10 Best Purple Shampoos for Blonde Hair - Reviews and Buyer's Guide

 

Warm and cool tones are opposites. In order to have one, you have to counteract the other. A professional colorist uses specific products to create a desired cool or ashy tone, so you leave the salon with perfectly platinum, gray, or ash blonde hair. But over time, those products wear off and the yellow and orange tinges will reappear to spoil your originally flawless look.

Why specifically purple? If you have a look at the color wheel, you’ll see that yellow and purple are absolute opposites, and opposites are used to neutralize each other.

Efficient Purple Shampoos for Blondes

Now that you know all about color counteraction, you probably want to shop around for the best purple shampoo to maintain your color and care for your hair. We’ve checked out top-rated purple shampoos for blonde and gray hair, looked through reviews, and compared formulas and prices to help you find the best one for your hair.

 

Product	Sulfates	Scent	Color	Best for	Price
Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights - Editor’s Choice	Yes	Quite strong and perfumy	Dark purple	For all kinds of blondes	Check Price
TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Purple Toning Shampoo	Yes	Exotic, fruity	Deep purple	For blonde, white, and gray hair prone to frizz	Check Price
Joico Color Balance Shampoo	Yes	Pleasant and mild	Dark purple	For all kinds of blondes	Check Price
Winsome & Wisdom - Paraben Free Toner Shampoo #Blonde Moment	Yes	Delicious and mild	Dark purple	For all kinds of blondes, for natural brunettes with lightened hair	Check Price
Paul Mitchell Platinum Blonde Shampoo	Yes	Fresh cucumber	Deep purple	For oily blonde hair	Check Price
Sexy Hair Blonde Sulfate-Free Bright Violet Shampoo	No	Mild, fruity	Dark purple	For fragile, processed blonde hair	Check Price
AVEDA: Blue Malva Color Shampoo	Yes	Special Aveda’s aroma with ylang-ylang, lemon, and eucalyptus	Blue-violet	For light blonde, white, gray, dark blonde and brown hair	Check Price
GVP Conditioning Shampoo Compare to Clairol Shimmer Lights	Yes	Improved scent of Shimmer Lights	Dark purple	For all kinds of blondes	Check Price
Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo	Yes	Vanilla and cinnamon	Deep purple	For all kinds of blondes, especially bleached blondes	Check Price
Shu Uemura Color Lustre Shades Reviving Balm Cool Blonde	No	Floral, citrus, musk, and vanilla blend	Very dark purple	For all kinds of blondes, especially bleached blondes	Check Price

#1: Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo — The Right Hairstyles’ Choice

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The Shimmer Lights shampoo for blonde hair neutralizes brassy tones from platinum, blonde, white, and gray hair, infuses hair with proteins and restores shine. While it’s not a dye or bleach, it combats the yellow that can appear in natural or dyed blonde and gray hair.

Formula: Shimmer Lights’ blonde formula is developed to cancel out the brassiness in light-colored hair. It’s also packed with proteins to condition your hair and enhance shine.

Effects: By toning down the yellow, Shimmer Lights shampoo makes hair a bit more ashy and glossier without drastically changing the color.

Packaging: A plastic bottle available in 8 and 16 ounces.

Directions: Apply to wet hair as you would with a normal shampoo. Leave in for 3 to 5 minutes and rinse. Use a conditioner of your choice.

Pros

• Can be used for dyed blonde, white, and naturally gray hair
• Only improves the color, doesn’t change it considerably
• Effects are usually noticeable after 2 uses

Cons

• Can make your hair a bit drier
• May leave a temporary light purple tinge
• The scent is not pleasant to some

Shimmer Lights Shampoo is an effective product that cleanses your hair and cares for the color. It’s budget-friendly and efficient, so it is one of the top 100 Amazon bestsellers for good reason. You may not like the smell too much or find it a bit drying, but it is a fairly good color-treating purple shampoo for under $10.Tip: Start using the Shimmer Lights once or twice a week and alternate it with other shampoos designed for your hair color. Some customers use it as a regular shampoo and leave it in longer for better results. Adjust the usage according to your hair needs.

