Byrdie
TL;DR
Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Shampoo is our favorite purple shampoo that we tested. Every time we used it, our hair looked noticeably brighter, and the shampoo effectively cleaned our scalp while leaving our hair nourished and moisturized. For a budget-friendly pick, we recommend Kristin Ess The One Purple Shampoo, which worked just as well as professional formulas.
Anyone who bleaches their hair knows it's a serious commitment if you want to keep it looking good and healthy—from regular salon visits to repairing treatments. Since bleached hair naturally develops yellow and golden tones, those who prefer a cool-toned, ash-blonde shade must also fight to keep brass at bay. That's where purple shampoo comes in—an at-home solution to keep your hair looking freshly toned. "Purple shampoo works by neutralizing any unwanted yellow or warm tones to your blonde or gray hair," says hairstylist Carolyn J. Gahan. Yes, that's right, even those who are naturally blonde or silver can benefit from using purple shampoo.
Finding a purple shampoo that complements your hair type and color isn't straightforward. So, to help you narrow the results, we conducted hours of research and tested dozens of picks ourselves. We used each purple shampoo multiple times over six weeks, noting how well they lifted brassy tones, hydrated the hair, and more. We then consulted multiple stylists and color experts for professional insight and recommendations to compile this list.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
Nexxus Blonde Assure Shampoo
Cleanses buildup well without over-drying or causing irritation
Saw noticeable results with each use
Nourishing formula
Chemical-like smell
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Citrus | Size: 8.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: No
This formula gets top honors from us for its rich, hydrating formula—and, of course, the fresh blonde shade it leaves behind. Formulated with keratin protein for softer hair and violet pigments to balance brassiness, this pick from Nexxus checked all of our boxes while testing. It has a perfect lather and is easy to spread on the scalp, and it didn’t stain our hands at all while washing. Our tester, Ciara, loved that it cleansed thoroughly but didn’t leave her hair fine feeling dry and lifeless (as many purple shampoos are guilty of doing). In fact, she noticed her hair felt even more nourished and healthy than it did with her standard shampoo. Ciara saw a noticeable difference with each use—her hair color felt brighter and lighter without becoming too cool or purple. Brassy and yellow shades that were present before completely disappeared.
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Ciara, tester with fine hair bleached blonde highlights: "I'm due for a highlight refresh, and this shampoo made me feel more confident by making my highlights look lighter in the last couple of weeks before my hair appointment."
Best Budget
Kristin Ess The One Shampoo
Affordable
Washes out easily, doesn’t leave any residue
Works on both blonde and brunette tones
Can be a little drying
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Amber, magnolia, and pear | Size: 10 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes
If you frequently lighten your hair blonde, it’s pretty easy to make your way through bottles of purple shampoo—so you’ll want one that you don’t have to budget for. We recommend this one from Kristin Ess, which you can get for under $15. It can be used on both blonde and brunette shades to keep the color fresh and is a great pick if you like to stick to an ashy tone. Our tester, Alicia, loved that it didn’t stain her hands or leave an unpleasant smell behind. Best of all, it gave her a light and bright shade of blonde without any brassiness. While it did feel a bit drying, she counteracted it with a nourishing hair mask.
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Alicia, tester with wavy hair and bleached blonde highlights: "I am thrilled with the bright and light shade of blonde my highlights have now since using this purple shampoo. It definitely helped to counteract the brassy tones my highlights were having."
Best Hydrating
Amika Bust Your Brass Shampoo
Made hair moisturized and shinier
Repairs and strengthens
Also tones gray and lavender shades
Scent may be too strong for some
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Amber vanilla | Size: 8 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Purple shampoos aren’t always the most hydrating products—many options are known to strip the hair of its natural oils. However, this nourishing pick from Amika is just what bleached or damaged hair needs—our tester, Elise, was shocked at how soft her hair felt after rinsing it out, thanks to ingredients like quinoa protein and plant butters (mango and shea). While the shampoo itself is very pigmented, it never stained or turned Elise's hair purple. It’s a great shampoo choice if you want your color to look cool and frosty, especially if you have silver or lavender tones. Our favorite part of using this shampoo was that our shade seemed to get brighter and brighter each day after washing—leaving Elise with hair that looked fresh and healthy.
