How To Use Purple Shampoo: Expert Tips Explained + Product Recs

Every once in a while, the social media masses will discover a beauty product and treat it like it's bright and shiny and new. But of course, when you go to chat with the experts about the trend, they'll be the first to tell you: This has been a not-so-secret pro tip for years.

This was the case with Instagram contouring (makeup artists have been contouring their celebrity clients for decades upon decades) or even rice water rinses (a tradition that has an ancient history). And it's now the case with at-home toning shampoos. 

Purple shampoos have made a big wave lately, resulting in loads of hacks, questions, and questionable hacks. But as any hairstylist or colorist will tell you, color-correcting pigments have been a professional trick for practically as long as people have been coloring their hair in salons. However, they've gained more mainstream popularity—as well as more at-home product offerings have become more widely accessible—in the past several years. 

Purple shampoos are one type of color toning product. You've likely heard of the color wheel (go ahead and Google should you need to), and according to color theory, shades on the opposite side of the circle cancel each other out. That's the science behind toning shampoos.

"We use toners to enhance dull tones or cancel unwanted tones," says hairstylist Natasha Speth. "When we are canceling unwanted tones, we refer to our faithful color wheel to select the proper tones. We would use complementary colors to cancel out unwanted tones." The basics of at-home toning are using violet for yellow, green for red, or blue for orange. "For instance, if a light blonde with soft golden undertones would prefer to be an icy white blonde, we may use a violet base toner or send them home with a violet-based shampoo and conditioner." 

In short, anyone with unwanted yellow undertones can use a purple shampoo. People who commonly experience yellow undertones are those who have lifted their hair or have lighter hair, such as blondes, platinums, and silver strands.

Of course many blondes want yellow hues—creating more of a golden and wheat-toned look—but for those looking for icy aesthetics, yellow can be very much an issue. This very common for those who bleach their hair, as the strands can pick up yellow and orange tones with time.

Additionally, purple shampoo can be helpful for those with naturally light hair, too! Even natural blondes can develop stains due to pollution, water, smoking, and so on. Purple shampoo can help the hair appear lighter.