The 15 Best Purple Shampoos, According to 300+ Hours of Testing
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
We washed our way to cool, icy hair colors in order to find the best formulas.
InStyle / David Hattan
Coloring your hair can be a huge investment of your time, money, and even your overall hair health — after all, coloring your hair is a chemical process that can leave hair dry, dull, and otherwise damaged if you don’t properly care for it. That’s why making the most of your results once you’re out of the salon (or done with your favorite at-home hair dye) can be worth the extra effort.
One way to do just that is with purple shampoo. Ideal for those coloring their hair blonde or with sun-kissed highlights, purple shampoo is designed to offset brassiness and fading that can happen over time. To find the best purple shampoos, 26 editors tested 26 purple shampoos, integrating them into their regular hair-care routines for six weeks. We spent a collective 312 hours testing the products, looking at how easy they were to apply, their cleansing ability, and how well they performed.
Best Overall: dpHUE Cool Blonde Shampoo
What We Love: It not only brightened our blonde highlights, but left our hair soft and strong.
What We Don't Love: It only comes in one size option.
Having highlighted our hair for the past 10 years and counting, we were on the hunt for a purple shampoo that could leave our hair looking healthier and brighter. We're pretty sure we found it in this formula, which lathered really beautifully and is easy to work in. It felt super-clean after the first use, but didn't seem to strip our hair of moisture or irritate our scalp. Plus, it washed off easily and didn't leave any residue on our tub.
This purple shampoo actually worked perfectly with our hair type, texture, and color — not only did it successfully neutralize the brassy tones in our hair, but our hair looked soft and shiny, as if we'd just left the salon. (That might be the work of the silk protein and hibiscus extract, which help nourish hair.) All told, it was by far the best purple shampoo we'd tried for the price. We were also big fans of the clean, fresh scent, which was a nice touch.
Recommended Use: Once a week｜Scent: Fresh and clean｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 8.5 fl. oz.
Best for Every Day: Davines Alchemic Silver Shampoo
What We Love: It didn’t dry out our hair, and it successfully seemed to counteract any brassiness.
What We Don't Love: It didn’t make our blonde highlights quite as icy as we normally like.
We this tried this purple shampoo it on our hair to see how it would work to remove yellow tones from sun exposure. We used it three to four times a week, in keeping with our usual wash schedule, and liked that the formula lathers really well into the scalp. We always shampooed a second time, since we found that we could more easily lather and spread it throughout our hair. Each time, we left it on for between three and four minutes — not because the directions say it, but because that's what we've done in the past with purple shampoos. The formula wasn't drying, but it also wasn't especially hydrating.
Even so, it prevented our hair from getting brassy or yellow, and it didn't leave a purple tone once we rinsed it out. However, it didn't give us the icy look we'd had in mind, and we wish it were more pigmented. It might be a better bet if you're going for a warmer, buttery blonde shade versus an ashy hue.
Recommended Use: Not specified｜Scent: Light and fresh｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 9.46 fl. oz.
Best Drugstore: Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Purple Shampoo
What We Love: It offers great results at an even better value.
What We Don't Love: The scent is polarizing. It can stain hair if you leave it on too long.
Since our natural hair color is red, we find it hard to maintain our bleach-blonde color, since it tends to get a brassy, almost gingery undertone to it. And while we've tried purple shampoos before, we've found that they've been too heavy for our fine hair. That's not the case with this one, which has a reputation among colorists for being really good.
We needed to use quite a bit of it to get it to lather well, but it did the trick to clean our hair without drying it out. We had to thoroughly rinse it to get rid of any residue, but otherwise we didn't see any irritation or staining on our hair. Throughout the entire testing period, our hair stayed vibrantly blonde, and we actually thought that it prolonged our dye job.
Our only concern was that our curtain bangs, which is the most porous part of our hair, looked almost silvery-blue. But once we cut down on how long we let the shampoo sit, that stopped being an issue. We also didn't love the smell — we found it off-putting but it wasn't strong enough to stop using it.
Recommended Use: Twice a week｜Scent: Spicy floral｜Sulfate-Free: No｜Size: 16 fl. oz.
Best for Gray Hair: Better Not Younger Silver Lining Purple Brightening Shampoo for Grey & White Hair
What We Love: It actively hydrated and repaired hair, controlling frizz and leaving it more manageable.
