The best purple shampoo for most people is a gentle one you use once a week, not the darkest bottle on the shelf. For natural gray or silver hair, start with Better Not Younger Silver Lining. On a budget, Clairol Shimmer Lights tones fastest. For bleached or highlighted blonde, go for amika Bust Your Brass if your hair is dry, or Olaplex Nº.4P if you want to control the strength.
Purple shampoo works because purple sits opposite yellow on the color wheel, so a little violet pigment cancels out yellow brass. If your brass is orange rather than yellow, you want blue. That's the bonus pick at the end. (New to toning? Our guide to what purple shampoo does covers the basics.)
Quick picks
| Badge | Pick | Why we picked it |
|---|---|---|
| Most pigmented drugstore pick | Clairol Shimmer Lights | Tones in about two minutes; Who What Wear's budget pick |
| Best gentle drugstore pick | L'Oréal EverPure Purple | Sulfate-free with subtle toning, so it's hard to overdo |
| Best for gray and silver hair | Better Not Younger Silver Lining | Made for gray hair; Byrdie's tester saw no purple tint |
| Best for highlighted blonde | IGK Blonde Pop | Byrdie saw a difference on highlights even when rinsed straight off |
| Best for dry hair | amika Bust Your Brass | Plant butters; Byrdie's tester called it the most moisturizing |
| Best for bleached blonde | Olaplex Nº.4P | Leave on 1–5 minutes to set the strength |
| Best for sensitive scalps | Pureology Strength Cure Blonde | One of the least irritating in Byrdie's six-week test |
| Bonus: for brassy brunettes | dpHUE Cool Brunette | Blue pigment for orange and red tones |
Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Purple Shampoo
Best for: gray, white and silver hair that has gone yellow, when you want results fast. Drugstore.
What we love
- Clairol says Shimmer Lights "removes the dull yellow in gray hair and leaves hair shiny without residue," on natural or color-treated hair.
- Who What Wear senior fashion editor Eliza Huber used it through 11 years as a blonde. The Who What Wear list calls it "richly pigmented" and says it brightens hair in about two minutes.
- There's a matching purple conditioner, so you can buy it as a shampoo and conditioner pair.
Keep in mind
- It's very pigmented and can stain your shower, so rinse the tub straight away.
- It isn't sulfate-free.
Key ingredients: violet pigment, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, salicylic acid.
How to use: lather, leave on about two minutes, rinse. Go up to five minutes only if you want an icier finish.
L'Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Shampoo
Best for: your first purple shampoo, or blonde that only needs a light touch-up. Drugstore.
What we love
- L'Oréal designs it for yellow and orange tones in blonde, gray, silver, bleached and highlighted hair.
- It's vegan and free of sulfates and parabens.
- Byrdie named it best drugstore pick. Its tester, Cindy, has highlighted hair and saw less brassiness with weekly use.
- Byrdie calls the toning subtle, which makes it "a great option for beginners."
Keep in mind
- If your hair is very yellow, it may be too gentle.
Key ingredients: purple dye in a sulfate-free base; violet and thyme scent.
How to use: a quarter-sized amount on wet hair, leave up to two minutes, rinse. Use it in place of your usual shampoo one to three times a week, says the brand.
Better Not Younger Silver Lining Purple Brightening Shampoo
Best for: natural gray, white or silver hair. Mid-range.
What we love
- It's made for gray hair. Better Not Younger says it "brightens and neutralizes unwanted tones in cool blonde, silver, or gray hair."
- Byrdie named it best for gray hair. Its tester, Holly, left it on for four minutes and saw no staining or purple tint.
- Byrdie's notes say it made hair feel "more silky and manageable" and added volume and shine.
- It's sulfate-free, vegan and safe for color-treated hair, according to the brand.
Keep in mind
- Byrdie found the bottle hard to twist open, which is worth knowing if your hands get stiff.
Key ingredients: D&C Violet 2 (the toning dye), argan oil, panthenol, biotin, bamboo extract.
How to use: lather a quarter-size amount and massage it in, then rinse. The brand suggests two to three times a week. Follow with conditioner.
IGK Blonde Pop Purple Toning Shampoo
Best for: highlights, balayage and color-treated blonde. Mid-range.
What we love
- Byrdie named it best for highlights. Its testers saw "a noticeable difference each time," even though they rinsed it straight off.
