Purple Shampoos that Fight Brassiness

We feel confident in saying that taking your hair to a brighter, blonder hue requires the most upkeep of all shades. This is because lifting your hair's base color with bleach requires more processing and chemicals than dyeing it a darker shade. Doing so also leaves the hair more prone to breakage and damage by making hair more porous, which may then allow for UV rays, pollution, and other elements to enter (and moisture to exit), thus likely making the color appear duller and brassier (read: yellow).

But even if you think you've hit the point of no return with your blonde's level of brassiness, know that there are some great purple shampoos that promise to help restore your once-flaxen vibrancy (or prevent yellow-tinged hair from happening in the first place). Why purple? Think of it as a color-corrector: Shades placed opposite of each other on the color wheel cancel each other out, so purple tones are meant to cancel out yellow tones.

Sabrina Yamani Yamga, colorist at SPACE by Alex Brown in Chicago, does note that itâ€™s easy to overuse purple shampoo, as it can be drying. So start out by using this product just once a week. For best results, Yamga recommends using a deep cleansing shampoo for the first wash to lift any yellowish deposit that can come from product use, the environment, heat styling tools, or old water pipes. Then, use your purple shampoo of choice for three to five minutes for a soft beige or whiter-looking blonde.

Ready to shop the top formulas? These are the best purple shampoos for blonde hair.

Our Picks
Final Verdict
What to Look For

Best Overall: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo

Smooths hair

Adds dimension to color

Smells great

Not ishonest Clean

This top-rated purple shampoo from Moroccanoil takes the cake as best overall, combating brassiness in blonde, lightened brunette, and even gray hair. The formula is loaded with nourishing argan oil meant to prevent dryness and repair hair from the inside out, a major perk for those with damaged color-treated or bleached strands, while its violet pigments expertly rid the hair of yellow or orange tones. Because it has a gentle sulfate-free formula, wavy, curly, and coily hair types can use this purple shampoo without fear their hair will be stripped of moisture, but, trust, it works great for those with fine and straight hair, too.

Best Drugstore: Not Your Mother's Blonde Moment Treatment Shampoo

Best Budget: L'Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Purple Shampoo for Colored Hair

Brightens blonde hair

Effective formula

Inexpensive

Not ishonest Clean

This shampoo from Lâ€™OrÃ©al Paris is a must for blondes, especially those with color-treated hair. The gentle formula is infused with purple pigments and hibiscus that promise to protect your color, eliminate pesky brassy and orange tones, and deeply nourish and hydrate every strand. Plus, itâ€™s free of sulfates, parabens, harsh surfactants, harsh salts, and the formula is vegan. Use it two- to-three times a week to maintain your brightest blonde.

Best Splurge: Oribe Bright Blonde Shampoo for Beautiful Color

Very concentrated

Available in multiple sizes

Full of nourishing extracts

Not ishonest Clean

Treat your strands with sulfate-free shampoo created to bring out the blonde tones in your hair. The formula, a favorite of Yamgaâ€™s, is super gentle and won't dry out your strands, making it a great pick for those with curly or heat-damaged hair. The shampoo's violet pigments add shine and fight brassy and orange tones. Also nice: Out of the shower, this formula also promises to protect your color-treated hair from UV rays and dullness.

Best Sulfate-Free: Pravana The Perfect Blonde Shampoo

Good value

Strengthens hair

Available in multiple sizes

May temporarily stain hands

When you color your hair, youâ€™re weakening its bond, so youâ€™ll need an extra gentle shampoo to fight those warm tones without leaving it parched. Thatâ€™s where Pravanaâ€™s The Perfect Blonde Shampoo comes in. Its purple pigment is so strong that you only need to use it once a week to reap the rewards. It contains an exclusive dual ultra-violet dye system and built-in brighteners meant to leave you with brighter, blonder hair thatâ€™s stronger and shinier, courtesy of the keratin, wheat, and silk amino acid in the formula. More importantly, the formula is sulfate-free, so itâ€™ll go easy on your hair but tough on brassiness.

