Battle brassy hair with blue and purple shampoo.
Brassiness is the ultimate nemesis of color-treated hair. Whether you go for a platinum blonde dye job or a few subtle highlights, your color-treated locks will undoubtedly show some brassy yellow, red, or orange tones at some point.
That’s where blue and purple shampoo come in. What are blue and purple shampoo, you ask? Here’s everything you need to know about blue vs. purple shampoo and when to use them.
Both blue and purple shampoos are used to color-correct dyed or lightened hair. Blue shampoos are designed to counteract orange tones in brunette hair, while purple shampoos are used to banish brass in blonde hair. If you make the leap from brunette to blonde hair, make sure to switch to a purple shampoo to counteract the yellow tones that often appear in color-treated blonde hair.
After a month or so of shampooing, heat-styling, and sun exposure, that gorgeous color you left the salon with often begins to fade. What you’re left with are the brassy undertones. Every hair color is made up of yellow to orange if you’re a blonde, orange to coppery red if you’re a brunette. So how do you counteract brassiness between trips to the salon? Blue or purple shampoo!
You know why to use blue or purple shampoo, but how do you know which one to use? The answer lies in the color wheel.
Shades of yellow and even light orange sit directly across from purple and violet hues on the color wheel. This means purple cancels out yellow. Seeing bright yellow where your cool blonde highlights used to be? A purple shampoo can help restore your color to cool blonde magnificence once again.
Orange and red hues, on the other hand, are opposite blue on the color wheel. This means—you guessed it!—blue cancels out orange. So if your brunette locks are suddenly showing a garish orange or even a dull coppery red, a blue shampoo can tone them back to brilliant brown.
So how do you use blue or purple shampoo to keep your brown or blonde locks looking glossy and luminous? With these pigmented toning shampoos, less is definitely more. Here’s how to use blue or purple shampoo properly to keep your color cool and fresh.
Buh-bye brassiness! Check out more of our hair care tips for color-treated hair.
Brunette Hair
Blue shampoo is specially designed to remove brassy tones in brunette hair. Learn more about blue shampoo and how it helps keep your brunette looking brilliant.
Blonde Hair
Purple shampoo is an essential part of your blonde hair care routine. Use purple shampoo to brighten blonde hair and banish brassiness!
Brunette Hair
Dyed hair is usually drier and more prone to breakage than natural hair. Learn how to care for colored hair with our top tips for bleached and dyed hair.