Most of us have experienced some type of hair disaster before, and one of the most common hair disasters experienced at home is having hair turn purple, pastel blue, or grey, after using purple shampoo!
Purple shampoo is supposed to help tone out yellow from hair, and give it a lighter, more even tone. This works most of the time, but now and then the purple does not wash out of your hair properly, and you are left with a color you weren’t quite expecting.
How do you get purple from purple shampoo out of your hair? You can remove a purple hue from your hair caused by purple shampoo with a few different methods. These include using clarifying or dandruff shampoos, baking soda, or lemon juice and conditioner. You can also try chelating or bleach washing.
Luckily, there are a few ways that you can get purple from purple shampoo out of your hair, but some of these methods can be quite harsh on hair, especially if it has just been bleached.
However, if you are desperate to get the purple tones out of your hair, keep reading to find out the different ways you can do so, and which might be the best option for you!
Why Has My Hair Turned Purple?
Some purple shampoos, or even violet or blue shampoos, are highly pigmented. Professional brand shampoos have a good balance of pigment and product, but those bought from a drugstore might contain too much pigment, much more than what is needed, and this could leave the wrong color on your hair.
The purple pigment contained in the shampoo is what works to neutralize brassy and yellow tones, but sometimes your hair can hold onto this purple pigment, and once the shampoo has washed out, the purple pigment remains.
The color that the purple shampoo leaves can range from bright purple to pastel purple, pastel blue, or even a light grey. Once again, professional purple shampoos should not have this effect on hair, and it is most often experienced with drugstore purple shampoos.
Will Purple From Purple Shampoo Fade?
The good news is that the purple left in your hair after using purple shampoo is not permanent, and it will fade over time. The color should fade within a few weeks, and if you wash your hair regularly with normal shampoo, it could fade faster.
Anti-dandruff shampoo works especially well to strip purple from hair left over from purple shampoo, so if you have any at home, it is definitely worth a try. The purple should become more and more subtle with each wash, and eventually disappear from your hair completely.
How To Avoid Purple Hair From Purple Shampoo
The professionals will advise that you only use professional, salon-grade purple shampoo at home, and avoid drugstore cheap purple shampoo.
Salon-grade purple shampoo will contain the right balance of pigment and product to not stain your hair after use, and the chances of it actually working and toning hair are much higher.
Drugstore purple shampoo, or cheap variants, might just contain normal shampoo and tons of purple pigment, which means the chances of your hair turning purple after washing is quite high.
You should also not put an excessive amount of purple shampoo in your hair and leave it on for an hour or longer, as this will result in your hair, and maybe even your skin, becoming stained.
Make sure to only use salon-grade purple shampoo, and to read the instructions carefully to ensure that the purple shampoo does tone your hair beautifully, and it doesn’t act as a semi-permanent dye that leaves you with a purple tone.
How To Remove Purple From Purple Shampoo
Purple from purple shampoo should fade from your hair over time, but if you cannot wait this long, or have a special event coming up that you do not want to attend with purple hair, there are some ways that you can try to quickly remove the purple from your hair.
Here are some of the ways you can remove purple from your hair at home, using a few simple methods and products. Remember that to get the best possible results, you should consult with your hairdresser first, as they would be able to offer the best advice for you and to help protect your hair.
1. Use Clarifying Shampoo
Clarifying shampoo is fairly easy to come by, and it can work to remove purple from your hair. Clarifying shampoo is used to deeply clean hair and remove oil, dirt, and product build-up, but it can also be used to remove stubborn stains. This product on Amazon works super well and smells amazing!
When using a clarifying shampoo, you will need to wash your hair with it a few times in order to see results. However, this should not be done all in one day, and you should not wash your hair more than once or twice in a day to get results.
Wash your hair as normal using the clarifying shampoo, and when done, use a deep conditioner to help restore some moisture back to your hair.
Using this method will take a few days, but it is one of the gentlest ways to remove the purple from your hair, and will not cause too much damage. Just avoid washing your hair with clarifying shampoo too many times in one day, as this could dry your hair out quite a bit.
This is an effective and fairly gentle way to remove purple from your hair, but it will take a few days to work.
2. Use Dandruff Shampoo
Dandruff shampoo is great at preventing dandruff by removing excess dirt, oil and dead skin from your scalp, and it is also effective at removing purple dye from purple shampoo.
Like with clarifying shampoo, it will take a few washes of dandruff shampoo to remove the purple color, and these should not all be done in one day.
You can wash your hair once or twice a day until the color fades, but make sure to use a deep conditioner at least once a day to give your hair some moisture back.
This is not an effective treatment if you need the purple gone in one day, but it is gentler than other methods.
By the way, this is my favorite tried-and-true dandruff shampoo. It’s fantastic!
3. Use Baking Soda
Baking soda has so many great uses in the home, and it can be used to strip some color from your hair as well. The baking soda can scrub the color from your hair, and the soda also helps to strip the color too.
To use baking soda, mix about 1 teaspoon of baking soda to a normal dollop of shampoo, mix it together, and use it to wash your hair normally. Make sure to rinse out all of the baking soda once done.
This can be slightly damaging to your hair, so make sure to not be too rough and to deep condition your hair afterward. This will take a few tries to remove the color, but it should work within a few days!
