Yes, clarifying shampoo can help remove yellow from gray hair by stripping away buildup from products, pollution, and minerals that cause dullness and yellowing, but it might not fix all yellowing; purple shampoo is better for neutralizing yellow tones, and a combination or specialized treatments are often best, always followed by deep conditioning. Clarifying removes the cause of yellowing (buildup), while purple shampoo counters the yellow color itself.
Air Pollution - Air quality can influence the deposits of yellow pigment on your gray hair. Using a clarifying shampoo once a week can help remove all that unwanted pigment and freshen up your hair.
Purple Shampoo Purple shampoos are the best shampoos for gray hair turning yellow, as purple is the opposite of yellow on the color wheel. A great purple option is BTWCo's purple shampoo & conditioner. It's very gentle, has a light fragrance, and really makes silver hair shine.
Fanola No Yellow Purple Shampoo - Purple Color Depositing Shampoo for Blondes, Bleached & Grey Hair - Formulated with Violet Pigment to Remove Brassy Tones from Hair (11.83 Fl oz)
To keep your gray hair bright and shiny, switch out your hydrating shampoo for a clarifying shampoo once a week. This helps to remove impurities and product build-up. Follow the clarifying shampoo with a purple-based conditioner (more on this in a minute).
Use two teaspoons of baking soda to two teaspoons of shampoo for long hair. Mix and coat your hair gently from root to tips, leave on hair for around 3 minutes and then rinse thoroughly, you can shampoo again if you feel you want to get all the baking soda out, and then do the QSH mask.
Might cause hair dye to fade: Because the idea of a clarifying shampoo is to strip away any deposit on the hair, using one too frequently will make your color wash out faster. Step away from the clarifying shampoo for at least a week after fresh color is applied.
If your hair is blond, grey, or white, use an apple cider vinegar rinse or a baking soda-hydrogen peroxide paste. Once you get the yellow out, you can prevent it from returning with a few changes to your personal care routine.
Korean grey hair treatments focus on nourishing the scalp, using natural ingredients like ginseng to boost melanin (like WT Methode or Daeng Gi Meo Ri) for potential color restoration, or employing pigmented shampoos (like Moda Moda or Ryo) for temporary darkening, often avoiding harsh chemicals for gentle coverage, alongside general hair health via oils, serums, and toning. While no magic cure reverses all gray, these K-beauty approaches manage premature graying and maintain color naturally.
Toner. The first option is to use a toner. This is a second color process that adds the neutralizing pigment (purple) to the hair to cancel out the unwanted yellow.
Apple cider vinegar not only lightens hair color to diminish brassy tones but also acts as a natural cleanser, removing product buildup and hard water residues. You can make an apple cider vinegar hair rinse for gray hair at home. Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one cup of water.
The reason your hair looks yellow is because of the melanin still left in your hair. This needs to be neutralized in order to achieve the perfect white of your dreams. Adding the correct complementary color (in this case, violet) is the only way to get rid of the yellow shade.
Hard water contains minerals like iron and copper that can cling to hair strands, leaving a yellowish residue. Purple shampoos, like Kevin Murphy's Blonde. Angel Wash, are specifically designed to neutralise yellow and brassy tones. Incorporate this into your routine once or twice a week for best results.
Clarifying shampoos can help to fade permanent hair dye, but they won't completely remove it. These shampoos work by deeply cleansing the hair and lifting some of the color molecules. However, for a complete removal of permanent dye, professional treatments are more effective and safer for maintaining hair health.
Yes, apple cider vinegar is an excellent clarifying shampoo. It can be used alone or with your regular shampoo to remove buildup, excess oil, and product residue from your scalp and hair. It also helps to soothe an itchy, irritated scalp and prevent dandruff.
The Pantene Pro-V Silver Expressions Purple Shampoo is a creamy, lightly-scented formula that works harder than your flat iron and water with high-iron content. It removes and prevents the dulling residue that can leave silver or grey hair looking yellow and brassy and works almost like a color-correcting shampoo.
Your hairdresser likely advised against purple shampoo to prevent dryness, dulling, uneven color (ashy/muddy), or over-toning (purple/blue tint), as it's a temporary fix not for everyday cleaning, and can interfere with future coloring by creating buildup, especially if your hair is very porous or already a bright, cool blonde. They might prefer professional toners, moisturizing treatments, or detox shampoos for better, healthier results.
One option is to re-bleach the roots to lift them to a lighter level before toning again. You need to get them to that very pale yellow - think the inside of a banana. This will help to ensure that your favourite toner can effectively neutralize any remaining yellow tones and match the rest of your hair perfectly.
Use Color-Depositing Products
In the same way you would use a purple shampoo to neutralize brassiness in blonde hair, it can also make silver hair retain its crisp hue by neutralizing yellow tones. Colombini recommends the L'Oréal Paris EverPure Purple Shampoo and Conditioner to keep gray hairs popping.
The reason why your gray hair is turning yellow might surprise you: hard water. Hard water and hair don't usually get along, and after enough exposure to minerals and metals (like calcium, magnesium, aluminum, copper, manganese, and iron) it can turn yellow.
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with 1.5 cups of warm water in a spray bottle, apply to the scalp and hair follicles, let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse. Due to baking soda's high pH, an apple cider vinegar rinse can follow to seal the hair cuticle.
Should You Clarify Your Hair?
Our Top Clarifying Shampoos
Here's a quick tip anytime you are about to shampoo, spend at least 3 to 5 minutes rinsing you hair with warm water of any product residue. Then shampoo your hair focusing on the scalp and stretching you hair as you go. The second and last shampoo leave on the hair for 2 minutes after cleansing and then rinse.