- IGK pairs violet pigment with squalane and purple rice for moisture and shine.
- Byrdie lists it as unscented, which helps if strong fragrance bothers you.
- The brand says it's safe for chemically treated hair, and it's vegan.
Keep in mind
- Byrdie says it can slightly stain the shower.
Key ingredients: violet pigment, squalane, purple rice.
How to use: apply to wet hair, lather and rinse. No leave-on time is needed.
amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Strength Repair Shampoo
Best for: dry, bleached blonde, and gray hair that feels rough. Mid-range.
What we love
- Byrdie named it best hydrating pick. Its tester, Elise, has long bleached gray-blonde hair and said it left her hair "cooler-toned, softer, and more moisturized than all the others."
- It's strongly pigmented, but it never stained Elise's hair purple.
- amika adds mango butter, shea butter and quinoa protein. It's sulfate-free and vegan.
- The brand says it's for "all blondes, silvers + grays," including curly and coily textures.
Keep in mind
- Byrdie says the amber-vanilla scent may be too strong for some people.
Key ingredients: violet pigment, mango and shea butters, borage oil, quinoa protein.
How to use: massage through wet hair and rinse. amika suggests trying it on a small strip at the nape of your neck first.
Olaplex Nº.4P Blonde Enhancer Purple Toning Shampoo
Best for: bleached or heavily highlighted blonde where you want to set the strength yourself. Mid-range.
What we love
- You control the strength with time: Olaplex says to leave it on for 1–3 minutes, or up to 5 for more toning.
- It has the brand's bond-building ingredient (bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate). It's free of sulfates, silicones and parabens, and it's vegan.
- Who What Wear named it best for damaged hair. Its list says it's "highly concentrated" yet hydrating enough that hair isn't "left feeling like straw."
- The brand says it works on blonde, gray and highlighted hair.
Keep in mind
- Who What Wear notes it "may be drying on certain hair types," so follow it with conditioner.
Key ingredients: violet toning agents, coconut-derived cleansers, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate.
How to use: lather fully and leave 1–3 minutes, then rinse. Use it weekly or as needed, with the Nº.5P purple conditioner if you want stronger toning.
Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Purple Shampoo
Best for: highlighted or lightened blonde with a scalp that stings easily. Splurge.
What we love
- Byrdie found it one of the least irritating purple shampoos in its six-week test. It didn't make tester Danielle's scalp tingle.
- Danielle has wavy, highlighted hair. Byrdie says it lifted brassiness as promised and rinsed clean with no residue.
- It's sulfate-free with a rich lather. Byrdie estimates around 75 washes per bottle.
Keep in mind
- On Amazon it's mostly sold as a purple shampoo and conditioner set; the single bottle was unavailable when we checked.
- Byrdie wished the pear, rose and sandalwood scent lasted longer.
Key ingredients: violet pigment in a sulfate-free base (Pureology's site didn't load for us, so we're relying on Byrdie's notes).
How to use: lather, rinse and follow with the matching conditioner.
Bonus blue shampoo for brunettes: dpHUE Cool Brunette Shampoo
Best for: brunettes and dark blondes whose color has turned orange or red. Mid-range.
Purple only cancels yellow. Blue sits opposite orange, so blue is the blue shampoo for orange hair and warm brunette brass. Colorist Sabrina Yamani Yamga told Byrdie that if your hair is "a brassy orange or warm brunette, purple is too light."
What we love
- dpHUE uses blue pigment to neutralize "orange and red tones in brunettes," plus silk proteins for shine.
- It's free of SLS, SLES and parabens.
- Who What Wear senior beauty editor Jamie (Schneider) Chevron named it best overall blue shampoo. It's the one she uses most, and it still works on her golden highlights.
Keep in mind
- Who What Wear notes some reviewers say it leaves a residue.
Key ingredients: blue pigment, hydrolyzed silk, hibiscus flower extract.
How to use: massage in and rinse, or leave up to five minutes for more toning. The brand suggests twice a week to every other week.
How to choose
Match the color to your brass
- Yellow brass (gray, silver, platinum, pale blonde): purple.
- Orange or red brass (brunette, caramel, dark blonde): blue.
Hairstylist Kevin Kelly told Marie Claire that purple shampoo won't do much on caramel highlights because "it's not light enough for the color to grab on to."