Best for Blowouts: Drybar Blonde Ale Brightening Shampoo

Boosts blonde hues

Ideal for damaged hair

Smooths and moisturizes

Not ishonest Clean

If you color your hair and get blowouts on the regular, youâ€™re doing double damage to your hairâ€”and this shampoo does double duty to fix that. The formula is infused with lemon extract meant to brighten and maintain your blonde, as well as chamomile extract meant to improve tone and amp up shine. To counteract all that heat styling, it has keratin and vegetable proteins meant to strengthen the structure of the hair and prevent heat damage. Strands are left healthy- looking and without that warmth that can bring down blonde, gray, and white hair.

Best for Curly or Kinky Hair: SheaMoisture Purple Rice Water Strength & Color Care Shampoo

Inexpensive

Brightens hair

Contains certified organic ingredients

May not work for oily hair

Blondes might have more fun, but they also have more work to do to keep their curly tresses healthy. This ultra-hydrating shampoo consists of organic shea butter, argan oil, and jojoba oil meant to restore damaged hair. The star ingredient is purple rice water, which not only smells divine, but also promises to leave your hair clean, soft, and noticeably brighter.

Best for Damaged Hair: Amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Shampoo

Strengthening, nourishing formula

Boosts shine

Won't dry out hair

Strong scent

This ultra-violet, brass-busting shampoo delivers bright and shiny, cool-toned results, so you can use this on blonde, silver, or gray hair. In addition to violet pigments, it's formulated with a special bond cure technology meant to help repair broken bonds within each strand, while quinoa-derived vegan proteins are meant to provide keratin-like strengthening benefits. The formula is also infused with mango butter extractâ€”which packs in vitamins A, C, and Eâ€”as well as omega-6 fatty acid-rich borage oil and shea butter meant to deeply nourish the hair. An added bonus is how utterly delicious it smellsâ€”all Amika products are pretty next-level when it comes to scent and trust, this one is no different. Plus, it's formulated without sulfates, parabens, and phthalates, so itâ€™s totally keratin safe and an overall safer-for-you formula.

Best for Dry Hair: Keratin Complex Blondeshell Debrass Shampoo

Good value

Makes hair feel silky

Great option for dry, damaged hair

A lot of product is needed

Dyed hair is synonymous with being dry. And if you already have hair drier than the Sahara Desert, then you know just how dry it can feel once dye is thrown into the equation. Our top pick for reviving parched strands is this ultra- moisturizing formula that not only neutralizes brassiness but also keeps hair smooth and soft and enhances shine. The nourishing formula is infused with keratin amino acids to help strengthen delicate hair that needs extra TLC. That, along with a triple-protein blend, helps make your hair more resilient to sun exposure, hot tools, and other environmental aggressors, according to the brand. Thereâ€™s also chamomile in the formula which is meant to brighten and keep color fresher for longer. Plus, you canâ€™t beat the light fresh scent.

Best for Highlights: Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Shampoo

Inexpensive

Effective formula

Available in multiple sizes

Can be drying

This shampoo has been on shelves for decades and it has truly stood the test of time. One of the most popular options out there across price points (Xue also loves this product), it gives you the most bang for your buck. The conditioning shampoo works to tone allover brassiness, plus it gives a refresh to faded highlights. The protein-enrich formula is super gentle and the purple in it is vibrant, so youâ€™ll have noticeably brighter and lighter strands after just one wash.

Best for Natural Blondes: dpHUE Cool Blonde Shampoo

Short, effective ingredient list

Pigmented

Ideal for damaged hair

A little expensive per ounce

If youâ€™re a natural blonde, this dpHue shampoo is for you (even if youâ€™re not, weâ€™ll keep your secret and still recommend this shampoo), and it also works wonders for gray and white hair. Celebrity colorist Justin Anderson calls this shampoo "the best violet pigmented shampoo on the market." It's also a favorite of Kristen Cavallari's, and all for good reason. The deep violet pigments neutralize yellow tones and brassiness, and the gentle formula, which is free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, delicately cleanses hair.

Best for Frizz: Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo

Adds shine

Long-lasting results

Can be used regularly

Contains sulfates

Breathe new life back into your blonde hair again with Joicoâ€™s Color Balance Purple Shampoo. The formula has just the right amount of pigment in it to neutralize yellow tones without leaving any trace of purple in your hair, but its tone-correcting pigments will stay attached to the hair fibers through multiple shampoos. The formula's Multi-Spectrum Defense Complex promises to guard against color fade, and the Bio-Advanced Peptide Complex promises to repair, nourish, combat frizz and leave strands shiny. Your hair will look and feel healthier every time after you suds up.

