

According to Alders, you should follow it up with Strength Cure Miracle Filler Treatment, meant to be used before any other products or stylers. The hair repair treatment contains Keravis, a vegetable-derived protein to help strengthen strands, plus an AntiFade Complex to further lock in your colour.

Do you use purple shampoo before or after regular shampoo?

If you feel the need to double cleanse your hair twice, you can just use purple shampoo twice instead of mixing it up. However, if you enjoy the benefits that two separate products have to offer, use purple shampoo second so that you're less likely to wash away the pigments that have just been deposited onto your hair.

What does purple shampoo do to brown hair?

While typically you may see purple shampoo for blonde hair, brunettes who lighten, such as with balayage or ombré can benefit from the toning formula too, since they often deal with the same type of brassiness and colour changes. In other words, a purple shampoo can also help brunettes with sections of lightened hair. It's likely that the changes will seem subtle due to the darker underlying brunette, but don't worry, your highlights will thank you!

Does purple shampoo work on natural hair?

Naturally blonde hair has just as much to benefit from a toning purple shampoo as lightened blondes do, so go ahead and reach for a bottle of Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo and bask in the scent of Pear, Rose and Sandalwood.

Is purple shampoo a toner?

Any product that dispenses pigment to adjust hair tone can be considered a toner, and that includes purple shampoo. Its pigments work to neutralize brass.

Help! Why isn't my purple shampoo working?!

If you've tried purple shampoo and you feel it's not behaving how you expect it to, try these troubleshooting tips:

Not enough purple shampoo contact time

Refer to our guide on how long to leave purple shampoo in for. Letting your purple shampoo sit for a few minutes allows not only the pigments more time to bind to your hair, but in the case of Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo, will also give strengthening Keravis protein and antioxidant Astaxanthin time to work their magic.

Not using a purple conditioner

Double the toning effect by pairing your chosen purple shampoo with a purple toning conditioner like Strength Cure Blonde Conditioner.

Exposing your hair to heat

Here's the scenario. You're getting ready for a big day and use your styling tool to create soft waves before heading out for a beachside BBQ party with friends and family, and once it's over you head home to take a refreshing hot shower. There's a recurring theme in all of this - heat! Remember to use heat protection products before styling, and if you're spending a lot of time in the sun, UV protection for your hair (and skin, of course) is essential, which is why we've included Sunflower Seed in Strength Cure Blonde products to help with this. Lastly, avoid using extremely hot water, and consider cooler water to rinse of your purple shampoo and conditioner products.

Needing a colour refresh

Despite your best efforts to follow all the tips above, blonde hair isn't totally invulnerable to brassiness. It might be time to turn to Color Fanatic Top Coat Tone and Glaze in Purple, a conditioning hair gloss that imparts reflective shine, seals each cuticle for a silky feel, and most impotantly, tones and neutralised brassy yellow tones.

If you're not familiar with using a hair gloss or need other advice, find a Pureology Artist at a salon near you. In the meantime, check out more handy tips on how to maintain your hair colour.