Both silver and purple shampoo are designed to neutralise yellow and brassy tones in blonde, silver and grey hair. If you've used either one, you'll have noticed that bright purple hue when you pop the lid and squeeze. Silver shampoo and purple shampoo use purple pigment to lighten and brighten.
When applied to the hair, a small amount of this purple pigment is absorbed, and the violet hues neutralise brassy undertones for a cooler colour. Depending on how long it is left on the hair, a silver shampoo can help you achieve anything from a honey blonde to a cool white shade.
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.
Temporary Color Change: If used too frequently or left on for too long, purple shampoo can impart a slight purple tint to brown hair, particularly if the hair is porous or lightened. This is more likely in lighter shades of brown or balayage.
Drying Out: Leaving purple shampoo on for an extended period can dry out your hair, especially if it's already processed or damaged. Color Build-Up: If used too frequently or left on too long, purple shampoo can lead to an unwanted violet tint in your 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.
If you leave silver shampoo on your hair too long, it can give your hair a purple or blue tint. This effect is usually temporary and fades after a few washes with regular shampoo. Wait a few washes after a color treatment before using silver 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.
The easiest way to lighten hair is to use a clarifying shampoo or a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. These methods are gentle and can gradually lighten the hair over a few washes. For more immediate results, a professional toner or hair lightener can be used.
Light brown highlights are a good example of brown hair that can lean towards golden tones and therefore benefit from the neutralizing purple pigments in a silver shampoo. However, brown hair can sometimes have red tones rather than yellow, in which case you might not experience the same visible result.
Purple shampoo, also known as silver shampoo, is a cleansing product formulated to neutralise those unwanted brassy tones in your hair. This shampoo is made for anyone with light hair (including blonde, platinum, gray, white, pastel, or highlighted), whether your hair is naturally light or colored in a salon.
While the violet tones in purple shampoos can help bring blonde back to life, it does this by adding more toner; in effect, covering up the mineral coating on the hair cuticle. The more you shampoo with tone-correcting products, the more buildup you create — and the darker your blonde looks.
Purple shampoo cannot lighten or darken your hair color. However, if you leave your purple shampoo on for too long, you may notice that your hair has a slight violet tone. This is more common with those that have silver and white hair colors rather than warm blondes and slightly darker hues.
Touch of silver brightening Shampoo brightens hair colour in just one wash. Formulated with a unique mix of violet and blue pigments, this intensive toning Purple Shampoo restores your hair colour by removing yellow and orange brassy tones, whilst optical brighteners add shine.
Far from turning your hair purple, these shampoos counteract brassy tones that present due to natural hair undertones, heat styling, sun and hard water. If you have lightened hair, toner will have been used to help get your hair to your desirable shade.
Caramel highlights on dark brown hair can be achieved through hand-painted balayage or foils to lighten the base subtly. When the color is evenly distributed and placed in the right areas, it should mimic what the sun does naturally: give the hair a more dimensional look.
Natural bleaching agents like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, chamomile tea, or cinnamon and honey can lighten hair gently and naturally with minimal damage.
For a gentle approach, combine one part apple cider vinegar to six parts water. You can leave this in overnight and repeat until you get the lightening results you want. This method can take time and repetition to achieve the desired shade—so be patient. This approach is gentle and slow.
You can also apply silver shampoo specifically to any yellow-looking sections of hair. Apply the product while your hair is dry, and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing it out. Then, wash and condition your hair as usual—this should cancel out a lot of those yellow tones.
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.
Best Drugstore: L'Oréal Ever-Pure Sulfate-Free Purple Shampoo and Conditioner. If you're shopping for a fantastic purple shampoo and conditioner with a drugstore price point, look no further than this highly rated duo from L'Oréal.
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.
Silver shampoo is designed for those with gray or silver hair, and as silver is opposite yellow on the color wheel. This shampoo fights brassy tones of yellow that can appear in your gray locks, and take away from your color. Thirdly, purple shampoo is used for blonde hair or those with blonde highlights.
A professional in-salon toner is more pigmented than a silver shampoo or purple shampoo that is used at home. However, these products are excellent products to maintain a bright or cool colour between salon appointments.