Not Your mothers purple shampoo on brown hair

Let’s be honest about blonde hair for a sec. Keeping it looking pretty, super bright and free from brass is not easy.

There is an age old fix. That’s to use purple shampoo to cancel out unwanted brassiness.

But there’s a problem.

Too many have no idea how to use it right.

What’s more far fewer know of a hack that makes it even more effective.

And that’s to use it on dry hair.

Now you may be wondering why even use purple shampoo on dry hair in the first place? We’ll get to that.

But first let’s lay out the dry hair hack itself.

When it comes to how to apply purple shampoo on dry hair you want to thoroughly work the product into your dry strands. Then leave it on from between 5 to 30 minutes depending the health of your hair. Finally wash out and apply either a conditioner or hair mask as this purple magic can be drying.

So that in a nutshell it all there’s to it to get back the cool, bright blonde you love.

(Of course if you want to know more about the basics our take on how purple shampoo works may answer your questions.)

Sure the hack of using purple shampoo on dry hair sounds crazy and all.

But many swear it makes a huge difference.

Simply apply it into the dingy blonde strands that need the attention. Understanding that given the shampoo is not diluted with water this may take some effort. Some brands are easier to apply thoroughly than others. It comes down to the texture. Some products being thick and gloppy are just harder to work with.

And don’t forget. Since your ends are likely the most damaged get to them last. That way you’re exposing them to the shampoo for the least amount of time possible.

Unless of course that’s the part of your hair that needs it most. Then in that case – go for it.

Please remember to try to get it on and worked through as fast as you can. Otherwise some of your hair may be obviously over-toned cause you dawdled.

Also remember some find gloves are not optional since their cuticles tend to pick up a purplish cast otherwise. Nothing permanent. But not what you want if you’re going out somewhere nice later that night.

After rinsing out it’s time for some TLC. Yeah you’ll want to apply your preferred conditioner or mask.

For instance some find an Argan or Moroccan oil mask works well.

Doing a deep conditioning treatment like this should counteract some drying inherent with this trick or just from using purple shampoo period. At best you hair will be super soft and tangle free. At worst it will be more hydrated than if you hadn’t done this at all.

But it’s so worth it for a hack that will freshen up your color and get rid of that unwanted yellow tinge blonde hair color gets after a while – whether you want it or not. Oh and if you’re interested we compiled other brass beating tricks here.

The effectiveness of this little trick also means you might save a little money by avoiding having to go the salon to get your hue toned.

Naturally those new to this approach may have other questions. Real quick here’s the ones we dug out answers for.

Quick Section Navigation

• How Long Should You Leave Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair?
• Why Use Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair?
• What Is The Best Purple Shampoo For Use With Dry Hair?
• How About A Video Demonstration?
• Still Wondering What Happens If You Put Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair?
• Can Purple Shampoo Turn Hair Purple?
• Will Purple Shampoo Tone Dry Brown Hair?

How Long Should You Leave Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair?

Best advice would be to do a few strand tests on small sections to get an idea of how long you leave it on.

If you’re unwilling to do that then the only reasonable guidance is start shorter and extend the time from there depending on your results.

I’ve read online where some girls leave it on for as long as 30-45 minutes. Others find 5 minutes is more than long enough.

Why the extremes? Often it comes to the porosity of your hair and what shape it’s in. This will determine how much purply pigment your strands will absorb.

That’s why no one can sit here and tell you with any certitude how long YOU will need to leave it on for.

Suggestion. Start with five minutes then shampoo it out.

Note: It may take a lot of rinsing. (Just didn’t want you to be surprised.)

Then evaluate whether five minutes was too long or not long enough to cool down any of the gold or brassy tones you’re looking to get rid of.

You may also use a lot of product doing this depending on how long your hair is, how thick it is, and how much saturating it takes. More than one person who does this brought up how much shampoo they go through. Again, just so you know. (But if you get the results who cares, right? Cheaper than a toning session at the salon I’ll bet.)

Anyway, once rinsed how’s your hair look?

How much orange brassiness is left?

Is there a significant difference?

If you’ve reached the ultimate cool toned, ashy blonde you were looking for – good.