#2: TIGI Bed Head Purple Toning Shampoo — The Best Choice for Frizzy Hair

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Effortless-looking bedhead hair is all the rage, and with the TIGI Bed Head purple shampoo it’s easy to get brass-free color and perfectly imperfect tousled texture as well.

Formula: Contains purple pigment to correct brassiness and Polyquatenium 10 to prevent frizz for perfect, cool-toned blonde hair free from flyaways.

Effects: Improves bleached and naturally light hair, including gray and white, removes yellow tones, makes hair more manageable, touchable, and easy to style.

Packaging: Plastic pump bottle 13.5 ounces.

Directions: Apply shampoo to wet hair, lather, and leave it in for 1 to 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Pros

• Removes brassiness, lightens highlights after first use
• Smells great
• Not harsh, suitable for daily use

Cons

• May stain scalp and hands

With the right shampoo, bad hair days become perfect bedhead days with controllable hair. The TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Purple Toning Shampoo is recommended for blondes who want clear, cool-toned color with improved texture.Tip: This shampoo has no complimenting conditioner, but customers highly recommend pairing it with the Bed Head Dumb Blonde Reconstructor.

#3: Joico Color Balance Shampoo, Purple — The Best Color-Balancing Hair Repair Shampoo

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This is a gentle, brass-eliminating shampoo that provides immediate results for color-treated and natural blondes. It’s not the least expensive purple shampoo on the market, but customers keep coming back thanks to its effectiveness and very pleasant smell.

Formula: Enriched with color-protective and repairing peptide complexes and packed with color-balancing purple pigments, the Joico shampoo works to clean hair, prevent color from fading, and keep the brass out.

Effects: Besides its key cleansing and color-balancing properties, the shampoo fights frizz, boosts shine, and keeps the overall color and highlights bright.

Packaging: Plastic bottle 10.01 ounces.

Directions: Lather, let it sit for 1 to 3 minutes and rinse. Keeping the shampoo in your hair longer than that may produce a temporary light purple tint.

Pros

• Adds shine and makes hair soft
• Smells good
• Works immediately after first use
• Cleans effectively and lets you go longer between washes

Cons

• A bit pricey
• May not lather well enough for thick hair
• May add a purple tint to very light hair

You’ll love this Joico product if you are after a vibrant color that stays fresh and yellow-free for weeks after your hair was dyed. We recommend it as a color-protecting and repairing shampoo. It may be a little expensive, but it’s worth every penny.

#4: Winsome&Wisdom #BlondeMoment Purple Shampoo — The Best Choice for Processed Hair

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Safe even for processed hair, the Winsome & Wisdom #BlondeMoment is a high quality purple toner shampoo that treats your bleached or naturally light color to maintain its cool tone and shine.

Formula: The color-depositing formula with natural balancing extract and Mica provides effective cleansing and anti-brass toning for blonde hair. Added UV filters protect your fair hair from fading and drying due to sun exposure.

Effects: #BlondeMoment shampoo banishes yellowness, easily cleanses away buildup, protects from sun damage, and generally brightens your blonde color or highlights.

Packaging: Plastic bottle 8 ounces.

Directions: Lather and let sit for 2 to 5 minutes. Use this shampoo daily until you achieve the desired effect, then apply it every 2 to 3 washes to maintain results.

Pros

• Tones and neutralizes unwanted brassiness in blonde and gray hair
• Safe for bleached hair
• Enriched with natural extracts
• Paraben-free
• Not tested on animals
• UV protective
• Thick consistency

Cons

• Expensive
• Small bottle for the high price
• Can be a bit drying

The Winsome & Wisdom #BlondeMoment is definitely recommended for those who want to safely lighten their naturally blonde, gray, bleached or highlighted hair. Bonuses such as natural extracts, UV protection ingredients, and paraben-free formula make this quality toner shampoo worth the higher price tag.

