Purple Shampoo: What I've Learned from 3 Years of Using It!

For the past 3 years, my hair care routine has included consistent use of the award winning purple shampoo I formulated. It has been my go to solution for combating unwanted brassiness on the blonde ends and maintaining the vibrancy of my silver top. I’m sharing my insights into the benefits from a formulator’s perspective and also what I’ve learned from years of use.

Understanding Purple Shampoo

Purple shampoo, with it’s distinct hue, is not just a colorful addition to your shower routine and it should not be used by all hair colors. Composed of purple pigments, it serves a crucial role in neutralizing unwanted tones in light colored hair. Specifically, if you are blonde seeking to banish brassiness or you are someone with silver or gray hair looking to enhance cool tones, purple shampoo might just be your secret weapon.

How Most Purple Shampoo Works

There is a science behind color theory, and conventional purple shampoo works to deposit chemically enhanced purple pigments which will neutralize warm tones. So the orange brassiness that sometimes happens with blondes will become a cooler, ashy tone. The yellowing you see on gray or white hair will become cooler and brighter.

A secondary point of most conventional purple shampoos is to remove the yellowing buildup that becomes visible on lighter colored hair. This tends to be approached as most conventional  clarifying options are-with more cleanser. Unfortunately, this leads to over drying and stripping your hair along with depositing the purple pigment. Many people give up on conventional purple shampoos due to the drying effects and also the potential sensitivities from the chemically enhanced color used or their hair can get oversaturated with too much purple color leading to dullness.

How Vibrant + Violet is Different

The purple shampoo I formulated is an incredibly gentle blend of cleansers knowing that blonde hair and aging silver or gray hair can be a bit more fragile than other types. The violet color comes completely from plants so it is more gentle than it’s chemically derived counterparts and will not “stain” your hair as can happen with some conventional purple shampoos. The Vibrant + Violet line has 3 products that work together as  a system. I really encourage you to experiment with each of these products to find the best clarifying, color deposit and conditioning regimen that works best for your hair. 

Different hair types absorb pigment differently-so while the shampoo alone might be enough to brighten some hair types, others will need the clarifying effect and the deeper pigment that is offered by adding the Violet Booster into the Vibrant + Violet Shampoo. This violet powder can also be added to the purple conditioner and left on as a mask to increase tone on the ends of hair.

I also encourage you to incorporate another set of protein rich shampoo + conditioner into your routine to maintain the health of your hair. Vibrant + Violet intentionally does not contain any protein to allow for better pigment absorption. But your hair needs protein for maintaining moisture, bounce and shine so loop another one of our shampoos into your routine for best results.

In conclusion, my three year journey with purple shampoo has been eye opening! I’m incredibly proud that we have been able to offer a healthy, effective alternative for everyone with a sensitive scalp who can really benefit from looping purple shampoo into their routine. My transition from blonde to silver is still happening and I have been able to embrace it completely by toning and brightening my hair with this system.