What We Don't Love: The bottle was hard to open, and the usage instructions were unclear.
Graying is part of the aging process, and while it can be hard to accept, this shampoo — which we found to be best for silver hair — can make it a little easier. Roughly 90% of our hair is gray at this point, and we'd been told that it had a brassy, yellow tone. We began using this twice in the shower, washing, rinsing, and repeating. It calmed our scalp, cleaned our hair, and, despite our shampooing twice, left our hair soft and touchable. It rinsed out quickly and easily, and there were no purple stains left in our hair.
That said, we do wish we were told how long we had to leave it in for, eventually settling on four minutes. But the formula, infused with biotin, burdock, and hops, managed to do more than make our gray hair look brighter and healthier; now, the shampoo has left it silky and more manageable, and even less frizzy on humid days.
While we found opening the bottle to be tricky — and it's more of an investment than our previous purple shampoo — we really loved how our hair looked with this.
Recommended Use: 1-2 times a week｜Scent: Fresh and floral｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 8.4 fl. oz.
Best for Bleached Hair: Amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Repair Shampoo
What We Love: It seemed to actually nourish and repair hair as it works.
What We Don't Love: We had to experiment with different timeframes to determine how long to leave it in.
After we bleached our naturally black hair ash-blonde, we needed a shampoo that could maintain our shade effectively without stripping hair of moisture. We were a little intimidated by the highly pigmented purple color of the shampoo, but so far, it hasn't stained a thing — not our skin, not our towels, and not even our hair.
We had to experiment with how long to leave it in, eventually settling on three minutes. But immediately after our first use, we were floored by how soft our hair felt and how quickly the formula rinsed out. Our hair was recovering from the bleaching process, but instead of feeling crunchy and dry, it felt nourished and healthy. We followed it with a hydrating hair mask, and couldn't get over that it restored our hair to the cool, frosty blonde that we had when we left the salon. It gave us incredible results with every single wash.
Even though we've used purple shampoos before, the only drawback was that there wasn't any guidance about how long to leave in the product before rinsing. While three minutes worked for us, it's unclear whether that's giving the best results — or would be the same for everyone.
Recommended Use: Every other wash｜Scent: Light and fresh｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 9.2 oz.
Best for Highlights: IGK Blonde POP Purple Toning Shampoo
What We Love: It built to a nice lather, and actually cleaned our scalp.
What We Don't Love: It stained our shower tiles.
We get blonde balayage highlights in our naturally dirty-blonde hair, and are therefore no stranger to purple shampoos. To see if this might be the best for balayage, we used it once a week, lathering and rinsing without leaving it on our hair. While we were skeptical — even the instructions don't specify any amount of time to leave it on — it helped lift some brassiness from our hair even without leaving it in.
We loved how well it lathered, too, creating more of a foam than other purple-shampoo formulas we'd used in the past. It rinsed out easily and without any residue, but our hair and scalp didn't feel dry — just really clean. In fact, we loved how it made our scalp feel, and it seemed like it brightened our blonde, cut down brassiness, and even left our hair more hydrated and less frizzy.
We did find that the purple formula stained a few spots in our shower where we didn't immediately rinse it off the wall, so we'll take that as a lesson to clean up sooner. Otherwise, count us in for another bottle.
Recommended Use: Not specified｜Scent: Light and fresh｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 8 fl. oz.
Best Purple Shampoo and Conditioner Set: Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo & Conditioner Set
What We Love: It didn’t stain at all, and the included conditioner made the process seamless.
What We Don't Love: It lightened our hair more than we needed.
We regularly get highlights and lowlights throughout the year, so we wanted a set that we could stick with for the long haul — like this duo. We found that the shampoo lathered to some degree and was easy to distribute through our roots, but we needed a lot of it. The good news? There was no staining on our hands or shower. While the shampoo did leave our hair a little dry and frizzy, the conditioner took care of it, leaving it soft and shiny.
Together they worked well — almost too well, really, because it not only seemed to remove the brassiness, but seemed to lighten our hair too much. The first day after we shampooed, our highlights looked very light, but the second day, they were perfect. We only used it twice a week.
