Blog

Oct 18, 2024

14 Best Purple Shampoos for Blonde Hair (Tested & Reviewed 2024)

Notes from a picky beauty editor who's been blonde her entire life. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise. I've been a blonde for most of my

Notes from a picky beauty editor who's been blonde her entire life.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.

I've been a blonde for most of my life (albeit for a few quick stints when I was simply not myself) and I won't lie to you...it’s super high-maintenance. Besides the constant root touch-ups and weekly deep conditioning masks, if you use the wrong shampoo your beautiful blonde can turn yellow, orange, or dull after a few washes. Which is why I've tried basically every purple shampoo for blonde hair that's ever been released. Like... ever. Why purple shampoo, you ask? Well the purple pigments in purple shampoo help cancel out brassy tones (like yellow or orange) to keep your hair color looking bright and fresh. Oh, and it works on all shades of blonde, from platinum to dark blonde, too.

I decided to rank all of my favorites, from my most moisturizing picks to ultra-clarifying options, from my least favorite to the absolute best-of-the-best. Don't get me wrong, I like every single one on this list for different reasons, but my #1 pick is seriously the GOAT. Before I give too much away, though, here's a sneak peek:

Keep scrolling for the full list of the best purple shampoos for blonde hair that'll keep your hair lookin' fresh AF. And because I love you, I also included a ton of really important info on purple shampoo, including how often to use one and how to choose the best formula for yourself. So make sure you read that too, bbs.

Sensitive, irritation-prone scalps, rejoice! This formula is free of sulfates, parabens, and even gluten, and instead, coats your hair in a mix of amino acids and proteins to help strengthen and hydrate the hell outta your hair. It actually leaves my hair moisturized (even before I smooth on conditioner), and the rich violet tone gets rid of legit every hint of yellow or orange in my blonde.

Glowing customer review: "For a purple shampoo, this isn't drying at all. It tones just enough for my hair. The smell was a little strong first, but I got used to it and actually like it now. I love that most of the DpHue products don't contain any pore-cloggers, so safe for acne prone skin."

If you're so annoyed of purple shampoos drying out the eff outta your dry hair (because, unfortch, they're usually filled with strong cleansers that strip your hair), you prob haven't given this formula a go yet. Truly, it's the most moisturizing purple shampoo I've ever, ever, ever put on my head. A duo of coconut oil and shea butter coat your bleached hair, locking in all of that hydration so you don't lose any of it during the shampoo process.

For my oily hair, it's def too heavy to use often, but I love it directly after highlight appointments when my hair feels especially ~parched~. But for dry, thick, coarse blondes? Your new bestie. <3

Glowing customer review: "Works amazingly well. It looked like my daughter's highlights were just re-done. The smell is amazing, and her hair was soft and shiny. 100 percent."

You've prob heard of hyaluronic acid in your face serum to plump and hydrate your skin. But what about your hair? In this purple shampoo, it actually can help strengthen your hair fiber from the inside out (not to nerd out, but it essentially pulls water into your hair to reduce dryness and brittleness), plus it hydrates your scalp.

All the while, it's a v potent violet color that seriously counteracts any yellow and orange tones in your hair. Just don’t get extra with the application time—leave this one on for two minutes max before rinsing and conditioning or it could, err, kinda turn your hair purple—it’s that strong.

Glowing customer review: "Works amazingly well. It looked like my daughter's highlights were just re-done. The smell is amazing, and her hair was soft and shiny. 100 percent."

If you've got thin, fine hair, lemme introduce you to the MVP of this purple shampoo formula: rosemary oil. While more research is needed to definitively say if it can grow your hair longer, it's fab for scalp health, as it's extremely soothing and hydrating. And as you prob know, the key to thicker hair is a healthier scalp.

It's also got jojoba oil and aloe vera to lightly moisturize your fine strands without weighing them down. For the perfect icy-blonde hue, lather this shampoo into your hair, then let it sit for five minutes (don’t worry; your hair won’t take in too much of the color) before rinsing.