If not, next time leave it on a little longer.

Why Use Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair?

Certainly some find shampooing with this product does the trick. But obviously you’re diluting the purple pigment with water. Which may leave behind some the warm tones you’re trying to get rid of.

Which brings us to the why behind using purple shampoo on dry hair.

You see as colorist George Papanikolas pointed out in New Beauty magazine dry hair tends to absorb the purple pigments better. Maybe a LOT better. Making for a better way to cancel out those unwanted brassy tones in even ultra high-lift blonde color.

What Is The Best Purple Shampoo For Use With Dry Hair?

Your best may not be my best but there are a couple of affordable solutions. Which may be good to know since price might be an important consideration given how much of this stuff you’re going to be using each time.

Let’s start with your second best toning shampoo choice first. That would be Clairol Shimmer Lights.

It has the right texture. That is not too thick which makes it easier to work into dry hair. Then simply leave it on for up to 10 minutes and wash out. Use it once or twice a month. More than that risks giving you a silver-ish more than ashy color not to mention it risks drying out your strands.

Just be aware that the most common complaint about Shimmer Lights is the somewhat overpowering scent. Some compared it to an old lady’s overly flowery smelling perfume or worse. Luckily it doesn’t linger long.

Now for your first choice you may find Naissant Purple Shampoo to be worth the extra money as it’s gentler on your hair.

How About A Video Demonstration?

Pay attention at 1:04 where she discusses the big benefit of this method in case you need convincing.

Shortly thereafter she shares what she does to insure she gets complete coverage.

Finally at around the 4:08 mark she shows some before and after shots. The results speak for themselves. Actually I was surprised at how much of a difference purple shampoo made.

Still Wondering What Happens If You Put Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair?

The best thing is you have a chance for 100% purple pigment penetration!

With no water to dilute things you’re getting the full affect (as you let it sit) which can make a huge difference for some.

Still nothing like a revealing little show and tell video to get the definitive answer. Especially when there’s a big difference and it’s presented in only about seven seconds.

Hope you agree that the before and after is rather dramatic! But that’s what you want, right?

Sadly can’t promise that to all who try this hack since as you know everyone’s hair is different and can react differently. But when it works it gives you brightened, refreshed, not to mention all sorts of sexy color.

If NOW you don’t know what happens when you put purple shampoo on dry hair, well what can I say?

Then maybe you’re worried …

Can Purple Shampoo Turn Hair Purple?

In a word, yes. Maybe not Barney purple exactly. But you may notice purple tints all the way to a serious lilac effect due to over pigmentation of violet.

This happens.

And more often than you might think.

If it looks cute and you don’t hate it, give it a couple of weeks, it may well fade to the prettiest icy blonde you’ve ever had.

But if it’s bad and you want to hurry things a long here’s a list of things to try:

• Add a little baking soda to your regular shampoo and lather up
• Use Head and Shoulders with a bit of baking soda added and lather up
• Break out the clarifying shampoo
• Dawn dish soap has been used in extreme cases with good results
• Oops color remover

It would be smart to follow any or all of these with a heavy dose of a good conditioner.

One more tip. You could always mix a little Shimmer Lights or your favorite purplish choice in with your regular shampoo. That way you get a little bit working to counter any brassiness with every wash.

Finally if you’re wondering …

Will Purple Shampoo Tone Dry Brown Hair?

Okay so we’ve been focused on blondes. But they aren’t necessarily the only ones who can benefit from the purple.

So if you’re wondering what happens if you use purple shampoo in brown hair let’s quickly point out a perfect application or two.

For one it can help brighten blonde highlights in chestnut hair that have taken on a more yellowish hue.

Also sometimes dyed brunette hair will go brassy on you as the dye fades away.

In both cases purple shampoo can revive and prolong your color. Restoring a fresh non-brassy look to your hue.

To find out more you’ll definitely want to check out our quick look at what purple shampoo does to brown hair. But I have to warn you it gets pretty complicated pretty quickly.

If you want to be clued in on other coloring hacks be sure to follow our hair coloring board over on Pinterest.