Brassiness is literally a nightmare for people with blonde hair since it totally ruins those lovely strands.
This especially comes into play in the summer season when not only UV rays from the sun but also the heavy usage of chlorine and other chemicals in the swimming pools and tap water directly impact the hair, making those much dreaded yellow undertones set in quickly resulting in extreme brassy hair.
Nevertheless, adding a purple shampoo in your hair care routine can prove to be a game-changer for blondes and even for gray and silver hair (basically light-colored hair) which not only prevents those unwanted yellow tones from emerging but also keeps your hair shiny, sleek and voluminous.
How does a purple shampoo work?
Purple shampoo, on the whole, operates on the color correction theory. Just like our makeup regimen where we use color correctors on our skin to cancel out or neutralize the opposite color, the same works for hair. Opposite colors on the color wheel cancel each other out. So you can apply this principle to correct your hair color. Similarly, purple color sits opposite to yellow on the color wheel hence yellow undertones need a purple tint to tone them down.
Now since blondes have dominant yellow undertones, purple shampoo as the name denotes, deposits crushed purple/violet pigment deep onto your hair strands to neutralize those unwanted warm yellow undertones thus keeping your blonde true to its intended color, avoiding any brassy look or damage to your color-treated hair.
Note: Brunettes with blonde highlights can also apply purple shampoo to achieve immaculate shine and vibrancy to their highlights.
Can you put purple shampoo on dry hair?
Very recently, bloggers like Corine Sim at Chatters and Becki at Whippy Cake have been taking the limelight for introducing an innovative hack which is using purple shampoo on dry hair.
According to these blonde bloggers, they have been using it to cut out the brass in their hair and it works equally well for both wet and dry hair.
Sim claims: “If you need to cut out a lot of brassiness, use a comb to work your purple shampoo through your dry hair before you get in the shower. Leave it on for up to 20 minutes and then wash out and follow with conditioner as usual. It even works to get rid of unwanted yellow tones in natural gray or silver hair.”
Whereas Becki gives the logic that your hair will absorb most of the purple pigment when it is dry. This brings us to our next and main question: what if we can put purple shampoo on dry hair?
The answer is, No. It is definitely not a wise option to do so and all for the right reason so we would not recommend it.
This hack is going viral on the internet because, as we mentioned above, it tends to portray that purple tint is more absorbent by dry hair as compared to wet hair which results in intense toning, more cooler and longer-lasting results.
Why is it a bad idea to put purple shampoo on dry hair?
According to our experts, while it is true to some extent that dry hair will absorb more pigment since there is absolutely no dilution with water in this case, it is also important to consider that it will be highly uneven in its absorption due to the high porosity levels of dry hair, raising the risk of blotchy and patchy strands.
Joseph Maine, celebrity hairstylist and co-founder of Trademark Beauty, further elaborates on this: “Typically, your ends, or highlighted areas will absorb more moisture than virgin hair closer to your roots. This can lead to very uneven pigmentation.”
This simply means that for many of us whether blondes or not, the ends of the hair tend to be more dry and brittle so they will absorb more pigment than the rest of the hair. The same goes for bleached/highlighted parts of the hair so there are maximum chances of ending up with an inconsistent and overall fragmented look.
Moreover, leaving it on your hair for 20 minutes is a big no no! It is because purple shampoos are highly pigmented and generally they only require 2-5 minutes of application to work on lighter hair.
The longer you put it, the more you are suspected to gain intense toning which in our opinion, is a risky game to play. There have been cases where the purple shampoo was left on the hair for a long time which of course resulted in unnecessary dark purple hues and stains. It then requires a few more washes to fade away.
Note: People with high porosity hair, rough, damaged, or even curly hair would need a lesser than suggested time to let the required shampoo sit, as all these hair types rapidly absorb the products.
What is the correct way of applying purple shampoo?
You can follow these steps to use purple shampoo for your blonde:
- Apply purple shampoo thoroughly onto wet and damp hair.