We do wish the conditioner was more moisturizing, since we process our hair so much that it's really damaged, and in a perfect world, the shampoo itself would be moisturizing, too. But we liked that they came as a set, since it was convenient not to have to mix and match — and we enjoyed the floral scent, which reminded us of lilacs.
Recommended Use: 2-3 times a week｜Scent: Floral｜Sulfate-Free: No｜Size: 10.1 oz.
Best for Blondes: Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet Purple Shampoo
What We Love: It smelled really good, and left our hair shiny and hydrated.
What We Don't Love: It didn’t cleanse very dirty hair well.
A purple shampoo that goes above and beyond — moisturizes, lathers well, smells good — is hard to find, especially for our bleached hair. We're delighted by how well this formula worked: this lathered well, rinsed easily, and left our hair feeling clean and residue-free. And despite being a dark purple color, it didn't leave any telltale stains on our sower or hands, either. We loved that it gave our hair an icy-blonde appearance, and the floral scent was a nice touch (it might be the best smelling purple shampoo we’ve ever used). Our straight, thick hair looked shiny, healthy, and even luminous.
The only way in which it fell short is that it didn't feel cleansing enough to handle our sweaty roots after a workout. But unless you're regularly doing a tough workout, that shouldn't be an issue.
Recommended Use: 2-3 times a week｜Scent: Floral｜Sulfate-Free: No｜Size: 8.5 oz.
Best for Brown Hair: Kristin Ess The One Purple Shampoo
What We Love: After a few washes, the results made a noticeable difference in our highlights.
What We Don't Love: The directions were incredibly vague, so we had some trial-and-error before figuring out the right usage.
A purple shampoo that can enhance a range of shades is hard to find — but not impossible, as this formula proves. We have both blonde highlights and deeper lowlights on our naturally brunette hair, and were hoping to get more dimension and shine.
We shampoo our hair twice, once with a traditional shampoo and another with purple shampoo. We loved how well this one lathered, and it worked as promised after a few washes, removing the brassy tone and giving a bright, rich appearance to our highlights and lowlights. While we were stumped on how long to leave it in our hair and how often to use it — since the directions were really vague — we eventually got into a routine of using this every other wash to maintain our results without turning our highlights purple. They were significantly better than every other purple shampoo we'd used in the past.
That said, although we love the way our hair looks, we did find that this shampoo left our hair feeling dry. Using a conditioner did help, but we were still surprised, since the formula contains coconut oil.
Recommended Use: Only when needed｜Scent: Floral｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 10 fl. oz.
Best for Immediate Results: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo
What We Love: It delivered impressive results in one wash.
What We Don't Love: It was a little drying, and the bottle is smaller than other options.
Even though we get our dirty-blonde hair highlighted every four months, we're terrible at upkeep. Maybe that's why we were so shocked by the instant results of this shampoo. Just by dispensing it, we were surprised and a little intimidated by the deep, dark purple of the shampoo. It left some light (but temporary) staining on our nails, but we didn't have any issues with our hands or shower tiles. We let it sit for five minutes, as the directions said, during which we exfoliated and shaved our legs.
As soon as we got out of the shower, we could see a difference in the tone of our hair; our natural color is a very golden tone, and our highlights tend to turn yellow. After those five minutes, the shampoo restored our highlights back to their original tone. Not only is it the most powerful purple shampoo we've used, but it's also the fastest to work, making a big difference after one wash.
The only thing we didn't love is that our hair felt rough and coarse when we went to rinse it out. While conditioner took care of that quickly, we didn't love the sensation of it. Still, it worked so much better than other purple shampoos we used that we expect to keep it in our arsenal for a long time.
Recommended Use: Every third wash to start｜Scent: Warm floral｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 6.8 fl. oz.
Best for Fine Hair: Nexxus Blonde Assure Color Toning Shampoo
What We Love: It nourished thin hair without leaving behind a residue.
What We Don't Love: It contains sulfates, and doesn’t contain any hydrating ingredients.
With some purple shampoos, two shampoos are required: one to cleanse the hair and scalp, and the other to tone the color. That's not the case with this one, since we found it was able to remove product build-up, sweat, and grime while still bringing out our blonde highlights.
