Can I use purple shampoo on grey dyed hair?

Purple shampoo is a toning shampoo specially designed for blonde hair, silver hair, bleached hair, or brassy hair. 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. This cult product is designed to counteract any pesky brassy or yellow tones, leaving you with a dazzling, fuss-free blonde. If you’re new to shampoo for brassiness, be sure to check out our article “Purple Shampoo: Effects and How it Works”. Or, if you just have a few questions before you try it for the first time, read this guide on how to use purple shampoo.

How Often Should You Use Purple Shampoo?

If you’re wondering “how often should I use purple shampoo?” there isn’t one set answer. No two blondes are the same, and neither are their hair routines! How frequently you apply purple shampoo for bleached hair depends on just how platinum you want to go. The more you use, the whiter your locks will become.

If it’s your first time using purple shampoo, it’s best to stick to just once a week. Use a color-safe shampoo like our Color Assure Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner Set for Colored Treated Hair the rest of the week and slowly increase how many times you use it until you find your perfect shade.

How Long Should You Leave Purple Shampoo In?

A lot of people ask about leaving purple shampoo in their hair for an hour or more to get a more intense result. This definitely isn’t necessary! In fact, when it comes to how long to leave purple shampoo in, a few minutes will do. This is all you need with our Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Shampoo.

You can also use the Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Conditioner if you’re looking for an intense, vibrant result. Leave this in for a few minutes before washing out to lock in your color and give dull locks a hit of nourishment.

What Should I Do If I Leave Purple Shampoo in Too Long?

Bleached hair is very porous and can soak up purple shampoo or conditioner in a heartbeat. If you leave it on for too long and don’t like the result, don’t panic. Simply wash your hair again with a clarifying shampoo and it should dull down the silver-tone from even the best purple shampoo for silver hair. Remember to always condition your hair after washing, especially when using a clarifying product.

Does Purple Shampoo Make Your Hair Lighter?

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. If you’re wondering when to use purple shampoo on your blonde hair, it’s when those yellow and brassy tones start messing with your shade.

Does Purple Shampoo Work on Other Colors Too?

Our Nexxus purple shampoo and conditioner are infused with keratin to restore bleached hair, and they do work on other colors too! If you have naturally white or grey hair, purple shampoo can be used in the same way as with bleached hair to remove yellow tones and revive vibrant color. It can also be used on red hair to counteract brassy tones for color that stays fresh week after week.

There’s no single best way to use purple shampoo, so give it a go and create a routine that works for your hair. If you want a more intense result, make sure to read our article “Can I Put Purple Shampoo on Dry Hair?” before you try it on your locks.

We’ve been hearing the buzz about purple shampoo – and it’s time to address the hype! Let’s cut to the chase. If you’ve got platinum blonde hair, balayage blonde, caramel blonde...  

We’ve been hearing the buzz about purple shampoo – and it’s time to address the hype!

Let’s cut to the chase.

If you’ve got platinum blonde hair, balayage blonde, caramel blonde, brunette with blonde highlights, ombre blonde, even silvery or gray hair; you need to be using purple shampoo. 

There’s a simple reason why: blonde hair tends to turn yellow and brassy over time for a plethora of reasons.

If you’re born blonde you understand the struggle, as simple things like the sun, swimming in a chlorine pool or mineral deposits from standard tap shower water can lead your blonde locks to look brassier and yellow.

If you color your hair blonde or have blonde highlights (this is where the grays and silvers come in too!), it is in essence the same cause, but this is because your natural hair color may just have brassy undertones from the get-go.

So the more time passes, the more you’ll notice those stubborn brassy hues peeking out of your perfectly salon-toned hair you had done just a few weeks ago.

So, why is purple shampoo the best to combat this?

Well, it’s simple science!

Purple is the opposing color to yellow on the color wheel, so they inherently neutralize each other when combined.

The violet pigments in the shampoo work to neutralize the yellow, brassy pigments in blonde hair. It’s as simple as that!

Using purple shampoo will result in your color looking more cool-toned, with pale-beige's and brighter blondes.

For gray hair, it leaves it looking dimensional and vibrant.

But, it must be noted too – purple shampoo is usually quite powerful and effective, so it isn’t necessarily made for everyday use.

It is most effective once or twice a week during your normal bathing, and leaving it on for 5-10 minutes depending on the level of brassiness in your hair.

The longer you leave it on, the more effective it will be.

BUT, do be aware that leaving purple shampoo on for upwards of 30 minutes to an hour can over-tone your locks and leave an unwanted tint to the hair color. 

Make sure you do a test strand first to see how porous your hair is and how well it reacts to the shampoo!

Also, if you're wondering about your dark brunette or black hair, to combat the same issue I recommend using a blue shampoo.

Since purple is made specifically to combat yellow in blonde hair, most brunettes find that blue shampoo does the exact same thing for dark locks, to combat orange-y brass tones (blue and orange are opposites on the wheel!).

What shampoo is best for dyed grey hair?

Does purple shampoo stain grey hair?

How long do you leave purple shampoo on grey hair?

Will purple shampoo turn gray hair purple?