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Elise, tester with long, bleached gray/blonde hair: "I can confidently say that this shampoo is worth the splurge. It leaves my hair cooler-toned, softer, and more moisturized than all the others; it's easier to wash out and doesn't stain."
Best for Gray Hair
Better Not Younger Silver Lining Purple Brightening Shampoo
Brightens gray hair without making it purple
Made hair feel more silky and manageable
Adds volume and shine
Bottle is difficult to twist open
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Floral | Size: 8.4 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Purple shampoo isn’t only for blondes—it’s a great way for those with natural grays to keep brassiness at bay. Better Not Younger’s sulfate-free shampoo was formulated with aging hair in mind, containing ingredients that will hydrate and strengthen the hair (including biotin and bamboo extract). Our tester, Holly, loved its smell and soft lather. She left it in for four minutes so the formula could absorb into her hair, and it didn’t leave any staining or purple tints behind. With continued use, Holly saw that her naturally gray hair was softer, smoother overall, and even looked thicker and more voluminous. The best part? The yellow tones in her hair have noticeably faded, leaving behind color that looks vibrant.
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Holly, tester with thick, naturally gray hair: "Much to my surprise, this shampoo reversed the brassiness I noticed in my hair color. After weeks of use, my hair feels more silky and manageable, too."
Best Shine-Enhancing
dpHUE Cool Blonde Shampoo
Imparts noticeably shinier finish
Salon-quality results
Great smell
Could be more hydrating
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Clean | Size: 8.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes
If you want to look like you just left the salon every time you wash your hair, you’ll love this purple shampoo from dpHUE. After use, our tester, Grace's, hair was smooth, soft, and shiny with a luminous color. The paraben- and sulfate-free formula has violet pigments and silk proteins to nourish and tone brassiness, and it didn’t strip her hair even after two shampoos. It also has a great, clean scent, enhancing the user experience. Grace loved that it evened out the tones of her hair without a purple tint. Also nice: It's great for those with fine, delicate hair since it cleanses gently without stripping the scalp.
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Grace, tester with 1C hair and blonde highlights: "This was by far the best purple shampoo I have tried for the price. Others I have tried in a similar price range did not lather as well or left your hair with a purple hue. This product lathered great and you only have to use a small amount and perfectly evened out the tone of your hair."
Best for Highlights
IGK Blonde POP Shampoo
Safe and effective for chemically treated hair
Hydrates for hair that looks smoother overall
Cleanses the scalp well
Can slightly stain the shower
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Unscented | Size: 8 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes
If you have blonde highlights and think you can get away with using a regular shampoo only, think again. Adding a toning purple shampoo into your wash day routine can extend the life of your color, so you can add some time between salon touch-ups. We tested this shampoo from IGK on highlights, and we saw a noticeable difference each time. There were no instructions about leaving it in for a certain time period, so we just washed it out immediately—and it was still able to lift brassiness with each wash. It has a hydrating formula that doesn’t irritate the scalp, but it still cleans as well as your standard shampoo. After multiple uses, our tester, Cara, noticed that her hair felt softer and less dry.
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Cara, tester with wavy, highlighted hair: "I really like how clean my scalp feels after using this and how bright my blonde looks. My hair looks like it did when I first got it done."
Best for Thick Hair
Kérastase Blond Absolu Purple Shampoo
Only need a little bit to wash thick hair
Hydrating
Doesn’t leave a residue
Have to follow up with a normal shampoo if you have a lot of product buildup
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: No | Scent: Unscented | Size: 8.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: No
Thick hair needs hydration more than anything, and this purple shampoo from Kérastase has hyaluronic acid to do exactly that. It’s also formulated with antioxidant-rich flower extracts to protect the hair from damage. Our tester, Sarah, loved that it was easy to spread around the hair and the scalp, so she didn’t need to use an excessive amount to cover her long, thick hair. It also did an amazing job of cleansing without overdrying or leaving a residue behind. Sarah left the shampoo on for five minutes and it gave her bleached color an icy finish. While you can use it as a standalone shampoo, we recommend following up with your standard shampoo if you have a good amount of scalp buildup or do intense, sweaty exercise.
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Sarah, a tester with thick, bleached blonde hair: "I like my hair really icy, and this did a great job of achieving that. Plus, a little goes a long way, ensuring the bottle lasts a while."
