Will purple shampoo tone down red hair? Yes, and you can use it in two ways

 

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I imagine you’re jumping for joy! Now you know  purple shampoo works to tone down red hair.  And no wonder.

 

In the old days, when women dyed their hair, and the color turned out too bright, the only solution was to dye their hair again. Of course, they couldn’t dye it immediately. You know that dyeing hair two days in a row or twice on the same day can seriously damage your hair.

 

But these days,  what if you dye your hair red but don’t like it because it’s too bright? Or what if you feel like you’re the center of attention when you go out?  You can easily tone down your red hair by washing it with purple shampoo.

So how does this work?

First, I have to tell you some colorimetry basics so you can understand. These are directly related to the composition of purple shampoo. Let’s see.

To form purple or violet, you mix two colors: red and blue.

What would happen if you add a higher proportion of red to that mixture? You would get burgundy, a darker and more muted red, because it will still have a small amount of blue. But it would still be within the range of reds.

 

And that’s what will happen if you wash your dyed red hair with purple shampoo.  With each wash, you’ll add more red pigments, lowering the brightness of the red because of the blue pigments . But you won’t make the red disappear entirely.

 

So after using purple shampoo on red hair, the brightness will be toned down, and your hair will be a darker red.

But here’s something else to think about. If your hair turns out too bright after you dyed it red, it’s because you chose a shade of red that also contains brown and orange pigments. And the more yellow the red dye has, the harsher the red will be on dyed hair.

Therefore, washing your dyed red hair with a purple shampoo is ideal for toning it down because you’ll remove all the harshness of the red dye.

 

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How to use purple shampoo to tone down red hair

You can apply it in two ways, depending on how intense the red is in your hair and how quickly you want to neutralize it.

 

Color mask:

 

Your hair will change color immediately, going from bright red to dark red. To maintain the color, wash your hair twice weekly with purple shampoo, leaving it on for two minutes.

 

Weekly wash:

Wash your hair with purple shampoo twice weekly to gradually tone down your red hair and evaluate what shade you want to reach.

 

How to maintain color after toning down red hair

 Once you’ve got to the right red,  maintain the color by using purple shampoo once a week. Alternate it with sulfate-free shampoo and sulfate-free conditioner.

 

This is essential because the color from toning shampoos isn’t permanent. If you wash your hair with a shampoo that contains sulfates, you’ll remove the effects of the toning shampoo on your red hair. That means you’ll go back to having bright red hair.

 

You should also use heat tools less often. The high temperatures also remove the effects of the purple shampoo. And when you use a blow dryer or straightener, you must also use a heat protectant.

Now it’s your turn! What are you waiting for to tone down your red hair?

 

Conclusion

Purple shampoo is ideal for toning down dyed red hair. It will leave your red hair darker and less bright.

You can use it as a color mask to tone down your hair immediately. Or you can use it gradually, washing your hair twice a week with purple toning shampoo.