The instructions said we could leave it in for anywhere from one to five minutes, so we tried to leave it in longer. The extra time was worth it, since the shampoo worked so well to counteract the brassy tones of our hair that we felt more confident in the weeks leading up to our next color appointment. (That said, it wasn't too powerful, and it didn't leave our hair too cool or purple.) It was also lightweight, and didn’t leave any residue weighing down our fine, thin hair.
And the formula was really nourishing, so we didn't feel like we had to compromise our hair health to get the color we wanted. Plus, this shampoo is half the price of the other purple shampoos we've used in the past — but it works even better.
Recommended Use: 1-2 times a week｜Scent: Light and fresh｜Sulfate-Free: No｜Size: 8.5 oz.
Best for Brassy Hair: Olaplex No.4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo
What We Love: It can fix intense brassiness in one wash.
What We Don't Love: We experienced a little staining, and we had to use a lot of product.
We've been coloring our medium-brunette hair with blonde highlights for the past 10 years, so we're no stranger to purple shampoos. At first, this one felt pretty standard; it didn't lather that well, so we had to use a good amount of product to distribute it evenly throughout our hair. We then let it sit for five minutes before rinsing and following with conditioner.
The purple color isn't to be underestimated: It left a slight purple tint on our scalp if we didn't rinse it out well, and we had a little staining on our hands. Once we scaled back to using it every other week, though, the results were worth the initial hiccups: It gave us a big, brassy fix after a single use, and we actually liked that we didn't have to use it very often.
And while it dried out our hair to some degree, it was nothing that conditioner couldn't fix. By the time we'd dried and styled our hair, we couldn't tell a difference in its moisture level versus our usual shampoo.
Recommended Use: 2-3 times a week｜Scent: Light and fresh｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 8.5 oz.
Best for Sensitive Scalps: Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Purple Shampoo
What We Love: It wasn’t irritating, and left our hair noticeably smoother.
What We Don't Love: It’s more of an investment than other shampoos.
Both color treatments and everyday hair-care can be hard when you're dealing with sensitive skin on the scalp, so we usually approach products for our curly, frequently highlighted hair with caution.
We appreciated that this lathered nicely, since that made it easy to spread through our long hair, and had a nice, subtle scent (which didn't stick around). Better yet, our hair and skin felt clean after we rinsed, and we didn't experience any irritation or tingling on our scalp. While we didn't notice a dramatic improvement, our hair no longer looks brassy, and the texture is smooth and soft.
The price is more than we'd typically spend on a purple shampoo, and we wish the fragrance had been more noticeable.
Recommended Use: Not specified｜Scent: Light and fresh｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 9 fl. oz.
Best Brightening: Verb Purple Shampoo
What We Love: It’s the best for shine and moisture, and we liked how much product is in the bottle.
What We Don't Love: The lather on the first wash wasn’t great; we found the product hard to distribute at first.
Our dark-blonde hair tends to be on the drier side, especially when the seasons change — so it's prone to looking dull and flat despite our highlights, which we get every eight weeks. The good news? We found that this formula built up to a nice lather on our second application (following an initial rinse), and it left our hair and scalp nice and clean.
It immediately helped tone and brighten our highlights, which usually look yellow and dull about a month after our color appointment. And while it was a subtle change, we really liked how fresh our color looked, and our hair felt softer, more moisturized, and even shinier than it has with other purple shampoos. The bottle size is pretty generous, too, which gave it the best value of other formulas we’ve used.
While we wished there was a better lather on the initial wash, we decided to compromise and got good results when washing with a non-purple shampoo first and following with this second — plus, it allowed us to save this product.
Recommended Use: Not specified｜Scent: Fresh and fruity｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 12 fl. oz.
Best for Damaged Hair: Oribe Bright Blonde Shampoo for Beautiful Color
What We Love: The scent doubled as perfume, and it left our hair looking healthier.
What We Don't Love: It didn’t cleanse at the roots as well as we’d hoped.
Coloring your hair can be damaging — no surprise there — and if you've been doing it for years, it can be hard to keep it looking and feeling healthy. We know it firsthand, having bleached and colored our hair into oblivion. We used it alongside two other shampoos on our wash days (which is our usual routine with purple shampoos) to ensure it got our hair and scalp as clean as we like it.