#5: Paul Mitchell Platinum Blonde Shampoo — The Best Choice for Oily Hair

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Paul Mitchell’s purple shampoo stands out from similar color-enhancing products for blondes thanks to its effective color-correcting properties, moisture-replacing formula, pleasant scent, and powerful, yet mild, cleansing action.

Formula: A mild, yet deep penetrating cleansing formula with conditioning ingredients including leaf and flower extracts makes this shampoo suitable for everyday use. It effectively removes buildup, hydrates hair, and keeps blonde hair shiny, soft, and free from brassy tones.

Effects: Neutralizes yellowness, lightens fair and gray locks bringing out natural blonde highlights, smoothes and softens hair.

Packaging: Plastic bottle 10.14 ounces.

Directions: Use as a regular shampoo. Leave in hair for 1 to 5 minutes during the second lather.

Pros

• Mild cleansing properties
• Boosts shine and makes hair silky
• Banishes brassiness in ash blonde and gray hair
• Refreshes and brings out natural and color-treated highlights

Cons

• May be drying for weak and damaged hair

Paul Mitchell shampoo is recommended for oily hair as it cleans hair that quickly gets greasy and helps it feel fresh longer.Tip: For healthy hair, use the shampoo during every wash until the color meets your expectations, then reduce the usage to once a week and alternate this product with your regular shampoo.

#6: Sexy Hair Bright Blonde Shampoo — Free from Harsh Chemicals

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While most purple shampoos contain harsh chemicals, the Sexy Hair blonde violet shampoo lets you say farewell to brassy hair and get soft, touchable, cool-toned blonde locks without sulfates.

Formula: The shampoo contains color-preserving and strengthening ingredients to prevent fading.

Effects: Gently cleanses, removes brassiness from light-colored, natural blonde and gray hair, and makes hair soft like a conditioner.

Packaging: Plastic bottle 10.1 ounces.

Directions: Apply a few times until your hair feels clean. Let the shampoo sit for a few minutes during the last lather and rinse.

Pros

• Gentle, sulfate-free shampoo
• Smells great
• Keeps highlights looking fresh between salon visits
• Lathers relatively well
• Softens hair

Cons

• May not clean greasy hair properly
• A little harder to distribute evenly than regular shampoos

Unless your hair is very thick or greasy, we recommend the Sexy Hair Sulfate-Free Bright Blonde Shampoo.

#7: AVEDA Blue Malva Shampoo — The Best-Smelling Plant-Formulated Purple Shampoo

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Aveda, famous developer and producer of healthy, plant-formulated shampoos, have created Blue Malva, a blue-violet shampoo designed to combat brassiness in blonde, white, and gray hair. With 4.7 stars out of 5 on Amazon, we wanted to check out why customers keep coming back again and again.

Formula: Blue Malva’s formula contains sulfates but it’s enriched with pure plant and flower essences to cleanse hair and counteract the chemicals.

Effects: Blue Malva is delicate yet effective at eliminating existing yellowness and preventing the appearance of brassiness. The shampoo cares for your hair along the way, leaving you with an improved, attractive color, and touchable texture.

Packaging: Plastic bottle 33.8 ounces.

Directions: Wet your hair, lather and rinse. Re-apply and lather again, massaging the shampoo into roots and spreading through the length of hair, leave it in for 5 minutes and rinse.

Pros

• Very effective on blonde, gray, and white hair
• Can be used daily without producing a purple tinge
• Smells very good
• Softens and brightens hair

Cons

• No smaller packaging

Aveda’s special aroma and blend of plant and flower essences make this violet-blue shampoo a superstar cleansing and toning product that’s a pleasure to use while powerfully combating and preventing brassiness. This product only comes in one size, revealing Aveda’s confidence that it’s the only product you will need. We recommend this effective toning shampoo with a very pleasant, addictive scent.

