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The 8 best purple shampoos for keeping your blonde bright and brassiness-free

Meet the toning formulas that get our tick of approval

By Team BEAUTYcrew

June 06 2022

We have no doubt that you’ve seen purple shampoos floating around, but if you’re still wondering what on earth they do or whether you actually need one, then allow us to fill you in...

For most coloured blonde hair, a purple shampoo is a non-negotiable. It’s how you keep your bottle blonde shade bright and brassiness-free in between hair appointments (hint: it can even help you stretch out how often you need to get your hair coloured).

The way it works is much like colour correcting concealers. Yellow and purple are on opposite sides of the colour wheel, so the way to neutralise any yellow tones in blonde hair is with a purple toning shampoo.

As for how to apply, the process is pretty on par with regular shampoo: Wet, lather, rinse. However, this is a shampoo you only need to use once a week, or even fortnightly depending on how your colour is looking. It’s also important to never leave a purple shampoo in your hair for more than five minutes as it may stain the hair; the goal is cool-coloured blonde, not violet.

So if you're looking to lather up with something lilac to get your blonde back in shape, here are the best purple shampoos in Australia...

Fanola No Yellow Shampoo

This cruelty-free purple shampoo is richly pigmented and recommended for use on blondes with hair colour levels nine and 10 for optimum results (read: light blonde shades). Expect it to do exactly what the name suggests – keep yellow tones from ruining your beautiful blonde colour.

$27.90 at Adore Beauty

OGX Blonde Enhance + Purple Toning Shampoo

Freshen up and protect against colour fade with one wash by adding this toning blend into your in-shower rotation. It features purple fig and iris (two fittingly violet-hued ingredients) to help swing brassy and yellow tones back the other way (AKA in the cooler direction), plus keratin to keep your blonde's strength levels adequately topped up.

$22 at Woolworths

De Lorenzo Novafusion Silver Shampoo

Don’t let the ‘silver’ shoutout fool you, this is still a purple shampoo – it’s just better suited to shades that start more icy than golden. Basically, it’s great for grey, white and platinum blonde colours. This particular one also has sparkles in it to increase your colour’s luminosity and is scented with lavender rose tea. All wins.

$29.90 at Oz Hair & Beauty

Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo

'Clean' blonde is exactly what we're all after; no streaks of brassiness, just cool, crisp colour. Well, that's exactly what this option delivers, restoring your blonde back to its fresh-from-the-salon shade while also coating fragile strands with a protective shield of natural proteins to build a barrier against UV damage.

$11.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet Purple Shampoo

If your highlighted hair has lost its sheen, this is the way to get the 'just coloured' gleam back. It's an iridescent purple formula that sends brassiness on its way but invites gloss back to the party, too; ideal. It's also loaded with hyaluronic acid for a hefty (and welcome) hydration hit for your parched coloured strands.

$46 at Adore Beauty

John Frieda Violet Crush Purple Shampoo for Blondes

This impressive blonde-brightening option houses both crushed violet and blue pigments to nix even the most stubborn of brassy tones (as in, every blonde's greatest fear: the copper tinge). It works a serious treat, too – your colourist may even think you've been cheating on them the next time you visit.

$10.69 at Chemist Warehouse

TONI & GUY Purple Shampoo for Blonde Hair

If brightening your blonde is one of your goals, and increased levels of softness and shine is the other, this violet dye-enhanced shampoo is your winner. Not only will it freshen up your tone, but it'll also provide some much-needed moisture for bleached hair, as well as adding a little bit of lustre and luminosity.

$14.99 at Chemist Warehouse

L’Oréal Professionnel Blondifier Shampoo Cool

This coolness-reviving shampoo does as much for hair health as it does for blonde-brightening, and we appreciate that. How, you ask? It's enriched with acai extract, which helps to reduce hair loss and nourish the scalp while also (you guessed it) eliminating those undesired yellow tones. The result? Fresh blonde and happy hair.

$29.95 at Adore Beauty