Glowing customer review: "This is amazing! I absolutely love it and so does everybody else. It's great quality and lasts forever. I'd definitely buy this again, and I tell everybody about it. I'm very impressed with everything about this, and I don't have any complaints. I love it!"

Make any shampoo a purple shampoo with these toning drops. It’s a special serum that’s formulated to tone any and all brassiness. It’s pretty easy to use too—add one to five drops depending on the level of toning you want, into your shampoo (or conditioner, leave-in conditioner, deep conditioner, curl cream—whatever), mix it in your palm, then apply!

Glowing customer review: "Whoa!! The brassiness is GONE... It just made my blondes seem brighter and whatever yellow I had from the well water is no more, and it had no adverse affect on my lowlights whatsoever. If they stop making this, I will cry! I will be using this at least once a week to keep the brassiness out of my hair. I LOVE this stuff!"

When my blonde hair is on the darker, more honey-toned side, it can look so dull and drab in between salon appointments. But! This purple shampoo gives it just enough oomph, thanks to the cocktail of blue spirulina and violet extract in the formula that all the yellow tones in my hair. But it also leaves my hair majorly shiny and smooth with banana flower extract and sunflower seed oil.

Glowing customer review: "My strawberry-blonde hair was looking especially brassy after a summer of swimming with chlorine buildup and sun damage. I used this a few times, and my hair looks much better. This shampoo/conditioner is very restoring and made my hair feel better and took the brassiness out. As an added bonus, this smells wonderful too."

If you got highlights in high school and didn't immediately pick this up at Sally's Beauty Supply... did you even get highlights? Sure, this is an oldie, but she's still def a goodie if you haven't used it in a while, especially if you need something quick and affordable. Just read one of the 9,200+ positive reviews on Amazon that rave about how shiny and bright it makes their hair. It's a godsend for those with cool-toned blonde hair, since it seriously tones. Hack: If you do highlights at home, try coating your hair in this shampoo for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse and load up with a deep conditioner. It'll bring down any brassiness for a fraction of the price of a typical toner.

Glowing customer review: "This shampoo/conditioner was recommended to me by a hair stylist and it works wonderfully for a fraction of the cost of high end brands. Don’t get me wrong, I love high end brands, but this stuff competes with them. Highly recommend!"

Fun fact: This is the purple shampoo in my parents' shower at home, so I use it every single time I go home to the lovely state of Ohio. My mom refuses to use any other purple shampoo on her highlights (according to her, it's the only one that cleans her scalp while simultaneously brightening her blonde but not her grays—an important distinction, she says).

I do not have grays, but I do agree that it's fantastic for cleansing. Prob because it has salicylic acid to exfoliate my scalp and help break down all the oils and buildup. If you have very dry hair, be warned that this formula can be fairly drying, but I just load up on hydrators afterward and am g2g.

Glowing customer review: "I have tried countless purple shampoos to get rid of brassiness and yellow dullness on my naturally blonde, highlighted, mature hair, and this is the first one to do the job in one wash! Also used the conditioner, and I’m a fan. So glad I ordered!"

If you've dyed your hair blonde, you also prob have damaged hair. It's a two-for-one deal, sry. But this purple shampoo is also a two-for-one deal, combining brass-neutralizing violet pigments proteins to help strengthen your hair. No, one suds won't magically repair years worth of bleach damage (nothing can do that, aside from a whole lotta hair-bonding treatments), but it can help slowly make your hair a bit more resilient. Plus, this formula also uses MVP sealant, coconut oil, to help lock in hydration to help prevent moisture loss—a key for smooth, shiny hair.

Glowing customer review: "I am a dirty blonde who gets a balayage every three to four months, so keeping the color is a job in itself. This purple shampoo is so gentle on my hair, not drying it out or stripping it of its natural shine while maintaining my color. It also doesn't have an overpowering chemical scent like most do. Highly recommend."

