What are the cons of purple shampoo?

Author: Alessandra Gleichner  |  Last update: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

As mentioned above, purple shampoos are highly pigmented and, when overused, purple shampoo can lead to a huge amount of buildup in your hair. This can lead to the appearance of unwanted tones, such as blues or purples or even a muddy tint.

What is the downside of purple shampoo?

Did you know that most purple shampoos can make your hair too dry? It's designed to remove brassiness from your hair, but if used incorrectly they can leave a buildup on your strands that makes them brittle and dull.

Is it bad to wash your hair with purple shampoo?

Purple shampoo shouldn't be used every single wash - usually I recommend every 3-4 washes (sometimes even less if a warmer tone is something you prefer). Purple shampoo can cause the blonde to be dull and dry, and can cause a pigment build up if you're using it too often.

Does leaving purple shampoo in your hair damage it?

Zoe's answer: Leaving purple shampoo in your hair for longer than the recommended time is not always a good idea. The longer you leave it, the more pigments will be deposited on your hair and they could even stain it permanently.

How often should you purple shampoo your hair?

Typically, you'll want to incorporate purple shampoo into your haircare routine up to twice a week in place of your usual shampoo for color-treated hair. Pair a corresponding purple shampoo and conditioner together to maximize the brass-busting benefits.

Professional Guide to Purple Shampoo

Will purple shampoo lighten hair?

Purple shampoo is for already bleached hair, so if you're hoping to lighten brown hair with purple shampoo, you'll be disappointed. This is all down to the fact that purple shampoo isn't lightening. Instead, it brightens blondes by canceling out yellow tones, which just happen to be opposite purple on the color wheel.

What does brassy hair look like?

Brass usually shows up as yellow or orange tones in blonde hair and orange or red tones in brunette hair. Brassy hair is caused by an overabundance of warm pigments in your hair, usually caused by bleaching and the hair coloring process.

Can I use regular conditioner after purple shampoo?

Purple shampoo can be drying, so be sure to follow up with a purple conditioner and/or your favorite color-protecting hair mask to restore lost moisture.

What is the best shampoo for hair loss?

Top shampoos for thinning hair, at a glance
  • Best Overall: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, $15.
  • Best for Thickening: Kérastase Densifique Thickening Shampoo, $44.
  • Best for Damaged Hair: Vegamour Hydr-8 Shampoo, $38.
  • Best for Volume: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Volume Shampoo, $37.

What does purple shampoo do to grey hair?

Purple shampoo has been used for decades by hairdressers, mostly to help tone and neutralize blonde and gray hair, getting rid of brassy or yellow tones for an overall more cool-toned look.

What should you not do with purple shampoo?

Don't use on very dry hair

It is important to get the hair into a healthy condition before using purple shampoo because hair is more porous when it is dry and those dry areas can absorb more product which could create unevenness in tone and darken those areas more. This in turn will create a patchy purple effect.

Should I use shampoo immediately after coloring?

When to Shampoo. The general rule of thumb is to wait at least 48 hours before shampooing after a permanent hair color. This gives the color time to set and prevents it from bleeding out when you wash it. If your salon uses a toner, they may tell you to wait even longer—up to 72 hours—before shampooing.

What's the best purple shampoo?

Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Shampoo is our favorite purple shampoo that we tested. Every time we used it, our hair looked noticeably brighter, and the shampoo effectively cleaned our scalp while leaving our hair nourished and moisturized.

What is the dark side of purple shampoo?

On the flip side, if you leave the shampoo on for too long or don't rinse it out thoroughly, those violet pigments can overstay their welcome, leaving your hair with a grungy, grayish-purple tint. Not exactly the icy blonde look you were going for, right?

Why does my hair look darker after purple shampoo?

Overuse of purple shampoo. Purple shampoo builds up on the hair and starts to make blonde look darker over time. The best advice I can give if this has happened to you is to use a clarifying shampoo.

What does overuse of purple shampoo look like?

Too much purple tone in these products can cause the hair to look dull and over toned. The more orange the hair throws off from the shampoo lightening the natural hair, the more the public use the toning shampoo to tone out the warmth, resulting in over toned, murky, green/khaki, dull looking blonde hair.

What is the healthiest shampoo to use?

Whether you're looking for a sulfate-free shampoo or fragrance-free conditioner, these clean beauty brands are a great place to start.
  • Odele.
  • Ursa Major.
  • 100% Pure.
  • SheaMoisture.
  • Hello Bello.
  • Clean Clean.
  • Kelsen.
  • Yodi.

What is causing my hair to thin?

It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp.

Can a 70 year old woman regrow hair?

Over time, hair fibers become thinner and drop out, and unfortunately, they never regenerate. Natural pigment (color) changes occur in hair as you age as well. Pigment cells stop producing as much, and eventually, your once thick, chestnut hair becomes thin, fine and gray.

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.

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

Purple shampoo should be applied in the shower or during a hair wash. While your hair is wet, apply the shampoo and lather it onto your hair.

What is the best color protecting shampoo?

Best shampoo for color-treated hair overall
  • Kérastase Chroma Absolu Shampoo for Fine to Medium Color-Treated Hair. ...
  • Kérastase Chroma Absolu Shampoo for Medium to Thick Color-Treated Hair. ...
  • Malin+Goetz Moisturizing Shampoo. ...
  • Sachajuan Colour Protect Shampoo. ...
  • Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo - 8.5 Oz.

What hair color will not turn brassy?

Select a cool haircolor, like one with the word “ash” in the name, since it's less likely to turn brassy than one that's warm. If you gravitate toward warmer shades, don't worry; there are plenty of lighter haircolors, such as greige blonde, that provide a nice balance of warm and cool tones.

What color brown will cover orange hair?

Orange hair to light brown: Try using a medium ash blonde hair dye, as it can help neutralize the orange tone and achieve a cool light brown hue. Another option is to wait for the orange tones to fade and apply a light brown hair dye over it, making sure to choose a shade with ash undertones to neutralize the orange.

Why does my hair go ginger when I dye it brown?

To avoid it going ginger or red then you must check what shade you are using. For example if the colour says golden, chocolate, mahogany, red, warm brown etc, these will all look 'ginger'. To achieve a rich colour, a basic shade must be added to create the depth (how dark it is).

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