This article is for blondes (natural + dyed), if you’re not blonde you can keep scrolling.
Before I first bleached my hair, I was confused every time I kept hearing about ‘purple shampoo.’ Why were blue, yellow, and neutral shampoos getting zero attention? What was so special about purple? Now a seasoned blonde, I, like you all, understand the bothersome task that is keeping our color from getting too brassy, and that purple shampoo is the solution to that problem– not simply a product color.
But, why does blonde go bronze?
If you’ve dyed your hair blonde…
It’s important to understand your hair’s natural color isn’t just one color at all, it’s made up of underlying pigments that create your unique tone– many of which may be warm tones. So, when you lighten your strands, your natural colors are fighting the bleach and toner combo your stylist is creating for you. You might hear them say something like, “your hair lifts quickly!” or, “still looking brassy– needs another 15 minutes” as you sit waiting with your head under the freestanding dryer. There’s a chance your first attempt to go blonde might take a few tries (say, if you’re going from very dark to very light), but even if you get there quickly, your natural color will change your dyed tone over time.
If you’re a natural blonde …
This is less of an issue for you, but you’re not immune to brassiness. Elements other than chemicals can cause your natural color to go warmer– things like chlorine, sun exposure, and minerals in your water can weaken your hair strand and leave you susceptible to changes in tone, from brassy to green.
Okay, so how does purple shampoo work?
Remember the color wheel from high school art? Color theory tells us that complimentary colors (those sitting across from each other on the wheel) are hues that contrast with one another, i.e. purple and yellow. In terms of hair care, the violet pigments in purple shampoo counteract and the warm tones in brassy blonde hair, causing the tone to neutralize to a more ‘ashy’ or cool tone.
In this way, purple shampoo is a color-corrector. It’s up to you, and where your blonde tone is at at any given time, to decide how frequently to use it. Just remember to keep it on your hair for 2-3 minutes as you lather to let it do its job.
Purple shampoo, but make it custom
This is where function comes in. Like anything else, our goal is to combine product benefit with personal benefit. Like all of our other hair care products, custom purple shampoo is individually formulated to work for your specific hair type, hair structure, and up to five hair goals. So not only are you working away from brassiness– but you’re working toward other improvements to your hair in the same moment. Function purple shampoo also keeps hair shiny, extends the life of color, and provides nourishment and smoothness. Blondes, look no further.