I'm currently rockin' the above, neutral-leaning-cool blonde, which is the coolest (and blondest) my hair's been in a very long time. I wanted to ease back into regular purple shampoo use to keep my hair bright without totally drying it out, and immediately started lathering up with this Oribe formula. Of everything I've tested, it's the most gentle, with olive oil, jojoba oil, and lemon extracts to help hydrate my hair while keeping my blonde color vivid. I'm able to use it twice a week, and I actually can just follow with a regular conditioner, which is fab. But! When I wanna really add some coolness to my hair, I finish it off with the Oribe Bright Blonde Radiance & Repair Hair Treatment.

Glowing customer review: "After the first use of the purple shampoo it definitely did its job. It for one made my hair super soft and it eliminated most of the brassy tones. If I had the conditioner it would be absolutely perfect! Def recommend."

Excuse this bb-era selfie of me, but I needed to demonstrate just how long I've sworn by this shampoo (um, it's been a whopping six years). You've been warned, though: This formula isn't for the faint of heart, since it's loaded with the strongest sulfates that can be majorly drying. But as someone with v oily hair, I'm obsessed with how deep this formula cleans my scalp, washing away all the dry shampoo and mousse gunked up in my roots. And the deep purple color seriously helps cut down on the orange hue my hair loves to fade to.

Since this formula is so strong, I usually reserve it to a once-a-month wash. I'll suds up my roots, leave it on for about a minute, then rinse and follow with a deep conditioner to moisturize my ends. Truly, I have my best hair days afterward every single time.

Glowing customer review: "I've tried so many purple shampoos & really love this one and will be sticking to it. I enjoy the scent and definitly see a fresh brighter difference after I wash with it."

Okay, SO, Cosmo contributor Hannah Smothers is verrrry into Fanola No Yellow Shampoo for her blonde hair, and she's, like, extremely picky. According to her review on the shampoo, one wash of this ultra-pigmented formula took down her brassiness. (But beware that it will prob stain your white shower curtain in the process.) It's also sulfate-free and loaded with a mix of keratin, wheat protein, and silk amino acids to possibly help reinforce weakened hair follicles.

Glowing customer review: "This shampoo and the accompanying conditioner is wonderful! My silver hair has the tendency to yellow, but this shampoo neutralizes it completely. Plus, I can add in some purple tint if I chose to leave it on longer (BONUS!!). I think that it must be the pH level that makes all the difference, because my hair is soft, shiny, full of life, with no scalp irritation at all!"

When my hair was over-processed to hell, Olaplex No.4P was my saving grace. Not only does this pigmented purple shampoo brighten up my blonde highlights (like, my blonde simply could not look better in the photo above), but it actually helps heal the damage I did to get it to look so good in the first place. It uses the patented Olaplex technology that rebuilds the weakened and broken bonds in your hair strand from bleaching, chemical treatments, hot tools—ya know, all the things you love that your hair doesn't.

The purple tone of this shampoo also isn't overly pigmented that it practically dyes my hair purple nor stains my hands and shower in the process, which I love. It's great for making my blonde hair ~pop~ in between highlight appointments without needing to constantly book additional toning visits.

Glowing customer review: "I love this product. Keeps my visits to the salon a lot less. It really does brighten within use. I don’t like that it makes my hair a tad bit dry, but I do use a mask twice a week that helps aid that!"

No matter if I have platinum-blonde hair, dark-blonde hair, a few highlights, or a natural balayage, I've probably got a bottle of this purple shampoo in my shower. It's truly the best formula I've ever used for toning my hair, whether I leave it on for max de-brass-ifying or just a quick shampoo to brighten my hair.

The liquid-y formula is free of the harshest sulfates (yay), but still contains some strong cleansers to give my scalp a deep wash. But it's also got a slew of moisturizing and sealing oils and butters (hi, castor seed oil, avocado oil, and mango seed butter) to help avoid any dryness.

Glowing customer review: "This product is so good and took out all of the orange/yellow in my hair! Left it so soft and so shiny! I would recommend this product to everyone blonde and even light brown hair."

