Well, what's special about purple shampoos and conditioners is that they aren't just purple in colour, they actually contain powerful violet toners which work to counteract the yellow tones, even after you've rinsed it out – similar to getting an in-salon toner treatment.
Purple conditioner is in the toners category as it releases pigment to alter hair tone. Brass may be neutralized by its pigments.
You may notice that purple conditioners are available. However, you should only use a purple conditioner with your purple shampoo if you want a pale hair color or ashy tone.
Purple shampoo is a toning shampoo used for all shades of blonde hair to help preserve its color and keep locks looking healthy and vibrant. The shampoo essentially acts as a color-correcting toner for your hair without you ever having to step foot in a salon.
If you have balayage, foilayage, or a natural, rooty look, toning conditioner would be your best bet! Remember, conditioner should be applied to your hair from the ears down. If you have more brassiness/ yellow on the ends of your hair, go for conditioner!
Should I Use Purple Conditioner Too? According to Kell and Brown, a purple conditioner will have the same effect as the shampoo, and using both may actually dry out your hair, Kell adds. Plus, purple shampoo will immediately tone your hair after a wash, so doubling purple hair products is unnecessary.
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.
Green Dye
Add 2-3 drops of green food color to your conditioner or 2 drops of green food color and 1 drop of blue food color if you have more orange tones. After shampooing your hair well, apply the mixture to your hair, and leave it on for 10 minutes.
Apple cider vinegar wash
By rinsing with an acidic wash, you close the cuticle. As dull hair tends to read brass, use an apple cider vinegar rinse to cancel out orange and yellow tones for blondes or light brunettes. It will also secure richer, darker pigments from fading.
Zoe's answer: Leaving purple shampoo in your hair for longer than the recommended time is not always a good idea. The longer you leave it, the more pigments will be deposited on your hair and they could even stain it permanently.
Most purple conditioners (including Saltair's) are only meant to be left on for 1-3 minutes.
A purple shampoo will not dye your hair but if you leave it on for too long you could find yourself with a little lilac staining. It's easy enough to get rid of – just wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo to reduce the tint!
Too Much of a Good Thing: Purple Shampoo Left On Too Long
You can, in fact, over-tone your hair. Leaving purple shampoo in your hair for an hour or more can cause your hair to look dull and lifeless. To leave purple shampoo for more than 10 minutes is already too much.
Gloss, toning shampoos, conditioners, masks and foams can also be considered toners, because all these products contain pigments that adjust the tone of your hair. Silver or purple shampoo can also be considered as such "kind of a toner".
Well, for starters, you want to apply it on completely wet hair. (Note: If you have especially dry or brittle ends, we'd also recommend putting a tiny amount of conditioner on just the tips to prevent them from absorbing too much pigment.)
Try A Blue/Purple Shampoo Instead
It might sound too easy, but if you don't want to use a hair toner to maintain your bleached blonde hair, you can use a purple or blue shampoo instead.
You can also bleach your hair or use a lighter coloured hair dye to reduce the orange and yellow tones. Choose an ash blonde or a light blonde shade, apply and wash as per the box instructions. This helps to neutralise the undertones of yellow and orange.
Purple shampoo adds tiny deposits of color to your hair to counteract yellow and orange shades. If you use it once a week in place of your normal shampoo, it may keep the yellow out of your hair. Choose a darker purple if you have blond hair or a light violet for silver or white hair.
Violet, purple and purple based toners cancel out yellow and pale yellow.
Purple shampoos contain a purple pigment that neutralizes yellow and brassy tones on lighter hair. The primary reason it has a purple color is that, on the color wheel, it is the direct opposite color of yellow. This means that purple and yellow colors will always cancel each other out.
It's important to note that the pigment in purple shampoo isn't a lightener or hair dye but a gentle toner that works overtime. So it can't darken your hair or make it any lighter.
What Is Purple Shampoo for Brown Hair? Purple shampoo for brown hair is the same product as purple shampoo for blonde hair. The color purple is used because purple sits across orange on the color wheel, so purple hair treatments will neutralize any brassy hair tones and help your strands look fresh.
“It's almost like a way to brighten the color to a cooler tone,” Harwood adds. “So, if the hair has a little bit of a yellow tone, a pigmented purple shampoo is going to neutralize that warmth.” Because of this, violet hued shampoo can also neutralize those yellow, brassy tones in more than just blonde hair.