Best for Sensitive Scalps
Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo
Cleanses thoroughly without irritating or drying out the scalp
Effective on all hair types and textures
Able to protect hair from damage
Has a great smell that we wish lasted longer
Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Pear, rose, and sandalwood | Size: 9 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes
Purple shampoos are infamous for causing irritation and dryness, so finding one that caters to sensitive scalps is not always easy. However, this pick from Pureology was one of the least irritating options we tested—it didn’t make our tester Danielle's scalp tingle. The sulfate-free formula has a rich lather that cleanses deeply without leaving a residue, and Danielle said her hair felt clean for a while after using it. It lifted the brassiness as promised, and the great scent was another bonus. Danielle loved that it came with so much product (you can get around 75 washes—depending on length and texture, of course—in a single bottle).
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Danielle, tester with wavy, highlighted hair: "I like how my hair looks. I would recommend this to someone looking for a staple purple shampoo."
What to Look for When Buying Purple Shampoos
A good purple shampoo will keep your blonde hair bright sans brassiness. To determine which purple shampoo is right for you, keep the following factors in mind.
- Purple Tone: Purple tones and violet pigments aren't all the same, so they can have varying effects at neutralizing unwanted warmth. Ultra dark violet shades are better for completely canceling out any warm tones while shampoos with a light purple shade are a safer bet for those who want to slightly tone their hair without making it too cool or ashy. "If your hair is more of a brassy orange or warm brunette, purple is too light," says colorist Sabrina Yamani Yamga. "So you'll want to opt for a blue shampoo."
- Your Blonde Shade: Your particular shade of blonde matters, as does whether you dye or bleach your hair or have naturally light-colored locks. For instance, very light blondes will want to look for something that minimizes yellow and brings out cool tones. When it comes to silver or gray hair, pro hairstylist Shelly Aguirre says to look for something that promises an icier finish.
- Ingredients: As Yamga notes, purple shampoos can be drying, so look for products containing hydrating ingredients like argan oil, shea butter, and keratin amino acids. These ensure hair is soft, smooth, and shiny after washing.
How We Tested Purple Shampoos
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We evaluated purple shampoos over the course of six weeks to determine our top picks. Below are the elements we kept in mind while testing each formula:
- Application: Purple shampoo should be easy to apply to work efficiently. We took note of how well each product lathered and spread onto our hair and scalp, paying attention to how much time it took to deliver results. We also observed any remaining residue or smell, docking points if a shampoo stained our showers or hands purple.
- Cleansing Ability: While purple shampoo’s primary purpose is maintaining hair’s blondeness, it must also cleanse effectively. As such, we noted how clean our hair and scalp felt after using each product, paying attention to how easy (or difficult) it was to wash out. We also disqualified options that seemed to strip our hair’s natural oils or cause irritation.
- Effectiveness: Purple shampoo has the primary purpose of toning blonde hair, so it’s essential to select one that gets the job done. We noted how happy we were with the look of our hair after using each product, tracking if the shampoo corrected any brassiness or yellow tones. We also noted when products worked a little too well, removing options that left our hair tone looking too cool or purple.
- Overall Results: We observed each purple shampoo’s effects on naturally light and dyed blonde hair. We tracked additional benefits each shampoo offered, such as added nourishment and shine. For those of us with dyed hair, we also considered when a particular shampoo caused our color to fade prematurely.
Meet Our Experts
We talked to several experts to ensure we're recommending the best purple shampoos, including:
- Carolyn J. Gahan is a creative colorist with extensive blonde and hair-lightening experience.
- Sabrina Yamani Yamga is an award-winning colorist and extension specialist at Space by Alex Brown in Chicago.
- Shelly Aguirre is a professional stylist who works in Chicago's Maxine Salon. Aguirre has over a decade of experience teaching at salons and tradeshows.
Why Trust Byrdie
Shannon Stubbs is a writer at Byrdie, where she covers beauty. She’s frequently trying new skincare, makeup, and hair care products to recommend the best of the best to readers. In addition to guidance from our experts, she considered insights from Byrdie's testers to narrow down this list of the best purple shampoos.
According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find any purple shampoos from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com and we will evaluate the product ASAP.