Best for Split Ends: Kristin Ess The One Purple Shampoo

Clarifies

Helps conceal damaged strands

Inexpensive

Not very hydrating

Created by celebrity hairstylist, Kristin Essâ€”you know her from her work with celebs like Lucy Hale and Lauren Conradâ€”came out with her own line of products and it has spread like wildfire. This shampoo in particular lightly clarifies and highly lathers for a squeaky clean thatâ€™s not stripping while toning blonde hair and neutralizing brassy undertones. It also contains â€œzip-up technologyâ„¢,â€ their proprietary strengthening complex designed to "zip-up" split ends while targeting weak areas of the hair, smoothing the appearance of damaged cuticles and helping to protect hair from environmental stressors and color fade.

Best for Platinum Blonde Hair: Paul Mitchell Platinum Blonde Shampoo

Adds softness and shine

Conditions damaged hair

Great value

Not for all blonde shades

This purple shampoo â€œis beautiful for blondes who like a soft beige tone, without the brass or silver,â€ says Yamga. Jasmine A. Ortiz, ishonest's news editor, also considers this purple shampoo a must-have. The violet-tinted formula does a great job at neutralizing brassy tones in the lightest of blonde hues. Conditioning ingredients such as jojoba leaf extract are meant to ensure strands are soft and shiny post-shower, a must for those who dye their hair platinum.

Runner-Up, Best for Platinum Blonde Hair: Davines Alchemic Silver Shampoo

Tones the lightest shades

Boosts shine

Pigmented

Contains parabens

Platinum hair requires special care, and this purple shampoo, which is one of Xueâ€™s go-tos, is a must-have for anyone with a super-light blonde mane. The sulfate-, silicone-, and paraben-free formula is gentle on hair. Added purple pigments do an excellent job of neutralizing yellow and orange tones, keeping platinum, white, and silver hair looking cool and shiny.'

Best Shampoo Bar: Superzero Purple Shampoo Bar

Travel-friendly

Eco-friendly packaging

Lathers well

Not super hydrating

Shampoo bars are not only way more sustainable than traditional liquid formulas, but theyâ€™re also super travel-friendly. Theyâ€™ve come a long way from the harsh and drying formulas of the past, which is why we love this purple pigment- infused bar from Superzero that neutralizes and eliminates pesky yellow and brassy tones from blonde hair. It's super gentle, lightly cleansing the hair while nourishing it with avocado oil and chamomile extract, adding shine and bounce without weighing it down. Also nice: Itâ€™s over 98% plant-based and is free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, palm oil, and plastics.

Final Verdict

The best purple shampoos help prolong the life of your blonde, so you can go longer between appointments and keep unwanted brassiness at bay. Weâ€™re giving top honors to Moroccanoil's Blonde Perfecting Shampoo, which is packed with argan oil to repair the hair from the inside out while keeping brassy and orange tones and bay. The sulfate-free formula is also super gentle, making it great for all hair types. For curly and kinky hair, we recommend Shea Moisture's Purple Rice Water Strength + Color Care Shampoo. It's ultra-hydrating to restore moisture to dry and damaged hair while protecting your color.

What to Look For in a Purple Shampoo

Purple Tone

Different purple tones neutralize different brassy shades. For example, violet is great at counteracting yellow tones in light blonde hues. â€œIf your hair is more of a brassy orange or warm brunette, purple is too light,â€ says Yamga, â€œso you'll want to opt for a blue shampoo.â€

Nourishing Ingredients

As Yamga notes, purple shampoos can be drying. So look for hydrating ingredients like argan oil, shea butter, and keratin amino acids meant to ensure hair is soft, smooth, and shiny after washing.

Sulfate-Free Formula

Sulfates can do a number on your hair, so if your mane is on the drier side already, opt for a sulfate-free purple shampoo. A sulfate-free purple shampoo will be gentle on your hair while still being effective at getting rid of unwanted brassy tones.

Meet the Expert

Sabrina Yamani Yamga is an award-winning colorist and extension specialist at SPACE by Alex Brown in Chicago.

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