4. Chelate Your Hair
Chelating is the process that works to remove the buildup of hair products and grease from your hair and is a process usually done before dying hair.
However, chelating can be done to remove purple left behind from purple shampoo as well, and it can be quite effective. To do this at home, you will need to wash your hair with some regular dish soap. Do this gently and then rinse your hair well.
Once you have done this, squeeze lemon juice onto your hair and leave it to sit for 1-2 minutes. Rinse the lemon juice from your hair and then deep condition.
Bear in mind that chelating your hair will strip it of natural oils and leave your hair very dry, so it can be quite damaging, especially to hair that has just been bleached and is dry and damaged already. Make sure you have a moisturizing conditioner on hand!
5. Use Lemon Juice And Conditioner
This method works if you do it quite soon after using the purple shampoo in your hair, and should be done within 24 hours of the purple shampoo staining your hair.
Mix 3 parts lemon juice to 1 part conditioner, and massage this into your hair. Apply from root to tip and make sure to saturate each and every stand.
Cover your hair with plastic wrap and leave this mix to sit for up to 3 hours. The acid in the lemon juice will strip the purple from your hair, while the conditioner helps to minimize the drying damage done.
After 3 hours, rinse out your hair properly and use a deep conditioner to bring back some moisture. Heat can help speed up the process, such as sitting in the sun or using a hairdryer, but just be aware that this could also speed up the drying and damaging of your hair, which could be even worse than having unwanted purple hair.
6. Use Color Remover
Color removing products often contain a small amount of bleaching agent which strips color from hair. They can be damaging to your hair, and using them straight after bleaching could cause breakage.
When using color remover to remove purple from your hair, make sure to read the instructions well. Different products will have different applications and sitting times, so it is not necessarily one-size-fits-all, and you will need to pay close attention to the instructions.
Most of the time, the color corrector will remove the purple tone from your hair without changing too much of your actual hair color, but keep in mind that as it does contain bleaching agents, it could alter the actual color of your hair.
It is a quicker way to remove purple from your hair, but it can be quite damaging and you will need products to bring moisture back to your hair once you have used color remover.
7. Bleach Wash
Bleach washing your hair is a drastic step to take and is usually used to color correct hair that has taken on a really intense color, or which has become dark and needs to be lightened.
It really isn’t advised to bleach wash your hair at home, as it can be so damaging to hair and can go so wrong so quickly, but it is an option if you simply have no other choice and you cannot get to your hairdresser.
It is best to use a volume 10 bleach for a bleach wash, as it won’t be too strong or cause too much damage but it should be enough to remove the purple left behind by purple shampoo.
First, mix some bleach powder and developer as usual. The ratio will depend on the manufacturer, but usually, it is 1 part bleach to 2 parts developer.
Add this mixture to shampoo, using the same amount of shampoo that you used bleach powder. You can, however, add in more shampoo to dilute the bleach wash a little more.
Once the mix is ready, apply the bleach bath to wet hair using gloved hands or a brush. Massage the bleach bath into your hair to ensure it has even coverage, and leave it to sit for a few minutes. Keep a check on the color as the minutes pass.
Rinse the bleach wash out of your hair after a few minutes, or after you notice the purple is removed. Rinse out well and then use a deep conditioner to moisturize and nourish your hair after the bleaching, which will be dry.
Common Mistakes Using Purple Shampoo
Purple shampoo can be so effective if used properly, but there are some common mistakes that many people make when using purple shampoo, and this can lessen its effects and benefits.
1. Overusing Purple Shampoo
Purple shampoo should not be used daily, or even multiple times a week. It should not become your go-to shampoo and should not replace your regular shampoo. Your stylist should be able to tell you how often you should use the purple shampoo, otherwise use it once a week or once every two weeks.
Overusing purple shampoo could cause your hair to appear darker and duller, and can reduce the healthy look of your hair.
2. Improper Application
Purple shampoo needs to be used properly. Don’t rub it into your hair just to wash it off quickly after. To properly apply purple shampoo, lather it onto damp towel-dried hair, and comb it through, leaving it for between 3-7 minutes. This will give you the best results, but also check the products instructions.
3. Using Purple Shampoo When You Shouldn’t
Purple shampoos can dry hair out and sometimes aren’t right for all hair types. If your hair is dry, a purple shampoo could cause additional dryness. Instead, use a nourishing shampoo and then follow up with a purple conditioner or mask. This will help your hair look both healthy and toned!
Related Questions
Does Purple Shampoo Damage Your Hair?
Purple shampoo will not necessarily damage hair, but it can be drying if used too often or left on for too long and if it is not a salon-quality shampoo. Leaving purple shampoo on hair for too long can also cause hair to take on a purple tone.
What Happens If You Use Purple Shampoo Too Often?
Using purple shampoo too often can lead to your hair taking on an ashy tone. It could also cause your hair to appear darker and duller, which is really quite the opposite of what you would be wanting to achieve.
What Color Cancels Out Yellow?
On the opposite end of the color wheel from yellow is purple, which is why purple shampoo is used to neutralize yellow tones. The same can be said for neutralizing purple, yellow can help to cancel purple too.
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