Best Purple Shampoos for Blonde Hair

Purple shampoo works on a simple piece of color theory: violet sits opposite yellow on the color wheel, so a little violet pigment cancels a little yellow. It does not lighten hair and it does not fix orange or deep brass. What it does is keep a blonde's tone closer to where it was the day it was toned.

Near the beach, where sun and salt pull blonde warm faster, a good one earns its place in the shower. These are seven worth knowing.

How we chose

• Currently sold, and checked against the brand's own product page or a major retailer.
• A range of formats and price points, from drugstore to salon brands.
• Something distinct about each one: bond care, mineral removal, sulfate-free, UV protection or a gentler tone.

At a glance

1. OLAPLEX Nº.4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo

OLAPLEX's purple shampoo pairs violet toning agents with coconut-derived cleansers, and the brand lists it as free of sulfates, silicones, parabens and protein, as well as color-safe and vegan. It sits in the same line as OLAPLEX's bond-building treatments, so it suits blondes who already use them.

Good for: lightened hair that also needs strength. Brand page

2. K18 TripleBright Oxidation Defense Purple Shampoo

K18's version is a foam. The brand describes three actions: an ionic detox to remove metals and minerals, violet pigment to tone, and a biopolymer to help stop minerals reattaching. You leave it on for one to three minutes.

Good for: blondes on hard or well water, where mineral buildup is part of the brass. Brand page

3. amika bust your brass cool blonde strength repair shampoo

amika's purple shampoo, recently renamed, combines ultraviolet pigments with what the brand calls bond-fortifying technology, a quinoa-derived vegan protein and plant butters including mango and shea. amika says it is clinically tested safe for color-treated hair.

Good for: dry, lightened blonde that wants moisture with its toning. Brand page

4. Redken Blondage Color Depositing Purple Shampoo

Formerly sold as Color Extend Blondage, Redken's purple shampoo combines pure violet pigment with the brand's Triple Acid Protein Complex. It comes in a standard and a liter size.

Good for: a reliable salon-brand option that is easy to find. Ulta

5. Joico Blonde Life Violet Shampoo

Joico's violet shampoo is sulfate-free, with monoi and tamanu oils and arginine among its key ingredients. The brand describes tamanu oil as a UV absorber. Leave it on for one to three minutes.

Good for: cool, bright blondes who want a sulfate-free formula. Ulta

6. Sun Bum Blonde Purple Shampoo

Sun Bum's purple shampoo uses blue spirulina, violet extract and banana, and is labeled UV-protecting. The brand says it is for natural and color-treated blonde hair and highlights, and lists it as vegan and made without SLS, SLES or parabens.

Good for: beach-town blondes who want UV protection in the same bottle. Brand page

7. L'Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Shampoo

The drugstore pick. L'Oréal lists it as made without sulfates or parabens and suitable for color-treated blonde, bleached, highlighted brown and silver hair. The brand directs using it two to three times a week and leaving it on for up to two minutes.

Good for: trying purple shampoo without spending much. Ulta

How to use purple shampoo without overdoing it

• Once or twice a week is plenty for most blondes. Using it every wash tends to leave hair flat, dull or faintly lilac.
• Use your regular color-safe shampoo the rest of the time.
• Apply it where the brass is. Lightened ends often need it more than the root.
• Follow the brand's timing. Leaving it on longer does not tone more evenly; it deposits unevenly on porous ends.

Purple shampoo maintains a tone; it does not create one. If your blonde has gone orange or properly brassy, that is a gloss appointment, not a stronger shampoo.

When purple shampoo is not the answer

Orange tones sit opposite blue, not violet, so on brassy brunette or bronde hair, a blue shampoo does more. And if blonde looks dull rather than yellow, it may be buildup from minerals or chlorine, which a clarifying or chelating shampoo removes. See the best hair products for salt water and sun.

For keeping blonde bright between appointments, see how to make balayage last and salt water, sun and blonde hair. For the color itself, see color and blonding or the best blonde specialists in the South Bay.