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Say goodbye to stubborn warm shades with one of these purple shampoos or toners to brighten blonde hair
They say blondes have more fun, but that statement can be called into question when it comes to the maintenance of an icy, cool sheet of glossy blonde. After walking out of a salon appointment with platinum locks, you’ll want to maintain the look. Over time, though, your hair can end up looking ‘brassy’, with orange and undesirable warm tones caused by heat damage from hair styling tools, pollution, UV damage or washing with a shampoo that does not protect coloured hair.
A good purple shampoo is a form of hair toner that will banish this brassiness, distributing purple pigment throughout the hair to neutralise brassy tones. Hannah Phillips, co-owner and senior colourist at Bangs salon, says: “A purple shampoo or conditioner is an absolute must as an aftercare product for anyone with dyed blonde hair.
“The purple pigment inside the product is designed to neutralise any yellow or brassy tones that can occur, especially if you live in a hard-water area, such as London,” she notes. “I always recommend to start using a purple shampoo or conditioner two weeks after hair has been freshly coloured, and carry on using fortnightly to weekly when you are due a colour top up or have been on holiday in the sun.”
We tried the best formulas on the market and whittled it down to a top 10 to help you keep your tresses icy cool.
We tested each shampoo on cool-toned blonde highlighted hair, putting them to the test of whether they could keep our hair icy, as well as whether they could add some extra strength, shine and, of course, scent to our hair.
Purple shampoo uses purple pigments within the product to neutralise and cancel out unwanted brassy and yellow tones in blonde, silver or grey hair. Over time dyed hair of these colours will naturally pick up orangey tones from pollution, heat damage and even too much sun, so this is where purple shampoo comes in to help.
Each different shampoo is likely to have its own individual set of instructions, but they generally tend to follow the same pattern. Lather up the product as you would a normal shampoo, making sure that all strands are covered. Then leave it to sit for two or so minutes before rinsing, this is where it’s important to follow the instructions on the bottle as stronger products work quicker and could impact your colour drastically. But, always consult the packaging of the product that you’re using.
Instructions for different shampoos will vary but it is important to know that a purple shampoo shouldn’t replace your regular one. Instead, try using the product every other hair wash or once a week.
We loved the Olaplex No.4P purple shampoo because we felt completely salon fresh, with toned hair and the added bonus of the infused bonding technology protecting our coloured hair. We think Pro:Voke’s touch of silver is a brilliant product for such a low price – something to always have in the bathroom cupboard. For a less intense but consistent tone, try the violet toning shampoo from Fudge.
Give your locks a helping hand with our round-up of the best hair vitamins