#8: GVP Conditioning Shampoo — Generic Option Comparable to Clairol Shimmer Lights

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The GVP Conditioning Shampoo Compare to Clairol Shimmer Lights was created as an efficient and affordable alternative to the popular Shimmer Lights product to cool down yellowish and orange tinges that begin to develop in blonde hair. You can purchase GVP shampoo in twice the volume for the same price as Shimmer Lights so we wanted to check out the quality and effectiveness of this product in order to help you make an informed decision.

Formula: The GVP shampoo is formulated to clean, condition, and brighten dull blonde hair, remove brassiness, and restore shine to bleached hair and blonde highlights.

Effects: For many customers, the shampoo worked after the first application. It rapidly removes unwanted brassiness and leaves the overall blonde color and highlights looking cool and bright.

Packaging: Plastic bottle 16 ounces.

Directions: Lather and rinse, then lather and leave the shampoo in your hair for 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse. Use gloves to protect your hands from staining. Can be used once or twice a week alternated with other color-treating shampoos.

Pros

• Affordable
• Works as good as the brand name shampoo
• Lathers well

Cons

• May feel drying
• Can stain your hands and other items in your bathroom
• The smell is not great to some

The GVP Conditioning Shampoo is recommended for blondes who have used the original Shimmer Lights shampoo and liked it. The generic counterpart works the same yet costs much less. The smell issue is controversial. Some customers like it, others don’t. The shampoo is highly pigmented, so watch the time the product stays in hair.Tip: If you don’t like the smell of this purple shampoo, use a conditioner with a scent you like to counter it.

#9: Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo — Great Smell and Fresh Color

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The Fudge Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo keeps light hair looking fresh and brightens blonde highlights, leaving hair feeling so soft and hydrated that some customers skip using conditioner. According to reviews, this shampoo works better than any drugstore equivalent making it worth a try.

Formula: Besides its major functions to cleanse and balance out the yellow tones in natural and colored blonde hair, Fudge toning shampoo is enriched with a hydrating complex to replenish moisture in bleached locks, restore elasticity, and strengthen hair in general.

Effects: The powerful formula maintains the look of freshly colored blonde and naturally gray hair, boosts shine, and washes out all yellow and orange tones in one application.

Packaging: A flip cap tube 10.1 fl ounces.

Directions: Massage into wet hair and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes. If you keep the shampoo in your hair for 20 to 30 minutes, you can go from ash blonde to silver with a purple tint.

Pros

• Very effective, works after the first application
• Smells great
• Not as drying as other purple shampoos

Cons

• May stain very light hair, fingers and nails if you don’t use gloves
• A comparatively high price

Fudge Violet Toning Shampoo is a bit pricy, but many customers claim it’s absolutely worth the money and that it works even better than a dye. Of course, it won’t cover your roots but if you want your color to stay as fresh and bright as the day you stepped out of the salon, it wouldn’t hurt to try this highly-praised purple shampoo for blondes.Tip: In case you have very light hair and are worried that the purple shampoo will stain, dilute the shampoo when applying it to your hair. You can also lather the shampoo and check results after 2 to 3 minutes. Then, either let it sit for 2 more minutes more, or rinse. Use gloves to prevent staining your nails.

#10: Shu Uemura Color Lustre Shades Reviving Balm — Salon Quality Post Shampoo Treatment

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The Shu Uemura’s purple balm is among the priciest toners in the market, but everybody who has tried it says it’s worth the money. It works particularly well for bleached blondes but is appreciated by those who just want a stronger effect than a regular purple toner can offer.

Formula: Free from silicone and ammonia and enriched with natural linseed oil and musk rose oil for their healing properties, the balm subtly deposits cool color on hair to eliminate any yellow tones.

Effects: Refreshes highlights, enhances and restores vibrancy of blonde or silver hair without changing the permanent color, lightly conditions hair, making it feel healthy.

Packaging: Tube 6.8 ounces.

