Everyone that has blond, platinum, or silver hair knows the struggle with the brassiness and yellow tones that appear in the hair soon after dyeing it. A good way to maintain blond hair in a good condition is by using purple shampoo.
But can you use it on dry hair and how long should you leave it on? Purple shampoo works amazingly on dry hair. Depending on the level of brassiness of your blond hair, you should leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Leaving it on your hair for longer will give your hair a purple hue and not make it blonder as many people believe.
Read on to learn all about purple shampoos and how you should use them on dry hair.
What Is Purple Shampoo?
If you have cool-toned blond hair with silver or white undertones, you know the struggle of the color turning yellow after a few washes.
If you color your hair at a salon, your hair colorist has probably already introduced you to purple shampoos and you know what magic they play. If not, it is high time you learned about purple shampoo as it will change your blond hair game.
So what exactly is purple shampoo? This is a shampoo with a purple or blue tint to it specifically manufactured to target people with blond hair. It is meant to improve the brassy undertone that develops in silver blond hair some time after dyeing it.
How Does Purple Shampoo Work?s
Purple shampoos contain purple pigments. When applied to yellow brassy hair, these purple pigments cancel the yellowness of the hair, bringing back the cold blond undertone.
In other words, purple shampoo acts as a corrector for yellow hair that brings them back to the color you initially wanted your hair to be – beautiful silver blond with a cool undertone.
How Long Does It Take for Purple Shampoo to Work?
This depends on your hair color as well as the specific purple shampoo you are using. Some shampoos are heavily pigmented and have a thicker consistency while others provide milder purple pigments.
If you are using purple shampoo on naturally blond hair, 3 minutes is enough to tone down the brassiness. If your shampoo is not very pigmented, leave it on for around 5 minutes.
If your hair is color-treated, you will need to leave the shampoo on for a little longer.
Leave the shampoo on for 5 to 10 minutes if it is your first time using purple shampoo. This way you will see how your hair reacts to the shampoo and how intense the result is.
For recently dyed hair, 5 to 10 minutes is the optimal time.
If your hair is gray or platinum silver, you can easily leave the shampoo on for half an hour if you need to get rid of extreme brassiness.
If your hair has developed significant brassiness, leaving the shampoo on for around 15 minutes is a good way of bringing the cool tones back.
What Happens If You Leave Purple Shampoo on Your Hair Too Long?
If you leave the purple shampoo on for longer than you should, your hair will acquire a lilac tint. If that is what you are going for, then there is nothing wrong with leaving the shampoo on for longer than 15 minutes.
However, keep in mind that purple shampoo is not a hair dye. Thus, it is not meant for coloring your hair and the soft lilac color will probably go away after 1-2 washes.
If you have accidentally left the shampoo on for too long and don’t like the purple hue it has given to your hair, using a clarifying shampoo to wash it off is the easiest way to get rid of it.
Leaving purple shampoo on for too long can be damaging to those with naturally blond hair.
Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair – Does It Work?
Putting purple shampoo on blond hair to tone down the brassiness works just as well as applying it on wet hair.
In fact, some people who have tried using purple shampoo on dry hair claim that this method works better than applying the shampoo on wet hair. The results are obvious after the first application.
One thing to keep in mind is that leaving the purple shampoo on dry hair may cause dryness after you have washed it. Thus, it is recommended to use a purple conditioner afterward. Using a purple hair mask targeting blond and platinum hair will work even better. Your hair will not only look fresh but also feel soft and moisturized.
How Long to Leave Purple Shampoo on Dry Hair?
Leave the purple shampoo on dry hair slightly longer than you would if you were to apply it to your wet hair.
- If you leave the purple shampoo on your hair for 10 minutes when they are wet, leave it for 15 minutes on dry hair.
- You will be surprised at how well this will work. Simply make sure to divide the hair into parts and use a good amount of shampoo to cover the strands from top to bottom evenly.
- You will get rid of the unwanted brassy tones and your roots will look much better than before.
- The result this method provides is reportedly more long-lasting than applying purple shampoo on wet hair.
Doing this every once in a while will save you a few coloring sessions to the hair salon and will keep your hair looking nice and fresh even if it is not freshly dyed.
Does Putting Purple Shampoo on Dry Hair Make It Blonder?
Putting purple shampoo on dry hair does not make it blonder. It just takes away the brassy yellow tones bringing back the cool-toned blond shade.
Leaving purple shampoo on dry hair for too long will not make it blonder. On the contrary, it will give your hair a purple hue which will wash off rather easily with regular shampoo after a couple of washes.
Can You Use Purple Conditioner on Dry Hair?
Technically, you can put purple conditioner on dry hair just as you can do it with purple shampoo. However, do not expect a similar result.
Purple shampoo is much more intense than a purple conditioner. The result is also more long-lasting than the one provided by the conditioning product.
The reason is that these two products work differently. While the purple shampoo penetrates the cuticle and deposits color, the conditioner creates a layer over the hair strands. Thus, the result is not nearly as lasting as with the shampoo.
For the best results, apply purple shampoo on your dry hair and follow it with a purple conditioner when rinsing the hair.
Purple Shampoo Hacks
If you are new to using purple shampoo to treat your blond hair, here are some hacks to help you out to get better results.
- Apply to the roots first. Whether you are using purple shampoo on dry or wet hair, make sure to apply the product first on the roots and only then to the rest of the hair. It takes more time for the roots to absorb the product. Thus, leaving the shampoo on them for a few minutes longer will provide a better overall result.
- Tone it down. If you wanted to try a new purple shampoo brand and it has turned too strong for your hair, don’t throw it away and purchase a new one. All you need to do to make it work is to dilute with water. Determine the amount of water you should add depending on how mildly you want the shampoo to work.
Generally, mixing 1 part of purple shampoo with 2 parts of water is a good ratio.
Mix the purple shampoo with your regular color-safe shampoo. If you want to maintain your blond hair in good condition without too much hustle, mix it in with regular color-safe shampoo and use it once a week.