As we hinted at above, the undertones that appear in your hair will help you determine whether you should try blue shampoo or purple shampoo. If you have brassy orange or even red tones, blue shampoo is your best bet. However, blue pigment won't help with yellow undertones. The reverse is true for yellow undertones.
Should you use purple or blue shampoo to tone brassy blonde hair? Purple shampoo tones yellow in the hair while blue shampoo tones orange! So if you have brassy orange use a blue shampoo and if you have more yellow brassiness then use a purple shampoo! Purple gives the hair a cooler more ashy tone. Blue gives the hair.
"If you have blonde hair, you more likely want purple shampoo, and any darker or brunette shades will most likely require blue," Leake explains. If your hair is highlighted or somewhere between blonde and brunette, Leake recommends inspecting the tone you want to remove and determining if it's more yellow or orange.
There's two reasons why your hair is still brassy after toning or colouring. Either the undertone of the toner/colour is wrong, or the product is too light for you.
Blue shampoo helps gray hair shine
After, you can see that the brassy tones have been eliminated and her overall look is more elevated and cohesive.
It's important to note that blue shampoo (and purple shampoo, for that matter) can't lift or lighten your strands. These types of toning shampoos can only deposit temporary pigments onto your hair's surface to help balance, refresh, and brighten existing highlights and hair color.
However, you can leave it in for a maximum five minutes if you want to deposit more pigment.
Always use blue or purple shampoo on wet hair. Don't apply it on dry because the hair is more porous and it will grab too much of the blue or purple pigment. Lather it up in your hands and work it into your scalp, using gentle circular motions work the shampoo between strands, and down the shaft.
Overuse of blue shampoo on fine or dry hair can lead to unwanted color buildup or dryness, so spacing out applications is key. Long or thick hair: Frequency once per week or as needed.
Summer can be particularly harsh on blondes thanks to environmental factors like the sun, chlorine, salt water and more. In order to keep your blonde looking cool while preventing brassy hair, purple shampoo is an absolute necessity. To help you properly maintain your color, we've pulled together this guide.
What is Blue Shampoo? Just as the purple pigments in purple shampoo neutralize brassy tones in blonde hair, the blue pigments in blue shampoo cancel out the unwanted orange, red, and copper tones that brunettes often battle—especially color-treated brunettes.
If your bleached hair looks more yellow than orange, you'll need a purple toning shampoo to neutralise the yellow. If your hair's turned orange, you'll need a blue toning shampoo to tone the brassiness and get rid of the orange.
Our top pick for the best purple shampoo is Amika Bust Your Brass Blonde Purple Shampoo. This shampoo features a deep and vibrant purple tone that effectively tones brassiness with just one wash. For another highly pigmented option, we also love Morrocanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo.
Palladino adds that toners aren't one specific product, and you can't go out and just buy a “toner.” Demi-permanent colors, glosses, tinted shampoos, and conditioners can all be considered toners because they all contain pigments that adjust the tone of your hair.
The blue pigment cancels out orange, and the purple pigment cancels out yellow. All this talk about color comes down to two important points. Blue shampoo removes orange tones from brunette or darker hair, while the purple shampoo is a great option when yellow tones appear in blonde or light-colored hair.
If you leave purple shampoo in your hair for 30 minutes, the risk of over-toning increases significantly. While purple shampoo is designed to neutralize brassy or yellow tones, leaving it on for an extended period can lead to overly cool or even purple-tinted hair, especially for those with light or porous hair.
Using blue shampoo once or twice a week is definitely enough to tone down brassy hair and add moisture. You don't have to give up on washing your hair completely, just choose one of Aussie's regular shampoos that best fits your needs as part of your regular brunette toning routine.
The former isn't supposed to replace your regular haircare products—it's supposed to merely supplement them, so stick to using these products only once or twice a week, and only when you see the orange undertones emerge. Always follow up your blue shampoo with a conditioner that moisturizes your hair sufficiently.
Blue shampoo is typically used for brown hair, as it combats the kind of orange, red, and copper undertones that make brunette hair look brassy. Its color isn't coincidental – blue is on the opposite end of the color wheel from the aforementioned undertones, which lets it neutralize these tones effectively.
The purple shampoo canceled out the yellow and orange tones, whereas the blue shampoo canceled out the deeper orange and red tones. The purple shampoo result looks lighter because it toned my highlights.
Best for Blondes: Davines Heart of Glass Silkening Shampoo, $38. Best for Fast Results: Eva NYC Brass to Sass Brunette Shampoo, $14. Best for Hair Repair: Virtue ColorKick De-Brassing Shampoo, $44. Best for Gray Hair: Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo, $75.
Enter the tone zone
Toning shampoos and conditioners are your best friends when it comes to fading blue or green stains. As well as cleansing and conditioning hair, they serve up a double hit of washing out and removing stains while also adding fresh pigment to neutralise unwanted tones.