Leah LOVES hair. So much so, she dedicated an entire website to it! One of the founders of Hair Everyday and Chief Editor, Leah enjoys reviewing all the hair products and showcasing the best. She believes her most underrated articles are her hair care tips!
Want to know if you can use purple shampoo for highlights? Check out my article below. Learn if you can use purple shampoo on brown hair with highlights and how to use purple shampoo properly.
Getting highlights for the hair is a style that a lot of people love to get these days and when your hair is freshly highlighted, it looks absolutely gorgeous!
Highlights are usually done on small portions of the hair, so they stand out as they are colored a shade or two lighter than the color of the rest of your hair.
Well, it is quite obvious that after a certain time, your highlights will begin to fade. It is at that time when brassiness could show up in just the highlighted parts of your hair. But is it just “faded” hair or is it actually “brassy” hair?
Either way, can you use a purple shampoo for your highlights? Can it make it look vibrant again?
Check out this article to find out more!
- Related: Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Blue Hair
- Related: Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Red Hair
- Related: Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Naturally Blonde Hair
What are Purple Shampoos?
A purple shampoo is one that contains purple pigments, which are added into a cleansing shampoo.
This shampoo is used to help neutralize brassy tones like yellow or yellowish-orange that appear in lighter colored hair.
Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Highlights
The Color Wheel and Purple Shampoo
Let us talk about the theory of color as per the color wheel. The color wheel is where colors are represented in a certain order which places warm colors on one side of the wheel and cool colors on the other side.
Therefore, cool colors tend to contrast the warm colors as they are opposite to each other. So, as per the color wheel, purple (which is a cool shade) is opposite to yellow (which is a warm shade) and thus a purple shampoo is used to get rid of yellow brassy tones in light colored highlights.
So, if there are some of you who are wondering why a blue shampoo will not work to get rid of brassy tones from highlights.
This is because the color blue is opposite to the color orange according to the color wheel and thereby, it will not be able to neutralize yellow or yellowish shades of brassiness.
Revealed: Can Purple Shampoos Be Used for Highlights?
A common question people ask is whether highlights only “fade” or whether they actually turn “brassy”.
Well, highlights too can turn brassy because they are usually colored in lighter shades as compared to one’s darker hair color. Thus, hair brassiness showing up in one’s highlights is totally normal.
The question that remains is whether a purple shampoo will work for highlights? Well, if your highlights have turned brassy, then yes, a purple shampoo will definitely work.
But if you are looking to just refresh the color of your highlights which are faded and have no brassiness, then using a purple shampoo will be of no use.
Purple shampoos work only on lighter hair shades that have brassy tones like yellow or yellowish-orange.
So, this means that it will do nothing to your darker hair color, it will solely work only on your highlights.
So, if your highlights are light brown, blonde, platinum, silver or any such lighter shades, then using a purple shampoo will definitely work.
Thus the reason why using only a purple shampoo will work on brassy highlights is because of the color wheel.
Why didn’t my purple shampoo work on my brassy highlights?
There are times when your purple shampoo might not have had any effect on your highlighted brassy hair, but why does this happen? Well, there can be a few possibilities.
The first possibility could be that your highlights might have just become faded and did not actually have brassy tones.
And thus, using a purple shampoo made absolutely no difference because purple shampoos do not work on hair that isn’t brassy.
It would have been just like another cleansing shampoo for your hair.
The second possibility could have been that your highlights did have brassiness, but your purple shampoo was not right.
This means that the quality of your purple shampoo was poor and probably didn’t have sufficient purple pigments in it to be able to combat the brassiness.
Also, it could be that the consistency of your purple shampoo was too liquidy, that it was too diluted to have any effect on your brassy highlights and thus it didn’t work.
Purple Shampoo Can Stain Highlights: Fact or Myth
A purple shampoo will not stain your highlights if it has been used the right way and was left on the hair for the right amount of time.
The likelihood of the purple shampoo staining your highlights is only when you leave it on your hair for over 10 to 15 minutes. Then there is a possibility that it could leave a purplish tint on your hair.