Directions: Apply every 2 to 3 shampoos, or as needed, to towel-dried hair after shampoo and conditioner. Spread evenly and leave on for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse.

Pros

• Tones and softens blonde, white, and gray hair perfectly, removes yellow tones
• Makes hair silky
• Adds shine
• Gives a noticeable, long-lasting effect
• Works in one application

Cons

• Very expensive

The Shu Uemura Color Lustre Shades Reviving Balm is expensive, but in our opinion, not over-priced because of the quality of the product. This balm lets you save on salon toning treatments, the 6.8 ounce tube lasts for approximately 12 applications, and the toning effect endures for up to a week. It’s recommended for blondes who haven’t yet found their ideal purple shampoo.Note: This product is not a shampoo, but a post-shampoo treatment.

 

Buyer’s Guide to Purple Shampoos for Blondes

When you are new to toners, the idea of a purple shampoo may freak you out, but try not jump to conclusions. Here, we answer the most frequently asked questions about this type of product. The answers will help you to get a better idea of what a purple shampoo is, how it works, and when you should use it.

What Does Purple Shampoo Do?

Purple shampoos were developed to keep the brassiness at bay and maintain the purity and brightness of cool-toned, blonde hair.

Does Purple Shampoo Work?

Yes, it definitely works for natural and colored blonde, gray, and white hair that gets brassy, becomes dull, and loses its shine over time.

Who Is Purple Shampoo For?

It’s developed for light hair, whether natural or bleached. You may use purple shampoo to combat yellow tones if your hair is:

• natural light blonde
• dishwater blonde
• natural white, silver, or gray
• natural dark brown with silver
• any tone of bleached blonde
• brown with blonde balayage

How Does Purple Shampoo Work?

A purple shampoo neutralizes warm yellow and orange tinges in solid blonde or highlighted hair allowing you to enjoy the freshness and brightness of your color between salon appointments.

Can Purple Shampoo Stain Very Light Blonde Hair?

No, it’s recommended even for platinum hair. It won’t stain as long as you follow the instructions on the bottle. Don’t let it sit too long in your hair with a minimum time of 1 to 2 minutes for best results.

How to Use Purple Shampoo?

You use purple shampoo the same way you would use a regular shampoo: apply it to wet hair, lather, and rinse. You may also wash your hair with your regular cleansing shampoo first and then apply the purple one of your choice for toning. Let the purple shampoo sit in your hair for 1 to 5 minutes. Some customers leave it in for longer, for up to 10 to 20 minutes, to get a purple tint to blonde hair.

Is Purple Shampoo Effective for Half Brown Half Blonde Hair?

Yes, and it also works for dark brown hair with lots of natural silver in it. The purple shampoo doesn’t affect dark hair. It’s developed for lightening and brightening blonde, gray, and white hair. It will make the blonde strands clearer and shinier.

Can Purple Shampoo Cover Roots?

No, it’s not a dye. Purple shampoos make your light color more cool-toned, but it won’t change the color completely like a dye.

Is Purple Shampoo Drying?

It depends on your hair type and how healthy your hair is. Most customers with damaged hair find purple shampoos drying, however, results vary by individual. If you test a few purple shampoos, you’ll find that some of them are drying while another formula may suit you better. To counteract the possible drying effect, use a good conditioner, though not necessarily a purple one.

How Often Should I Use Purple Shampoo?

Begin with every other wash, alternating a purple shampoo with your regular one. Next, adjust the usage of your purple shampoo. Use it with every wash if it’s not drying and you still have some yellow to get rid of. Reduce the frequency of toning to once a week if you are happy with the effect and just want to maintain it.

A good purple shampoo is a must-have beauty product for blondes. Luckily, there are many options by lots of brands on the market to choose from. There are so many effective and affordable toners and some pricey, top-quality products that offer you a completely new level of color care. These were 10 of the most praised and highly reviewed purple shampoos for blondes. Hopefully, this list can help you narrow your choice down and find the right product for you.