Is purple shampoo a toner?

Purple shampoo acts as a toner to get rid of brassy tones all while saving you a trip to the salon. Purple shampoo will help return your hair to a cooler-toned blonde with a freshly-dyed look. Purple shampoo is a key factor in helping dyed blonde hair maintain it's desired color.

How long can you leave purple shampoo in my hair?

Purple shampoo can be left on for up to 15-20 minutes, depending on desired level of cool/white blonde. If you are looking to take on a heavy brass tint in the hair, use hair tools such as a comb to work the purple shampoo evenly through your hair to ensure full coverage. Beware, wearing purple shampoo in the hair for an extended period of time can (and often will) leave a lavender tint behind.

Can you use regular conditioner after using purple shampoo?

Technically, yes. Purple shampoo does a majority of the work and a regular conditioner wont erase what magic the purple shampoo has just created. But, using a purple shampoo is often the more desirable route as the final step of locking in the perfect blonde and ridding of brassiness.

The 13 Best Products for Blonde Hair of 2023

They say blondes have more fun, and while we can't confirm that, we can confirm that the upkeep attached to being a blonde isn't always fun. The process of going blonde involves lifting your natural hair color to make room for a new color. With that, any underlying natural warmth will begin to peek through in the form of yellow, orange, or red tones. Post-salon hair is fabulous, but that often comes to a halt once the warm tones start to make an appearance. How do you protect your blonde locks, you may ask? By arming yourself with an arsenal of color-saving products.

Fortunately, there are plenty of stellar masks, shampoos, and conditioning treatments on the market specifically formulated to make your journey easier that much easier. With the help of colorist Mark DeBolt, we found the best products maintain your most gorgeous shade of blonde.

Keep reading to see the best brass-fighting products for blondes that are worth buying.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask Baby Blonde at Nordstrom

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Best Budget:

L'Oreal EverPure Reviving Treatment at Amazon

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Best Splurge:

Shu Uemura Yūbi Blonde Anti-Brass Purple Mask for Blonde Hair at Sephora

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Best Purple Shampoo:

Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo at Amazon

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Best Silver Shampoo:

Schwarzkopf Bonacure Color Save Silver Shampoo at Amazon

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Best Conditioner:

Evo Fabuloso Colour Boosting Treatment at Amazon

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Best Mask:

Naissant Perla Beige Hair Treatment Mask at Amazon

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Best Leave-In Treatment:

It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Leave-In for Blondes at Amazon

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Best Strengthening:

Pureology Best Blonde Miracle Filler at Amazon

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Best for Shine:

Kevin Murphy Blonde.Angel.Wash Shampoo at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
Final Verdict
What to Look for
FAQ
How We Researched

4.5

Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask Baby Blonde

Bloomingdale's

View On Nordstrom View On Sephora View On Dermstore

When it comes to key products every blonde fighting brassiness needs, DeBolt considers purple masks and conditioners to be the most important. “I feel like they tend to deposit evenly and leave the hair feeling nourished and hydrated,” he says.

His pick? This mask from Cristophe Robin, which can revive your blonde in as little as five minutes. “It's very nourishing and deposits the most gentle amount of violet pigment,” he says. The tinted formula fights brassy and yellow tones while boosting shine and hydration with almond butter, shea butter, and buriti oil. Worried about accidentally turning your blonde lavender? Fear not. “It’s very difficult to over-do it with this one,” he adds.

Price at time of publish: $18 for 1.7 oz

L'Oreal EverPure Reviving Treatment in Blonde

Amazon

View On Amazon

This wallet-friendly treatment instantly gives less-than-vibrant hair salon-worthy status. It revitalizes over-processed hair while addressing both brassiness and dryness.

Price at time of publish: $15

Shu Uemura YÅ«bi Blonde Anti-Brass Purple Mask for Blonde Hair

Sephora

View On Sephora

This luxe mask is well worth the investment. It neutralizes highlighted, lightened, and gray hair with purple and blue pigments while antioxidant-rich Japanese white peony deeply nourishes and soothes the hair. DeBolt counts this one as his absolute favorite for fighting brassiness. “The results are amazing, it not only makes blonde hair much brighter, but specifically gives highlighted hair more dimension,” he says.

Amazon

View On Amazon

Use this purple shampoo to immediately brighten dull color. It's sulfate-free and contains protective ingredients that shield strands from UV damage, which can dull and fade color.

Schwarzkopf Bonacure Color Save Silver Shampoo

Amazon

View On Amazon

Customers report that they can literally see brassiness disappear before their eyes with this fast-acting shampoo. It helps to balance hair pH levels, banish warm undertones, and add shine.

Price at time of publish: $16

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Skinstore.com

This magical conditioner tones, cools, and amplifies every shade of blonde, from caramel to icy platinum. The best part? It only takes three minutes.

Price at time of publish: $38

Naissant Perla Beige Hair Treatment Mask in Blonde Pearl

Amazon

View On Amazon

Maintaining the proper hue isn't the only work of going blonde—bleaching your strands repeatedly can leave them prone to dryness and frizz. This color-correcting mask deeply conditions as it tones, thanks to nourishing ingredients like vitamins B5 and E, olive oil, honey, and wheat protein.