Choosing The Best Purple Shampoo for Highlights
Quite often people buy purple shampoos that end up having no effect on their brassy hair. Well, it is very important to buy a shampoo of professional-grade quality.
They may be expensive but they are sure to be good because these shampoos are most often those used in salons.
Also, check for shampoos that are opaque in color and have a very thick consistency as they are sure to work best. Using translucent and watery shampoos may not work as effectively on the hair.
The Best Way to Use Purple Shampoo for Highlights
The best thing about using a purple shampoo is that it is similar to using a regular cleansing shampoo.
But it is important to use it the right way so that you do not end up staining your highlights with a purple tint.
Here are 4 simple steps to use purple shampoo for highlights:
Step 1: Wetting the hair
Always make sure that you wet your hair completely under running water. Using lukewarm or warm water at this stage is the best option because it will help open up the cuticles of the hair strand and let the purple shampoo penetrate better and work quicker and more effectively.
Step 2: Shampoo your hair/highlights
You can either use the purple shampoo like a regular shampoo on all your hair (as it will not have any side-effects to the non-highlighted portions of the hair), or you can only apply the purple shampoo on your highlights.
Take a generous amount of purple shampoo and lather it into your hair (or on the highlighted portions of your hair).
Step 3: Leaving it on
Once you’ve done lathering it in, leave it on your hair for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not leave it on for too long as it can stain your highlights. If your brassiness is excessive, you can leave it on for a minute or two more, but not longer.
If need be, you can go in for another session of purple shampooing another time during the week and continue this until the brassiness disappears completely.
Step 4: Rinsing of the purple shampoo
After the purple shampoo has been left in for the stipulated time, then you can wash it off under running water.
Wash your hair at least two to three times to make sure that there is absolutely no residue remaining.
Thereafter, use your conditioner and condition your hair like you normally would.
You do not require to use any specific purple conditioner, as the conditioner is just to moisturize the hair and has nothing to do with getting rid of the brassiness.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about using purple shampoo for highlights
1. Will using a purple shampoo for my highlights cause the rest of my hair color to fade?
Absolutely not! This will definitely not happen because purple shampoos are actually cleansing shampoos that contain purple pigments.
These purple pigments work only on brassy tones. Therefore, on hair that isn’t brassy it will work just like any other regular shampoo, which means it will not make your hair color fade at all.
2. Can I use a color-depositing purple shampoo to get rid of brassiness from my highlights?
No, you cannot, as it will stain your highlights and make them purple as it is a color-depositing purple shampoo. These are used for those who want to color their hair.
Color-depositing purple shampoos are different from regular purple shampoos. Purple shampoos do not stain the hair, they will only get rid of brassiness. Therefore, it is important to use the right type of purple shampoo.
3. How often do I need to use a purple shampoo for my highlights?
Well, it all depends on the level of brassiness your hair is at. Ideally, using a purple shampoo once in every two to three washes should be sufficient.
In case your highlights are excessively brassy, then initially use it twice a week until the brassiness reduces and then switch to using it once a week.
4. What are some of the best purple shampoo brands for highlights?
You could choose brands like Schwarzkopf, Oribe, Olaplex, Redken, Kerastase, Joico etc. If you are buying your purple shampoo online, then go in for brands that are highly rated and have good customer reviews.
The final takeaway
Using purple shampoo for highlights is definitely possible and will work if your highlights are brassy. Remember to always use a good quality purple shampoo for the best effects.
Each shampoo may have different methods of usage and therefore, make sure to check the product label for product-related specific instructions and suggestions before using it on your hair.
Use the purple shampoo until your highlights are brass-free and then you can switch back to using your regular shampoo.
Also Read:
Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Bleach Baths
Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Brown Hair
Can You Use Purple Shampoo For Purple Hair
Can You Mix Purple Shampoo With Bleach
How To Choose the Right Toner for Your Highlighted Hair
To Summarize