Purple shampoo for gray hair vs blonde shampoo
Gray and silver hair can usually take purple shampoo more often. Colorist Katelyn Henderson told Marie Claire there "isn't as much of a risk with over toning." Byrdie quotes hairstylist Shelly Aguirre, who suggests looking for one that promises an icier finish.
For blonde shampoo, Henderson suggests once a week to once every two weeks. If you're reaching for it more than once or twice a week, she says it's time for a salon toner.
Pick the pigment strength
A darker violet shampoo cancels more warmth, and a lighter one tones gently, Byrdie says. Strong formulas like Shimmer Lights work fast but are easier to overdo. Gentle ones like EverPure are hard to get wrong.
You can also tone down a strong one. Henderson suggests mixing it with your regular shampoo.
A purple bottle doesn't make it a purple shampoo. If you're shopping for a purple bottle shampoo, check that the shampoo inside is violet-tinted and says "toning" or "brass" on the label.
Factor in dryness
Toning shampoos can be drying, says a colorist quoted in Who What Wear's blue-shampoo guide. If your ends are dry or porous, put a little conditioner on them first so they don't over-tone. Then shampoo and condition as usual. amika and Olaplex are the most conditioning picks here.
Watch the time
Overuse or a long leave-on time can leave a dull, grayish or violet cast, celebrity stylist Adir Abergel told Marie Claire. Start at one or two minutes, check in good light, and add time next wash only if you need it. Do a strand test the first time.
Comparison table
| Pick | Budget | Best for | Sulfate-free | Pigment, per reviewers | Leave-on time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clairol Shimmer Lights | Drugstore | Gray, silver, white | No | Very pigmented | ~2 min (up to 5) |
| L'Oréal EverPure Purple | Drugstore | First-timers, light touch-ups | Yes | Subtle | Up to 2 min |
| Better Not Younger Silver Lining | Mid-range | Natural gray and silver | Yes | No purple tint on gray | Rinse (Byrdie tester: 4 min) |
| IGK Blonde Pop | Mid-range | Highlighted blonde | Yes | Lifts brass with no wait | Rinse straight off |
| amika Bust Your Brass | Mid-range | Dry or bleached blonde, gray | Yes | Very pigmented, didn't stain | Rinse |
| Olaplex Nº.4P | Mid-range | Bleached blonde | Yes | Highly concentrated | 1–3 min (up to 5) |
| Pureology Strength Cure Blonde | Splurge | Sensitive scalps | Yes | Lifted brass as promised | Rinse |
| dpHUE Cool Brunette (blue) | Mid-range | Brassy brunettes | Yes (no SLS/SLES) | Blue, for orange tones | Rinse (up to 5) |
The pigment column sums up Byrdie's and Who What Wear's notes; it isn't a lab measurement.
FAQs
What is the best purple shampoo for grey hair?
For natural gray, Better Not Younger Silver Lining is our pick. Byrdie's tester saw no purple tint and softer hair. On a budget, Clairol Shimmer Lights is stronger and faster, so keep it to a couple of minutes.
How often should you use purple shampoo for gray hair?
Start once a week and adjust. Gray and silver hair can usually take it more often than blonde, says colorist Katelyn Henderson. Better Not Younger suggests two to three washes a week with its formula. Use a regular shampoo in between.
Do I need purple shampoo and conditioner?
Not always. The shampoo does most of the toning. A matching purple conditioner adds more: Olaplex, for one, says its Nº.5P conditioner gives "maximum toning results." You do need some conditioner, though, because toning shampoos can be drying. If you're overtoning, switch to a plain one.
Do brunettes need blue shampoo instead of purple?
Usually, yes. Blue cancels orange and red, which is the brass brunettes and dark blondes get. A colorist quoted by Who What Wear says blue suits "brunettes and dark-level blondes" with mostly orange brass. Stylist Adir Abergel told Marie Claire that purple shampoo can also help brunettes whose highlights have turned brassy.
Can purple shampoo turn gray hair purple?
It can, if you leave it on too long or use a strong formula too often. Abergel says overuse can leave "a dull, grayish or violet cast." Rinse sooner next time and use a regular shampoo for a few washes. Byrdie's testers saw no purple tint from Better Not Younger or amika.
Pick the gentlest purple shampoo that gets rid of your yellow, and use it once a week.