Beat the blonde brass: 7 best purple shampoos and conditioners we tested

One trip to the salon will have you earning your bachelor’s degree in shampoo usage. What are the best shampoos for fine hair? How about ones suited for dandruff? If your stylist doesn’t inform you, we certainly will.

Much like hair type and texture, hair tone and color also impact the specific formulation you should be using. Enter purple shampoos and conditioners — the dynamic duo well-suited for blonde and gray hair alike. They’re exactly what they sound like (shampoo spotted with purple pigments): they help eliminate unwanted brassiness and yellow tones to ensure your hair is Barbie-perfect.

Personally, as someone with naturally light hair but who periodically has it chemically lightened as well, I’m a fan of purple shampoos. I’ve tried many in search of the one that isn’t drying (as purple shampoos tend to be), has evenly distributable texture, and is perfectly pigmented. Along with celebrity hair stylist, blonde specialist, and hair extension expert Olivia Thompson, I think I’ve found the best of the best.

“Purple shampoo is your hair’s best friend!” Thompson told the New York Post. “It’s a special type of shampoo that works wonders for blonde, silver, or highlighted hair. Packed with purple or violet pigments, it acts as a color corrector, restoring a cooler and more balanced tone to your hair.”

Ahead, our haircare experts dish out the deets on what to look for in purple shampoos and conditioners in our in-depth FAQ section. Moreover, they hand-picked the best ones on the market.

Best Overall: Redken Blondage Color-Depositing Purple Shampoo

Amazon

“The Redken Blondage Color-Depositing Purple Shampoo uses Acid Violet to eliminate any undesired brassy tones in your hair,” Dr. Green explains. “It also uses amino acids such as Arginine and Serine to help protect against breakage and hydrate hair.”

This is the one I kept in my shower year-round when I was properly blonde. It’s pigmented enough to knock out brass in one wash but doesn’t leave that weird purple cast if I rinse thoroughly. I only use it once a week and follow up with a deep conditioner.

Pairs well with: Redken Blondage Color-Depositing Purple Conditioner

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Best for Drugstore: Biolage Color Last Purple Shampoo

Amazon

“The Biolage Color Lasting Purple Shampoo uses an external Violet 2 colorant to neutralize unwanted warm or brassy tones immediately,” Green says, recommending the product. “It also uses fig and orchid extract to moisturize your hair and promote water retention.”

It helps maintain the coolness of your blonde tone as well, allowing your hair to look fresh and healthy (with a sleek shine, no less).

Pairs well with: Biolage Color Last Purple Conditioner

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Sephora

Best for Grey Hair: Kérastase Blond Absolu Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo

“This shampoo contains ultra-violet coloring to decrease unwanted orange and yellow undertones and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and seal cuticles,” Green highlights, recommending the Kérastase Blond Absolu Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo.

If I were going to cheat on my colorist with a shampoo, it’d be this one. It’s rich, it’s bougie, and it actually makes my hair look more expensive with the way it deeply repairs and treats. I gave it to a friend when she started noticing her grays popping and wanted to keep things icy without going silver. It’s not cheap, but our hair always looks freshly glazed afterward.

Pairs well with: Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaflash Conditioner

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Best for Highlights: Olaplex No. 4 Blonde-Enhancing Toning Shampoo

Sephora

“The Olaplex No. 4 Blonde-Enhancer Toning Shampoo contains Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, a molecule that repairs hair disulfide bonds, strengthening and protecting your hair on a molecular level,” Michele Green, MD, board-certified cosmetic dermatologist with more than 25 years of experience treating male and female hair loss, told The Post.

This is like the toner your colorist uses— gentle but effective, especially for maintaining highlights that lean toward champagne or cool beige. I’ve used it when I didn’t want anything too aggressive or my hair was already particularly light, and it always makes my hair feel stronger after. It has that signature Olaplex smell that makes me feel like I’m in a salon. Not the most purple purple shampoo, but it’s worth it for the repair.

Pairs well with: Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

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Best for Brassy Hair: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo

Sephora

“The Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo targets brassiness by depositing violet pigmentation into your strands,” Green highlights. “This product also contains argan and castor oil to repair and moisturize damaged, brittle hair.”

Suppose you don’t wish to follow up with the matching conditioner after use. In that case, we recommend the brand’s Intense Hydrating Hair Mask every so often following your shampoo (and replacing your normal conditioning step for much more nourishment).

Pairs well with: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Conditioner

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Best Shampoo and Conditioner Set: L’Oreal Paris EverPure Brass-Toning Purple Sulfate-Free Shampoo & Conditioner Set

Amazon

“This shampoo contains violet pigmentation to remove orange and yellow tones from blonde hair,” Green notes. “Its ingredient list is sulfate-free, keeping hair clean and hydrated without stripping away any essential natural oils.”

Even better, you can bundle and save for less than $25 on Amazon with this shampoo and conditioner bundle that’ll keep you locked and loaded for months on end.

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Best for Blonde Hair: Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo

Amazon

“It’s professional-grade and trusted by salon professionals, guaranteeing salon-worthy results in the comfort of your own home,” Thompson says. “This purple shampoo is also safe to use on extensions, it’s Paraben-free. Color Balance toning lasts up to 12 washes! It’s a gentle lather that removes undesirable yellow tones, leaving hair cool, healthy-looking, and protected.”