- Pro tip: Add a little conditioner on your ends beforehand to prevent the porous/dry/split ends from absorbing too much of the purple pigment
- Let the formula sit on for no more than 2-5 minutes. (Remember! Purple shampoos work on the lighter colored hair which does not take a lot of time to get absorbed hence the results come almost instantly).
- Unlike a regular shampoo that you normally apply on your roots, it is best to apply purple shampoo as evenly as possible throughout the hair starting from roots to end to finely distribute the color overall.
- Wash immediately with lukewarm water.
- Use a regular or a professional purple conditioner for a minute afterward for smoother hair. The purple conditioners are designed for nourishing stressed-out hair even more perfectly.
- Follow up by a hair mask to lock in the moisture and for an added shinier look.
- Flaunt your sleek hair proudly with style!
FAQs
Can purple shampoo work for any kind of blonde hair?
Yes, it works for every blonde hair shade ranging from dirty blonde, strawberry blonde, honey blonde, and platinum blonde shades.
And there is no specific difference in the timings of application as such. You just need to follow the directions on the bottle carefully and you are good to go!
Does purple shampoo also minimize brassiness in gray and silver hair?
Most people tend to think that since purple shampoo neutralizes yellow color, it only works for blonde hair. The truth is, it works equally well for those unwanted warm and brassy yellow undertones present in natural gray and silver hair.
Therefore, people with naturally light gray and silver-colored hair can safely benefit from purple shampoo.
How long should I leave the purple shampoo on my hair?
As mentioned above, consider the instructions/directions of the packaging.
If it says 3 minutes, carefully notice the time and leave it on for exactly 3 minutes as the formulation of the shampoo according to your hair type may differ and vary from brand to brand.
However, generally purple shampoo requires only about 2-5 minutes of sitting on your hair to work efficiently since lighter colored hair does not usually take long for the results to show up.
If left for longer or used incorrectly in the long run, it may take several weeks or months and can be hard to remove, resulting in hair damage over time.
What if I overdo it or forget the shampoo on my hair for a little longer?
If it happens to you, do not panic and be patient. Although it is better to follow the timings closely, even if you have forgotten to wash it in due time, the maximum it would do is to tint the hair a little more purple (of course!). Since it is just a stain, it would then require a few more washes with a good cleansing non-tinted shampoo to disappear.
However, it can be very hard to remove at home for some people with very very light highlighted/colored hair.
In that case, if the religious regular cleansing is not working to fade the color away and your hair looks completely purple in a bad way, then an expensive salon color correction therapy will be required where they use heavy bleaches to wash the pigment away.
How do I choose the right purple shampoo for my hair?
The plethora of products available in the market can be overwhelming and confusing. Just remember this simple rule when it comes to using a purple shampoo: the lighter the shade of the purple shampoo, the subtle the desired effect.
Therefore, if your shade is more inclined towards honey blonde or has balayage or highlights, a violet-tinged shampoo will work best for you.
On the other hand, if you have icy platinum, gray, or very light blonde strands that you want to keep on the cooler side, you should opt for a darker purple or indigo-hued shampoo to achieve flawless results.
How often should I use purple shampoo?
It is up to you to decide how often you want to use it.
In general, to maintain ideal, well-balanced hair color, it is recommended to use them twice or thrice a week while alternating with your regular shampoo.
But, if simply using it once a week is working equally well, then you can continue using it for just once a week.
Final thoughts
The whole idea revolving around this hack of using purple shampoo on dry hair originates from the desire to get more in less.
While the proponents of this trick claim that you can use purple shampoo on dry hair since it gives the full effect and pigmentation of purple color without being diluted with water, we believe it is not worth taking the risk.
Professionals may want to give it a go for a change if they want to, but for beginners, this is especially a very dangerous hack to attempt because intense direct toning; that too on dry hair would bring up highly uneven and patchy results. It is more so because not every corner of your hair has the same level of moisture.
So pretty women, better stay away from such tricks and use the purple shampoo on wet and damp hair, following closely the directions of the shampoo so that you get to achieve those lovely, ashy, and bright strands safely and easily!
Leave a Reply