Can you use purple shampoo on brown hair? 5 Questions Answered

Can you use purple shampoo on black hair or brown hair? 

I know you are tired of grappling with that yellow, orange, brassy, or gray tone that appears in your hair. So, you ask someone about the shampoo to help neutralize such hair tone, and that person suggests a purple shampoo. Hence, you want to buy it and give it a try.

But before you shop for purple shampoo, you want to know if a purple shampoo can neutralize those tones.

Read on to know if you can use a purple shampoo to neutralize those tones on your brown or black hair. But first, let me share with you what purple shampoo is.

What is Purple shampoo?

Purple shampoo is a liquid substance that contains crushed violet-purple pigment (also known as color). Purple shampoo is used to neutralize brassy or yellow tones on lighter hair. It acts as a toner and restores your vibrant and fresh hair. Purple shampoo is not a dye so that it won’t dye your hair.

Can you use purple shampoo on brown hair?

Is your brown hair “light brown” or “dark brown?” It is not advisable to use purple shampoo on your brown hair, especially completely brown-colored. It is probably going to be the same after use; it won’t be lighter or darker. But, you can use it on light brown hair colors.

A purple shampoo, when used on dark brown hair, may not likely be effective. It can only be effective if your undertone is yellow. It will tone your highlights. It will neutralize the bright yellow tones that can appear after bleaching.

This still doesn’t guarantee the elimination of brassiness, especially for dark brown hair. It is therefore advisable that you prevent brassiness by wearing a hat to cover your hair when the sun is too much as well as using little water when washing your hair,

Can you use purple shampoo on black hair? 

Yes, you can use purple shampoo on darker hair. The purple shampoo will work perfectly for you if you have dark hair with highlights. It will tone your lightened strands.

Can a purple shampoo clean your hair?

Yes, a purple shampoo also serves as a cleaning agent, just like your regular shampoo.  It will clean your hair and your scalp. The extra work it does is that it will balance out color-treated strands due to the toner added to it. It is the toner that neutralizes the brassy tones and makes your hair look fresh and sparkling.

How often should you use your purple shampoo?

You can use your purple shampoo once or twice a week instead of your regular shampoo. But make sure you always use a conditioner after shampooing. This will boost the work of the purple shampoo.

How to use your purple shampoo?

You can use your purple shampoo following these two (2) steps:

Step 1: Application

Pour a reasonable amount of the purple shampoo into the palm of your hand.  Note, it is not until you use a lot of shampoos before your hair becomes thoroughly clean. Next,  apply the purple shampoo evenly on all parts of your hair. You can separate the hair into four sections to achieve this.  Apply the purple shampoo to the roots of your hair first and then to the other parts of your hair.

After applying the purple shampoo, you massage the shampoo gently into your scalp, underneath your hair, not scrubbed into your hair as this may cause friction and tangling, which isn’t good for your hair. Ensure you work your way around your entire head. Also, focus on the lightened sections.

Step 2: Rinsing

For a stronger toning effect, leave the purple shampoo on your hair for some minutes, then rinse afterward. You are to rinse your hair with cool water.

After rinsing the purple shampoo, apply a conditioner evenly on all parts of your hair. When applying the conditioner, ensure you focus on the lightened areas as well. Using a conditioner after shampooing will treat any damage. You can rinse the conditioner after 5 to 10 minutes.

How long should you leave the purple shampoo?

How long the purple shampoo should be left on your hair depends on the following factors:

• Your hair and the level of your hair brassiness
• The type of purple shampoo; how heavily pigmented or mild it is.

Regardless of those, as mentioned earlier, you can still leave it for how long you want, but not for too long or not overnight.  You can leave it soaked in your hair for 5 to 20 minutes to counteract the yellow, brassy pigment in your hair. This will eventually nourish your hair and fix dry and damaged strands.

If you leave it for too long or overnight, it will over-tone your locks and leave an unwanted tint to the hair color. It may damage your hair, and you may start looking for a color correction process to fix the shampoo damage.

Now you know what that means: fixing a new problem before fixing the major problem, and I am sure you don’t want that.

If you have accidentally left the shampoo on for too long and don’t like the purple hue it has given to your hair, you can use a clarifying shampoo to wash it off. This is the easiest method to get rid of it.

 

FAQ

Who are the people using purple shampoo?

Purple shampoo is usually used by people who dye their hair blond, but after a while, the blond color turns brassy due to exposure to sun, heat styling, or frequent washing of hair. The chemicals in water can make hair quickly brassy.

Can I use a purple shampoo as a dye?

No! Purple shampoo is not a dye so that it won’t dye your hair. A purple shampoo only acts as a toner to get rid of brassiness and make your hair fresh and vibrant again. It boosts the undertone that develops after dying your hair.  If you leave the purple shampoo on your hair for too long, you may be left with an unwanted tint; perhaps a lilac hue. But this will wear off after a while, perhaps, after one or two washes.

What are the other types of hair, and how long should you leave the purple shampoo?

Blond hair: You can leave the purple shampoo on your blond hair for up to 5 minutes to tone down the brassiness.

Dyed hair: You can leave the purple shampoo on dyed hair for up to 10 minutes.

Gray or platinum silver: You can leave the purple shampoo on gray or platinum silver hair for over thirty (30) minutes but not longer than an hour.