We loved how it lathered and felt on our hair; it never dried it out and our scalp felt comfortable and not at all irritated. We also loved the scent, which had a touch of sweetness and didn't linger for too long. And as promised, it took care of our brassy tones and maintained the integrity of our hair color. In fact, our hair felt really healthy.
We do wish it had more thoroughly cleaned our hair and scalp, which can get oily, but we know that that's a rare find among purple shampoos (and on the flip side, it didn’t remove moisture, putting it among the best for dry hair). We also didn't love that the shampoo removed the spray tan from our hands, which was a little frustrating.
Recommended Use: Not specified｜Scent: Floral｜Sulfate-Free: Yes｜Size: 8.5 oz.
What to Keep in Mind
Sulfate-Free Formulas: Sulfates used to be the status quo in shampoo formulas, since they serve as surfactants that help lift grease, product buildup, and debris from the scalp. However, a sulfate-free shampoo is “more gentle on the hair, especially color-treated hair,” says Los Angeles-based colorist Meri Kate O’Connor. “Sulfate-free will prevent fading and help to keep the integrity of the color.” The downside, however, is that sulfates tend to contribute to the lather; without them, the shampoo might be harder to distribute.
Nourishing + Non-Stripping Ingredients: Along with leaving out sulfates, swap any stripping ingredients for those that actively nourish hair. You can sometimes find squalane infused into formulas, as with IGK’s shampoo, or hyaluronic acid, which helps draw in and retain hydration. These moisturizing ingredients offer bonus points, especially since color-treated hair tends to be more damaged and therefore drier than untreated hair. “Especially if you only use purple shampoo, you want to make sure you don’t skimp on good ingredients to maintain the health of your hair,” says O’Connor.
Don't Overdo It: Slow and steady wins the purple-shampoo race. Purple shampoos can be potent, since they’re literally infused with pigment particles. That means that if you use too much, or apply it too frequently, they could leave blonde and gray hair with a telltale purple hue. “The more you use it, the more deposit it can give — making the hair appear ashier than expected,” says O’Connor. If that happens, you can use a clarifying shampoo to remove it. Or, “if it’s really strong, your hairstylist can remove it with a treatment,” she says.
Your Questions, Answered
What does purple shampoo do?
“Purple shampoo eliminates and neutralizes unwanted brass on the hair,” says Michelle Hong, colorist and founder of NYC The Team. It contains purple pigments that counteract the warm yellow or orange tones that can appear in blonde or color-treated hair; they can also lend an ashier appearance to people with gray or brown hair, too.
How do you use purple shampoo?
If you’re a beginner, use it sparingly. “Mix the shampoo with regular shampoo and see how the result is,” says O’Connor. “If you want more you can always use all or more purple and less to non regular shampoo.” Once you get the hang of it, you can figure out a ratio that works for you.
Also, you don’t need it right after your color treatment. Wait until four to six weeks after your color appointment, which is when the color starts to oxidize, says Hong. And keep in mind that “the ends of your hair are dry and more porous, so try to only run the shampoo through quickly on the ends, as it will grab the color faster,” she says. (In other words, your tone could look uneven if you apply it through your strands.
How often should you use purple shampoo?
The exact amount depends on the formula, so follow the directions. In general, though, “To keep hair from going brassy I suggest clients use it once every other week,” says O’Connor.
What is the downside to purple shampoo?
Purple shampoo can stain — your hair, your hands, and even your shower. “These pigments can be very strong, so I highly recommend starting off mixing purple shampoo with your regular shampoo and going from there,” says O’Connor. And since they can leave a stain on your hair, she recommends telling your colorist that you use it before you get any additional color services. That way, they can keep an eye out for (and account for) any discoloration.
Also, keep in mind that the effect is temporary. “Purple shampoo aids in helping brassy and yellow tones, but it isn’t a permanent solution,” says O’Connor. “If you find that you are constantly using it with little to no results, you may need to see your colorist for a more permanent solution, like a toner or gloss.”
Why Shop With Us
Deanna Pai is a freelance writer and editor who has been covering beauty, health, and wellness for more than a decade. While she hasn’t dabbled in purple shampoo herself as a lifelong brunette, she interested two colorists, Meri Kate O’Connor and Michelle Hong, for their expert insight on the topic.
For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on InStyle.
