Does purple cancel out orange in hair?

Author: Dr. Virgie Lemke Jr.  |  Last update: Thursday, July 10, 2025

It's a semi-permanent color that helps to neutralize or enhance certain tones in the hair, resulting in a more even color. If your hair has turned orange, a toner that contains blue or purple pigments can help cancel out the orange tones and give you a cool, blonde color.

Will purple cancel orange hair?

Yes, using purple shampoo can help tone down unwanted orange or brassy tones in hair, especially if your hair is blonde or light brown. Purple shampoo works by depositing purple pigments that neutralize yellow and orange hues, creating a more balanced, cooler tone.

Does purple neutralize orange?

The difference between blue and purple shampoos lies in which colors they neutralize: Purple neutralizes yellow while blue neutralizes orange and brassy tones. "This is because violet-purple is across the wheel from yellow, and blue is across the wheel from orange," says Valdes.

What color cancels out orange in hair?

To tone orange hair, the best color toner to use is typically a blue or blue-violet toner. This is because blue is directly opposite orange on the color wheel, which helps neutralize the unwanted warm tones in your hair. Here are some options:

Can you use purple shampoo to get rid of orange hair?

Yes, using purple shampoo can help tone down unwanted orange or brassy tones in hair, especially if your hair is blonde or light brown. Purple shampoo works by depositing purple pigments that neutralize yellow and orange hues, creating a more balanced, cooler tone.

5 Best Tips to Prevent Brassy Hair

Why is my hair still orange after purple shampoo?

Different shades of brassiness need different pigments to fight them. For example, orange brassiness needs a product with blue pigments to remove that orange brassiness. If you use a toner or colour with purple pigments in it on orange brassiness, it won't do anything.

What happens if I leave purple shampoo in my hair for 30 minutes?

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.

What are 3 ways to fix orange hair?

If your hair's turned orange, you'll need a blue toning shampoo to tone the brassiness and get rid of the orange.
  1. Use a hair glaze or glossing colour.
  2. Dye your hair darker.
  3. Lighten your orange hair at the salon.
  4. Use an apple cider vinegar toning rinse.

What is the best color remover for orange hair?

HAIR COLOR REMOVER: Color Oops Hair Color Remover safely removes brown, black, red, and orange permanent hair dye that was dyed with a developer. Does not remove direct-application dyes or bold shades, such as pinks, purples, blues, or greens.

What shampoo cancels orange?

Orange is opposite blue on the color wheel. This means blue cancels out orange. If you've got dark hair with balayage, ombré or conventional highlights, if you've lightened your dark hair completely, or if you have a combination of dark and light hair with highlights, blue shampoo is your solution for brassiness.

Is purple or blue shampoo better for orange 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.

What color does purple cancel?

Purple is used because, if you take a look at the color wheel, it's the direct opposite color of yellow. Does purple cancel out yellow? The answer is yes. So when using purple pigment on brassy, yellow tones it color corrects your hair's hue, restoring it to its former brighter, cooler color.

Can I use purple shampoo 2 days in a row?

Unless the shampoo is specifically designed to be used as a daily toner, applying purple shampoo every time you wash your hair is typically discouraged because it can begin to eliminate too much yellow from your hair.

Will mushroom blonde cancel out orange?

Shades like ash blonde and mushroom brown have blueish undertones, which can help cancel out the orange present in your strands to reveal a more neutral-toned hair color. Some hair dyes can also lighten the hair and help break down the reddish pigment in your strands.

Can you put purple shampoo on ginger hair?

As we mentioned, purple shampoo can be used to neutralize brassy tones, like yellow and orange that can pop up as your red hair color starts to fade. This will help your overall hue look its best, and help you make your color last longer between salon visits (or at-home coloring sessions).

What does purple hair fade out to?

1. Initial fade: Within the first 2-4 weeks, the purple color may start to wash out, becoming a lighter, more pastel shade. 2. Color shift: As the color fades, it may shift towards a more pinkish or blue hue, depending on the original tone.

What color kills orange hair?

You've got it: blue! Since red and yellow make orange, that means blue is the missing primary color. Blue and orange are complements on the color wheel, which means that blue will neutralize an orange hair color.

What box hair colors get rid of orange?

Blue toning formulas can help counteract orange tones in the hair. The reasoning goes back to basic color theory: Shades positioned opposite on the color wheel are complementary and effectively cancel each other out when combined.

What do salons use to remove hair color?

Your colourist may use bleach or sulfur-based stripping products to lighten your hair back to enable it to be re-dyed safely. You'll get all the help and advice you need when colouring disasters strike, alongside assessments of your hair for damage and the best treatment options.

What Wella toner cancels out orange?

The most powerful toner against orange tones is the Wella Colour Charm Toner in 050 Cooling Violet. Used alone on blonde hair this gives a steel grey result. Used alone on orange hair this will really reduce the orange tones and leave you with an ashy dark blonde/light brown result.

How to remove orange from hair without bleaching?

You can also use toners to correct the color and balance out the warm tones. By looking at color theory and choosing the opposite color of your hair in the color wheel, such as purple or blue shades, you can neutralize the yellow and orange.

What does purple toner do?

It features crushed violet pigments that neutralize style-ruining brassy and yellow tones. Hair stylists often tone bleached or blonde hair to neutralize brassy yellow and orange tones on bleached hair with a purple color. Purple shampoo is a great at-home solution for toning hair and preventing brassiness.

How long should I leave purple shampoo in to get rid of orange?

Let the shampoo sit for two to five minutes depending on how brassy your hair is and how ashy you like your color, then rinse thoroughly. The difference between two minutes and four minutes with purple shampoo is a big one so keep an eye out. It may be helpful to set a timer so you don't go over.

When should you not use purple shampoo?

"You want to stop using it two weeks before any lightening service. The purple shampoo can cause build up making the hair look dull and darker if overused." This makes the lightening process more difficult to create a seamless blend.

Is it better to put purple shampoo on wet or dry hair?

This might be the case for some people, but there's also the risk of more porous, damaged sections of the hair (the ends) absorbing more pigment than the newer hair towards the root. So, to avoid a patchy purple effect, use the Blonde Assure Color Toning Purple Shampoo as advised: on wet hair.

Previous article
Can I save hair dye that's been mixed?
Next article
How to look 10 years younger naturally?