Price at time of publish: $18

It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Leave-In for Blondes

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Ulta View On Bed Bath & Beyond

Amazon customers are obsessed with this leave-in conditioner, which keeps yellow tones at bay while simultaneously making strands silky-soft. You can count on it to defrizz and detangle while protecting your hair from heat and UV rays, too.

Price at time of publish: $21

Pureology Strength Cure Best Blonde Miracle Filler

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Sephora View On Ulta

Coloring the hair can leave it fragile and porous, and this leave-in treatment magically fills in the gaps, amplifying color and shine while fortifying strands to prevent future fading.

Price at time of publish: $85

Kevin Murphy Blonde.Angel.Wash Color Enhancing Shampoo

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Com.au

We're huge fans of Murphy's entire highly-effective haircare collection, and this lavender-infused cleanser is a standout for boosting both brightness and shine. DeBolt, who is also a fan, adds that the brand has a great commitment to the environment, so you can feel good about using it, too.

Price at time of publish: $26

Amazon

View On Amazon

In addition to helping reverse brassiness, this shampoo comes with a sweet bonus: It was formulated to reduce drying time. Let it sit on strands in the shower for one to five minutes, rinse, and go.

Price at time of publish: $18

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Spray

Amazon

View On Amazon

Those who fondly remember John Frieda's Lemon Lights gel will be seriously impressed with this new-and-improved take on the lightening product, which takes your existing blonde to more sun-kissed heights with just a few spritzes. Apply this spray once between hair washes and you'll start to see results between the third and fifth time you use it.

Price at time of publish: $12

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Aveda.com

This cult-fave, plant-based formula from Aveda is tinted to brighten silver and platinum tones and nix any brassiness, without leaving behind a tell-tale purple tinge.

Price at time of publish: $70

Final Verdict

As DeBolt mentioned previously, purple conditioners and masks are essential for keeping brassiness at bay, and Cristophe Robinson’s Shade Variation Mask in Baby Blonde is our top choice. It deposits the perfect amount of violet pigment to neutralize yellow tones while deeply hydrating parched strands. We’re also big fans of L’Oréal’s Everpure Reviving Treatment for addressing brassiness and dryness instantly, all while remaining super wallet-friendly. And finally, we love showing our hair some extra love with the Miracle Leave-in for Blondes from It’s A 10. It tones while defrizzing, detangling, and leaving our hair miraculously soft.

Meet the Expert

Mark Debolt is a celebrity colorist and co-founder of Mark Ryan Salon. A protégé of celebrity colorist Marie Robinson, his areas of expertise include his signature blend of foil highlighting, balayage, and specialty color placement techniques. Currently, he’s an ambassador, educator, and hair color expert for Wella Professionals.

What to Look for in a Brass-Fighting Product

Tell-Tale Keywords

If you’re looking to revive your blonde, DeBolt recommends a few product keywords to look out for: “Look for words like ‘anti-brass,’ ‘cool pigment,’ or ‘neutralizes yellow tones.’" Essentially, these will indicate that the formula contains some kind of pigment—whether violet, blue, or silver—to halt brassiness in its tracks.

Conditioning Benefits

Blonde hair—especially of the bleached or color-treated variety—can be especially thirsty, so regardless of the type of product you're considering, be it a shampoo or a lightening spray, you’ll want to make sure it has conditioning benefits, too. “Look for language relating to the conditioning proponents of the product,” says DeBolt. “So many tinted shampoos can be too aggressive of cleaners and leave the hair feeling dull or dry.” Also check the ingredient list for nourishing oils and butters your hair will drink up.

Added Dimension

While this one is less crucial, DeBolt prefers products that claim to give the hair more dimension and definition to highlights. This will instantly bring your hair back to salon-level status and keep it looking fresh between colorist visits.

FAQ

Is purple shampoo a toner?

Purple shampoo acts as a toner to get rid of brassy tones all while saving you a trip to the salon. Purple shampoo will help return your hair to a cooler-toned blonde with a freshly-dyed look. Purple shampoo is a key factor in helping dyed blonde hair maintain it's desired color.
How long can you leave purple shampoo in my hair?

Purple shampoo can be left on for up to 15-20 minutes, depending on desired level of cool/white blonde. If you are looking to take on a heavy brass tint in the hair, use hair tools such as a comb to work the purple shampoo evenly through your hair to ensure full coverage. Beware, wearing purple shampoo in the hair for an extended period of time can (and often will) leave a lavender tint behind.
Can you use regular conditioner after using purple shampoo?

Technically, yes. Purple shampoo does a majority of the work and a regular conditioner wont erase what magic the purple shampoo has just created. But, using a purple shampoo is often the more desirable route as the final step of locking in the perfect blonde and ridding of brassiness.

Want more info on how to make the most of your blonde hair? Make sure you check out our ultimate guide to blonde hair color, for starters.

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 blonde hair products 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.

How We Researched

To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.

Article Sources

Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.