"Purple shampoo is designed with violet pigments that latch onto the surface of your hair to help minimize the appearance of yellow or brassy tones on hair," says Mondo. He explains that this works because purple is the opposite of yellow on the color wheel, essentially causing the pigment to cancel out the unwanted tones. "When the natural yellow in blonde hair is covered by the violet pigment, it gives you a more neutral, or even ash tone, as a result," Mondo says.And fun fact: Purple shampoo works on a variety of light colors, including classic blonde, as well as balayaged and highlighted hair, and even gray, silver, and white shades, says Mondo.

"How often you use it depends on the level of toning needed and health of your hair," says Mondo. He explains that the shampoo can be used as a regular shampoo, or it can be left on for longer if you want a stronger toner effect. First, determine how much toning your blonde hair needs and go from there.

It's a simple process, explains Morgan. "Massage the shampoo in your hands until it suds up, and then apply it to wet hair," he says. "Massage the product throughout the hair and leave on for one to five minutes depending on the level of brassiness."

Mondo warns that because purple shampoo deposits pigment onto the hair, if you use it too often, or keep it on too long, your hair can turn a little too purple, especially if it's particularly dry or damaged. To avoid this, he recommends using the product until the desired level of tone is achieved, and then "weekly, or every other week, for maintenance."

"Make sure to use a purple conditioner after your purple shampoo," says Mondo. (Two of my favorites? Bumble and Bumble's Illuminated Blonde Purple Conditioner and Morrocanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Conditioner.) "Shampoo is mainly focused on the root area, so you want to make sure you're also covering those ends with that violet pigment to ensure even results from roots to ends." Morgan agrees, explaining that sometimes these shampoos can be drying to some hair textures, so he prefers to follow up with a hydrating hair mask.

"Contrary to popular belief, purple shampoo doesn't actually lighten your hair," says Mondo. "Instead, it deposits purple pigments to neutralize warm tones, making it appear brighter," he adds. And as much as it's possible to overuse the shampoo, temporarily giving your hair a purple hue, in other cases, "you may not see desired results until two or three uses of purple shampoo," says Morgan.

It's important to understand that purple shampoo will work differently on all hair types. This is particularly the case if you have dry, bleached, or color-treated hair. Considering many people in the market for purple shampoo have chemically processed hair, it's important to know that you can actually overuse the shampoo, resulting in more of a purple tinting rather than a toning. The best way to avoid this? Start slow and work up from there if you find your hair needs it.

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair stories that range from Scandi hairline trend and hair-growth shampoos. She's an authority in all hair categories, but is an expert when it comes to purple shampoos for blonde hair, considering she's been testing formulas to get rid of hard-water-induced brassiness basically her entire life.

Siena Gagliano is an associate editor at Cosmopolitan who writes beauty and has four years of experience writing about beauty, fashion, and lifestyle news, including the best shampoos for thinning hair and chlorine-removal shampoos.

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.

Siena Gagliano is the associate editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers beauty, fashion, travel, and lifestyle. Wanna know how to get the best brows of your life? Gotchu. What about how to find the best fashion deals of the season, the softest sheets on the market, or exactly how to use retinol without irritating your skin? Check, check, and check. Before joining Cosmopolitan, Siena was a writer at Bustle and several other media outlets. As her 2024 goal, she has vowed to find the best (extra) dirty martini NYC has to offer—and yes, that means ~attempting~ to try every cute cocktail spot in the city (hit her up with some recs, pls). Follow Siena on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at that magazine life.

PSA: These Dry Shampoos Won't Weigh Down Fine Hair

The Top Conditioners for Every Curl Type

Sabrina’s Go-To Curling Iron Is on Major Sale Rn!!

I Can't Believe This Viral Hair Tool Is on Sale???

Freaking Out Bc Viviscal is Finally on Sale

Olaplex Hive, Rise: These Are 12 Best Products

Exactly How Often You Should Be Washing Your Hair

Our Editors Swear by These Frizz-Fighting Shampoos

A Definitive Breakdown of Every Curly Hair Type

How to Grow Your Hair Super Freaking Long—and Fast

The $30 Secret to Addison Rae’s VMAs Glass Hair

Presenting: Drugstore Shampoos That Srsly Deliver