The Best Purple Shampoo of 2021

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The rumors are true: blondes really do have more fun. I mean, take a look at all of these celebs who have gone platinum and haven’t looked back. But with great blonde-ness comes great responsibility—and that involves keeping the brass at bay by using purple shampoo. Things like exposure to sunlight, styling tools, and hair products can begin to make your blonde look duller and more yellow and using purple shampoo can offset that. Also, it’s important to note that purple shampoo isn’t just for blondes—it’s for gray and silver hair, too!

 

Aside from the fact that it looks cute while you’re lathering it in your hair, there is a science behind the purple. Colors opposite each other on the color wheel tend to cancel each other out. Any guesses on what cancels out yellow? Spoiler alert: it’s purple. With so many purple shampoo brands out there, it can be overwhelming to choose just one. Typically, the best rule of thumb is the lighter the color purple, the less subtle results will be. It’s also important to keep in mind that most purple shampoo brands recommend using it 1-2 times per week and letting it sit in your hair for 1-3 minutes depending on your desired outcome.

We’re hair ( 😉) for you with the best purple shampoos out there so you can decide which one is purple-y perfect for you.

The Best Purple Shampoos You Can Buy

The Best Overall Purple Shampoo: L’Oreal Paris EverPure Brass Toning Purple Shampoo and Conditioner

Price: $13.98

This shampoo and conditioner duo from L’Oreal has everything you need in a purple shampoo. Not only is it at a great price point at around $14, but it also smells amazing (like, get-your-hair-professionally-done amazing). This shampoo and conditioner is also sulfate and paren-free, vegan, and infused with hibiscus to leave your hair totally moisturized. Need we say more?

 

The Best Purple Shampoo for Blonde Hair: OGX Blonde Enhanced + Purple Toning Shampoo

Price: $7.47

Keep your blonde at its best with this purple toning shampoo from OGX. The highly-pigmented formula will extend the life of your color and will allow you to personalize your tone—just use as often or as little as you’d like to determine the amount of toning power it has on your locks. The best part? The hints of blood orange, papaya butter, and coconut milk will invigorate your senses.

 

The Best Purple Shampoo for Gray or Silver Hair: Matrix Total Results So Silver Purple Shampoo

Price: $17.00

Rockin’ the silver look? We’re jealous. But it’s just as important to take care of gray or silver hair as it is for blondes.. This purple shampoo from Matrix is great for blondes too, but is especially great at eliminating any yellow tones from gray or silver hair. Their claim to fame? You’ll see the removal of brassy, yellow undertones after just ONE wash.

 

The Best Keratin Purple Shampoo: Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Shampoo

Price: $11.97

When it comes to hair care, Keratin protein is the holy grail—it helps with hair growth, frizziness, appearance, and overall hair health. This Nexxus purple shampoo is infused with protein-rich Keratin and violet pigments to help keep your color brass-free while repairing and revitalizing your hair.

 

The Best Vegan Purple Shampoo: Fanola No Yellow Purple Shampoo

Price: $14.99

Your food is animal-free, so why shouldn’t your shampoo be? This insta-famous purple shampoo from Fanola is all-natural made with coconut oil to prevent breakage and enriched with hypoallergenic Tiare flower. It’s a vegan purple shampoo without compromising healthy, happy, and brass-free hair.

 

The Best Sulfate-Free Purple Shampoo: Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Purple Shampoo

Price: $32.00

You can’t get much purer than this Pureology purple shampoo. It contains zero sulfates, parabens, is vegan, and totally natural with ingredients like Keravis to strengthen your hair and Astaxanthin to help heal and repair. As for the toning properties, Pureology uses Purple Orchid for its natural purple coloring that calms down brassiness for a cooler tone. This shampoo also involves a little bit of aromatherapy, too, with scents like pear, rose, and sandalwood.

 

The Best Value Purple Shampoo: L’Oreal Paris Elvive Anti-Brassiness Purple Shampoo

Price: $3.97

If you’re just getting into the purple shampoo game, you probably won’t want to spend a ton of money on shampoo while you get the hang of it. This L’Oreal Elvive shampoo is extremely budget-friendly coming in at just under $4 for a well-known brand you know and trust. You won’t be sacrificing anything for the price with this shampoo—its purple pigments work to neutralize orange and yellow tones and nourish hair in just one use.

 

The Best Smelling Purple Shampoo: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo

Price: $24.00

Okay, if we’re being honest, we don’t want to use a shampoo that doesn’t leave our hair smelling like the goddesses that we are. Moroccanoil products notoriously smell amazing, and this Blonde Perfecting purple shampoo is no exception. Its iconic scent of spicy amber, musk, and sweet florals will have you swooning with every wash.

This shampoo brings a lot more to the table than just it’s scent, though. This purple shampoo uses violent pigments to counteract unwanted yellow and orange tones while utilizing ArganID technology to help seal hair’s cuticles and give hair unbelievable shine.

 

The Best Salon-Quality Purple Shampoo: Clairol Shimmer Lights Professional Hair Care Kit

Price: $25.74

As much as we may try, there really is nothing like getting your hair done at a salon by a professional. This Clairol Shimmer Lights purple shampoo is the closest you’ll get to getting professional looking hair without stepping foot into a salon. It’s specifically formulated with protein and color-enhancing ingredients to moisturize your hair and keep brassiness toned alllll the way down. But don’t take our word for it—Clairol Shimmer Lights was named one of The Very Best Beauty Products by Elle magazin!

 

The Best Cutting-Edge Purple Shampoo: Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo

Price: $18.99

Everything else in our lives is tech-savvy, so we might as well include our shampoo in that category, too. This amazing purple shampoo has everything you’d expect out of a purple shampoo including violet pigments, UV absorbers, and even green tea extract to protect your color from pollution. But unlike any other purple shampoo you’ve used, Joico uses its one-of-a-kind SmartRelease Technology—a liposome delivery system that continuously releases healthy hair ingredients like rosehip oil, arginine, and keratin. 

 

The Best Splurge Purple Shampoo: Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo

Price: $35.00 (on sale for $29.74)

Coming in at $35, this shampoo is definitely a splurge but well worth your money. The Kérastase Blond Absolu shampoo not only nourishes and illuminates your hair, but instantly neutralizes any yellow or orange undertones to keep your blonde as cool as can be. This purple shampoo takes it to the next level with ingredients like hyaluronic acid to strengthen hair and prevent breakage, antioxidant-rich edelweiss flower to protect against damage and soften hair fibers, and UV neutralizers to remove unwanted brassiness. Go ahead, treat yo’ self (and your hair).

 

Which Purple Shampoo is best for your Life & Style?

 

Whether your hair is naturally blonde or silver or if you attained the color with a little help from your stylist friends, purple shampoo is the key to long lasting, healthy hair color. Regardless of which one you choose, it’s important to remember the longer you let the shampoo sit in your hair (and the more often you use it) the more it will remove brassiness. Aside from that, the best purple shampoo for you depends on what’s important to you! Whether you’re passionate about choosing a vegan shampoo, one that’s free from sulfates and parabens, or one that just simply smells yummy, there’s a purple shampoo for you on this list.