If one customer is continually asking for a home care product, it’s purple shampoo; it’s equally hypocritical, nervous and, in some cases, frightening. In fear of turning your hair limp and in hope of addressing brassiness, these violet-tinted therapies fascinate blonde and brunettes as well as the silver hair.

So, how are they working? Here, we dissect everything about purple shampoo, whether you use it yourself or assist a customer tune excessively hot tones into their own hair…

How does purple shampoo function?

Well, the shampoo itself has a purple tint, just as its name implies. When applied to your hair, it places lard pigment on your stalls in order to neutralize all tones that are overly yellow and orange and keep your blonde true to its intended shadow.

The colour theory applies to you if you were to correct colour, or if you had make-up in dark circles; you would like to use opposite shades on the coloured wheel to oppose the other. And as yellow sits in front of violet on the wheel, a violet shampoo cancels any warm tones, making it closer to that soft ashy hue with which you left the living room.

We recently saw a tip floating around the Wild West that we call the Internet that suggests we use purple shampoos on dry hair rather than wet hair. Proponents of this trick say it enhances pigment absorption, which gives longer lasting results in cooler conditions. That brings us to the next question.

Can you add a purple shampoo to the dry hair?

Simply put: no, you need not to dry hair with a purple shampoo. Although dry hair absorbs additional colour, it also absorbs unevenly.

The ends are often drier and more powdery than our remainder of hair – most, if not all of us – blond or not. Ditto for any places with bleach lightened. (Highlights, we stare at you.) That stated, the application of violet shampoo can provide an uneven look on dry hair.

So how is purple shampoo best used?

Well, to begin with, you would want to use it on damp hair. (Note: We would also recommend that you apply a small quantity of packing on tips to prevent them from absorbing too many pigments if you have extremely dry or broken ends.

Most of the stylists we’ve spoken about start once a week with a purple shampoo. You can steadily raise the use to two or three times a week if you don’t do the trick and still have lots of brassiness.

Make sure you cover your whole hair equally, massage the shampoo and tackle it through the ends when you use it. And use the purple shampoo on the label. If you recommend 3 to 5 minutes to depart, leave it on for 3 to 5 minutes.

How can I select the correct purple shampoo?

There are numerous possibilities for purchasing, even for something as special as purple shampoo. The basic rule of thumb for the simplification of things is this: the lighter the shading of a purple shampoo, the subtler the impact is.

So, if you have more of a sweet blonde hue – or scanning or highlighting – the task is done by a purple shampoo. If you are having ice platinum, grey or extremely light blonde beams, choose a deeper purple or indigo shampoo for the best effects.

Can Purple Shampoo be used on Brown Hair?

Yes. Although purple shampoo is popular, it is not suitable only to balance blonde hair. It may also be used for darker locks if and during the pop-up of brassy tones. The need for a purple wash for dark hair is less frequent, but not entirely unexpected – particularly on sweeping brunettes or other highlights.