The best purple shampoos for keeping your blonde hair bright

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Want to create the illusion of brighter, blonder hair with every wash? It’s time you tried a purple shampoo.

Whether you’re a natural blonde, a bleach fanatic or you simply get a beachy balayage every six months, everyone with a blonde ambition will know that brassiness is the thing most dreaded when it comes to keeping your colour looking fresh.

We’ve all been there. You come out of the hairdressers feeling like your blonde is bright and the colour looks clean, yet within a few short weeks your hair seems to have adopted a certain tinge that wasn’t there three weeks ago, becoming dull, yellow or orange-toned. The good news is that it’s easy to remedy that brassiness and knock those yellow tones clean out of your colour with a purple or silver shampoo.

How do purple shampoos work?

Purple shampoos work on the basis of simple colour theory. The purple acts to neutralise any orange and yellow tones in blonde hair, transforming your colour to a cooler, ashier blonde. Small amounts of purple, violet or lavender pigments are deposited onto the hair, restoring it to its cool-toned best. 

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How long does it take a purple shampoo to work?

If you want to keep your colour at its coolest, you can use your purple shampoo every time you wash your hair. Noticed a build-up of brass? Try using your shampoo as a more intense treatment, leaving it on the hair for up to 10 minutes and watch as those yellow and orangey tones fade into oblivion.

Will a purple shampoo lighten my hair?

Purple shampoo doesn’t contain any lightening agents – like peroxide or bleach – so it won’t actually lighten your hair, but the brightening effect can make your colour look fresher. 

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The best purple shampoos for all hair types

  • Amika Bust Your Brass Shampoo

    This vegan shampoo not only flushes out those brassier, warmer-looking tones but it’s packed with the brand’s bond cure technology, quinoa protein and plant butters which help to strengthen and repair damaged hair – perfect for thicker, afro hair types. 

    Shop Amika Bust Your Brass Shampoo at Cult Beauty, £18

    buy now

  • Aveda Blonde Revival Purple Toning Shampoo

    If you want to refresh dulling blonde hair, this is the shampoo for you. Violet pigments help to illuminate blonde hair, revealing a brighter, cleaner colour after just one wash.

    Shop Aveda Blonde Revival Purple Toning Shampoo at Cult Beauty, £23 

    buy now

  • Bleach London Violet Skies Shampoo

    Bleach London knows its stuff when it comes to toning freshly bleached hair. This budget shampoo is perfect for knocking out brassiness and leaving your colour as cool as it was when you first left the salon.

    Shop Bleach London Violet Skies Shampoo at Boots, £7.50

    buy now

  • Fudge Professional Everyday Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Violet Toning Shampoo

    Another great option for damaged hair, this toning shampoo is enriched with Opti-PLEX™ technology, which helps to reduce breakage and reinforce hair fibres for a longer-looking, fuller-feeling finish.

    Shop Fudge Professional Everyday Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Violet Toning Shampoo at Lookfantastic, £14

    buy now

  • L’Oréal Professional Serie Expert Silver Shampoo

    It’s not only blondes who can benefit from a purple shampoo – this clarifying shampoo is great for neutralising warmth in silver, grey or white hair. 

    Shop L’Oréal Professional Serie Expert Silver Shampoo at Lookfantastic, £13.40

    buy now

  • Olaplex No 4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo

    Benefit from the strengthening goodness of Olaplex while protecting your hair colour tone with this Olaplex No 4 update. Enriched with purple toner pigments, it promises to leave blondes three times brighter than regular purple shampoos. Impressive. 

    Shop Olaplex No 4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo at Cult Beauty, £26

    buy now

  • Virtue Colorkick De-Brassing Shampoo

    Another great option for all hair types – Virtue’s new Colorkick De-Brassing Shampoo is enriched with the brand’s patented alpha keratin 60ku® protein which strengthens and repairs hair with each use. Not only that, but they’ve blended the formula with an all-natural blend of violet and lavender botanical extracts to gently neutralise any brassiness on all shades of colour-treated, highlighted or natural grey, white or blonde hair. 

    Shop Virtue Colorkick De-Brassing Shampoo at Space NK, £40

    buy now

Main image: Getty

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