Impressively, inside has Green Tea Extract and UV Absorbers that help fight fading and tonal change.

Pairs well with: Joico Color Balance Purple Conditioner

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FAQs

Ahead, we dialed our team of haircare experts — Olivia Thompson, a celebrity hairstylist specializing in blonde hair, and Michele Green, MD, a cosmetic chemist with more than 25 years in the hair loss space — to put together an all-in-one guide to shopping for purple shampoos and conditioners.

What are the benefits of purple shampoo?

As mentioned, purple shampoo is an at-home toning product recommended for those with blonde and gray hair or highlights. More closely, purple shampoos contain purple pigments that neutralize brassy, yellow tones. 

“Purple shampoo enhances the vibrancy of the hair color, whether natural or color-treated, and corrects a yellow tone,” Green highlights.

When used on a regular basis, purple shampoos and conditioners help maintain the desired color of your hair and reduce salon visits, too, per Thompson. “They also help tone down brassiness caused by sun or water, refreshes your color between salon appointments, add shine and improve hair appearance, and offer customizable usage for a desired toning effect,” she adds.

How to properly use purple shampoo and conditioner, according to experts

Once a week in the shower, lather purple shampoo into wet hair. “Depending on the formula of your purple shampoo, it may be left on from one to 15 minutes before rinsing with water,” Green notes. “Leaving purple shampoo in your hair for longer than the time that’s recommended may cause hair to temporarily have a purple tint.”

Should a purple tint occur, it can easily be remedied by switching to regular shampoo until the purple pigment is removed. “It’s important to read the instructions on the bottle before using your purple shampoo to get the best results,” she advises. “After rinsing the purple shampoo from your hair, follow up with a hydrating conditioner.”

How often should purple shampoos and conditioners be used?

It’s important to note that the frequency of using purple shampoo will depend on your hair’s needs and the intensity of toning desired.

“Some people use it once a week, while others may use it more or less frequently,” Thompson says. “Experiment to find the right balance for your hair to maintain the desired color and avoid over-toning.”

How does purple shampoo compare to other types of shampoo?

“Purple shampoo is meant to correct brassy, yellow tones from blonde and gray hair,” Green explains. “Regular shampoo is designed to cleanse hair, removing any debris and excess oil.”

Purple shampoo does not replace regular shampoo. “Regular shampoos do not contain the crushed violet pigments, such as Acid Violet 43 and Ext. Violet 2, that are incorporated into purple shampoos, which is what gives purple shampoo the ability to cancel out brassiness,” Green shares.

RELATED: Best shampoos for dandruff

How does purple shampoo compare to blue shampoo?

Yes, there is blue shampoo — and it’s important to understand its formula, uses and benefits while shopping for your purple shampoo (aka, its sister).

“Blue shampoos contain crushed blue pigments, rather than purple pigments, to correct brassiness,” Green explains. “Blue shampoo is better suited to correcting orange hues, while purple shampoo is better suited to correcting yellow hues.”

On the color wheel, yellow is opposite from purple and blue is opposite from orange, which is why they have the ability to neutralize each other as well.

For this reason, using a purple shampoo is recommended for blonde hair, specifically.

“Blonde hair is more susceptible to discoloration due to exposure to the sun, minerals in water, or product buildup. The purple pigments in purple shampoo work as color correctors, as purple is the opposite of yellow on the color wheel.”

Olivia Thompson, celebrity hair stylist, blonde specialist and hair extension expert

Myths about using purple shampoo, debunked

Ahead, Thompson shares three myths about using purple shampoo for blonde hair and explains why they’re false (and debunks all the myths):

• Purple shampoo makes you blonder. While purple shampoo creates more balanced tones, this only works on previously lightened hair at a level 9 or 10. (Think inside of a banana ): If your hair is the color of the banana peel, you can actually make your hair look deeper and that statement goes for all colors. If it is the color of the outside of the banana, opt for blue shampoo to remove warmer and orangier tones.
• You can use purple shampoo every day. While you shouldn’t technically shampoo every day because it strips your hair’s natural oils, it’s not advised to go purple every day. Think about a car tint. If you put a purple tint on top of a tint and three more tints on top of that, you’ll have a super dark tint and hardly see inside the window. The same goes for purple shampoo. If you over-purple, your hair will look dark and dull. It will lack shine because we can’t see through the cuticle due to the buildup of purple. 
• Leaving purple shampoo on longer makes it brighter and won’t dry out: This is false, as overuse of purple shampoo or applying long periods of time will dry out your hair which, in turn, won’t look healthy. Yes, overdoing it on the purple will dry your hair out. 

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Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Victoria McDonnell, New York Post Commerce Journalist & Content Strategist, who has spent countless hours researching, testing hundreds of products and comparing the latest makeup, skincare, hair and beauty items and trends to determine what’s truly worth your hard-earned cash. She evaluates formulas, textures, ingredients and more, in addition to consulting medical and industry experts. Some of Victoria’s latest conquests include testing the best sheet masks on the market, and a rinse-and-repeat review of the best shampoos for all hair types and budgets. Victoria, who received a beauty industry essentials certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology, has been creating shopping guides for the New York Post since 2021 and previously held positions at Insider Reviews and CNN Underscored.

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