Have you been struck by the inevitable march of time? Now that you’re sporting gray locks, have you wondered how purple shampoo on gray hair will affect your silvery strands? Wonder no more.
Read on to learn how often to use purple shampoo on gray hair, whether blue shampoo is better, and how to maintain your silvery mane.
- What it does: Neutralizes yellow tones in gray, white, and silver hair.
- How often: Use it once every three washes. If yellowing is severe, use it up to 2 times a week.
- Blue vs. purple: Purple suits white and silver strands. Blue can help orange tones in salt and pepper hair.
- Best habit: Alternate with a moisturizing shampoo to help prevent dryness.
What Does Purple Shampoo Do to Your Gray Hair?
Purple shampoo is a type of shampoo that deposits pigments into your strands to counteract or neutralize tone issues that your hair color can experience.
Using the right colored shampoo for your hair color ensures that your hair color always looks great. Now, what exactly does it achieve for gray hair?
Using it will help combat one of the most significant issues that natural gray hair experiences: yellowing strands. That’s right. Natural gray hair is constantly at risk of unattractive yellowing of the strands due to various factors.
The shampoo’s purple pigments help neutralize the yellowing, keeping your gray hair looking stunningly silvery.
For further context, it’s important to note a few scenarios that can cause the yellowing of natural gray hair. Hair turns gray when it starts to lose melanin; once it completely loses melanin, it turns white.
Melanin is what gives pigmentation to your skin, eyes, and hair. As your gray hair lacks melanin, it’s easier for your light hair to experience discoloration.
Some of the most common causes of the yellowing of gray hair include:
- Chlorine
- Hard water
- Heavy pollution
- UV rays
- Smoking
- Medication
- Heat styling damage
Let’s look at these causes in more detail.
Chlorine
If you regularly swim in a chlorinated pool, your gray hair is at risk of experiencing yellowing, thanks to the chlorine.
Hard Water
If you live in an area with hard water (water high in mineral content), your gray hair is at risk of yellowing.
Heavy Pollution
If you live or work in an area with heavy pollution, the polluted particles in the air can turn your gray hair yellow.
UV Rays
If you spend a lot of time in the sun, oxidizing proteins in your gray hair can react with UV rays and turn them yellow.
Smoking
Smoking can leave residue that stains lighter hair over time, which can make gray strands look dull or yellow.
Medication
Some medications can contribute to discoloration or dryness, which can make yellow tones more noticeable in gray hair.
Heat Styling Damage
High heat can damage the hair shaft and leave it dry and rough, which can make gray hair look brassy or yellow.
When Should You Use Purple Shampoo on Your Gray Hair?
How often and when you should use it depends on the current condition of your silvery strands.
So, the first thing to consider is whether your gray hair is already experiencing yellowing or if you want to prevent yellowing to determine if you need to:
- Counteract yellowing
- Prevent yellowing
Counteract Yellowing
If your gray hair is currently yellowish, use it once every three washes until your gray strands return closer to their natural tone. If yellowing is severe, you can use it up to 2 times a week. Then follow the recommendations below for preventing yellowing.
Prevent Yellowing
If your gray hair isn’t currently yellowed, use it once every three washes and alternate with a moisturizing shampoo.
However, if you’re at a higher risk of yellowing (for example, frequent pool time, lots of sun, heavy pollution, or hard water), you can use it up to 2 times a week.
- Leave in time: Start with 3 to 5 minutes. Leaving it on longer than 10 minutes can cause a purple tint and dryness. Always follow the instructions on your bottle.
- Dryness: These shampoos can be drying on gray hair. Alternate with a moisturizing shampoo and use a deep conditioner when needed.
- Formula tip: Consider a sulfate-free purple shampoo to help reduce dryness on fragile, porous strands.
- Scalp check: If you notice irritation, stop using it and consider speaking with a dermatologist.
Which Is Better For Gray Hair: Blue or Purple Shampoo?
Finally, for those wondering if purple shampoo is the best option for your gray hair or if blue shampoo would be better, let’s discuss the difference between the two and how they compare when it comes to gray strands.
Blue and purple shampoos are color-depositing shampoos used to counteract tone issues that hair can experience.
Blue Shampoo
Brunettes typically use blue shampoo to cancel out orange tones that darker strands can develop.
However, if you have salt and pepper hair and your darker strands are turning orange or brassy, a blue shampoo might be more effective for the peppered areas.
Purple Shampoo
As previously discussed, purple shampoo counteracts and helps prevent the yellowing of natural gray hair, and it also helps hair look shiny and vibrant.
Yellowing is an issue that is common in lighter hair shades, and this is why it benefits those with blonde, silver, or gray hair.
Use it once every three washes on your brassy gray hair to get the best results.
Good luck rocking those silvery strands!
FAQs
If you still have questions about it, let’s look at some frequently asked questions.
Color-depositing shampoos don’t possess any ingredients that chemically change the color of your hair. However, purple shampoo can temporarily make your hair color look darker.
A good starting point is once every three washes. If yellowing is severe, use it up to 2 times a week, and alternate with a moisturizing shampoo.
How long you should leave it on depends on how much yellowing it has. For mild yellowing, 3 to 5 minutes is good.
For moderate yellowing, 5 to 7 minutes is good. For heavy yellowing, 7 to 10 minutes is good.
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