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10 best purple shampoos to keep blondes bright and toned
Looking a little brassy or worse... cheesy? These can help without a trip to the salon!
If, like me, you've dabbled in a blonde hair colour at some point or other, I'm sure you will know the continual struggle of preserving the high maintenance hue - after all, it's pretty common for bleached hair to go wrong (especially if you're DIY-ing). What you really need? A purple shampoo. Yep, unlike darker brown hair colours, blonde hair has an annoying tendency to fade and become brassy. Thankfully a toning purple shampoo can help prevent this. By switching your regular formula for one that caters to blondes, you'll totally transform your hair. Here's how...
Why do I need a blonde shampoo?
Before you left the hairdressers, they will have applied a toner. These determine the tone of your blonde, e.g. golden or ash blonde. Over time, these shades have a tendency to turn orange and brassy. Certain things will make this more likely. Dunking your head in a chlorine-filled swimming pool, for example, or not wearing a hat on your summer holiday. Newsflash: whether you like it or not, your beautiful blonde will begin to fade, but it's the shampoo you use day in, day out that will make the most difference.
Did you know most regular shampoos contain sulfates? These are cleansing agents that ensure your hair is left squeaky clean. Unfortunately, if used in too high a quantity they can be a bit of a nightmare for blondes, as they strip the hair and in the process remove some of the colour. After a while, you'll notice your hair starts to fade and becomes dull. Thankfully though, a really great purple shampoo will counteract this, and leave locks looking bright again.
How does purple shampoo work?
As well as fortifying your strands, most blonde shampoos contain blue or purple pigments that give them their namesake colours. When you use them, they deposit these clever colour enhancing pigments and cancel out any warm, brassy tones, leaving your blonde as bright as it was when you walked out the salon. Not only will a decent blonde shampoo stop your hair from becoming brassy, but it also extends the shelf life of your colour, so you won't have to frequent the salon quite as often.
So, without further ado, allow us to present the very best purple shampoos for blonde hair...
Back when I was blonde, nobody could tell me it wasn't my greatest hair colour to date. Yeah, the ends were dead, but the colour? Immaculate. My icy, true blonde locks gave Elsa a run for her money! And that's all thanks to this shampoo. Pair it with the adjacent conditioner to minimise brassiness and visible damage.
Kérastase are at the top of the haircare game and that's all thanks to the clever science that goes into formulating their products. This shampoo? No exception.
The neutralisers in its ingredients list eliminate orange tones while hyaluronic acid and edelweiss flowers restore strength and softness. Your hair is about to be hydrated, healed and glowing with health.
BLEACH LONDON Purple Reincarnation Shampoo 300ml
Bleach have every motivation to make a cracking purple shampoo... given Bleach is literally what they do. They need to keep their dye users and clients looking tip top through the duration of their colour. And this will do just that, while also gently removing dirt and build up without stripping your fragile bleached hair. Plus it has bond-building technology added int to help nourish your strands.
Elvive Colour Protect Anti-Brassiness Purple Shampoo 200ml
You really can’t go wrong with L'Oreal Paris’ Elvive Colour Protect Anti-Brassiness Purple Shampoo. The purple pigments pack a serious punch, allowing it to quickly zap any brassy yellow tones and leave strands looking ashy and cool.
Kevin Murphy's Angel Wash has amassed a cult following thanks to its brass-busting abilities and shine enhancing optical-brighteners. The blend of nourishing botanical ingredients including shea and mango butter, jojoba and sunflower seed oil boost elasticity, breathing life back into damaged hair. You'll see an improvement in the texture and tone in just a few weeks. It's our go-to.
Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo
Pureology know that whilst purple pigments will neutralise brassiness, they won't keep your hair healthy... So they've combined their colour enhancing pigments with strengthening extracts like camelina seed oil and sunflower seed to support parch strands. The signature anti-fade complex locks in colour and keeps it looking fresh through each and every wash. Perfect for preserving icy white blondes.
LOréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo
Harnessing the power of a savvy neutralising system, L'Oreal's shampoo counteracts copper tones using magnesium and anti-yellowing agents. Rich in restorative ingredients, it also protects, smooths and enhances the shine of your strands.
Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo
When it comes to curly haircare, Moroccanoil are pros. Naturally weaker and more prone to breakage, coily and wavy strands need an extra hand - especially when there is bleach involved. This hydrating shampoo stops brassy tones in their tracks, softening and strengthening each strand.
Guess what? You don't have to drop a load of cash to keep your colour in check! Aussie's latest haircare essential is this purple shampoo. Combining Australian Hemp Seed with wild plum extract the colour boosting formula leaves hair glossy and bright. As with all of Aussie's products, it smells incredible, too.
Philip Kingsley Pure Blonde Booster Shampoo
Softer, smoother, brighter strands will be yours with this strengthening blonde shampoo. Suitable for all hair types, the transformative formula fortifies each strand and deposits violet micro-pigments to prevent colour fade.
Victoria Jowett is an award-winning journalist and the former Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in beauty journalism and oversees the skincare, hair, makeup and fragrance content across all of Cosmopolitan’s platforms. She's worked in the beauty industry for over 13 years (and tested 1000s of products), making her an expert when it comes to recommending beauty brands that truly work. Having started her career working weekends on a makeup counter, Victoria began interning at the likes of AnOther and IDOL magazine, before landing her first Beauty Writer job at weekly fashion magazine, LOOK. Joining Cosmopolitan in 2016, Victoria has always remained a beauty fanatic and has been lucky enough to interview everyone from Britney Spears to Kourtney Kardashian about their beauty routines. Follow her on LinkedIn.
Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK, with over four years of experience reporting across the brand's print, social, video and digital platforms. Lia covers everything from emerging trend analysis to viral celebrity hair and makeup moments, making her an expert at spotting the season’s next big beauty look (before it takes over social media feeds).
In 2025, she was named The Rising Media Star at the Love Perfume Awards with The Perfume Shop, recognised for her outstanding digital fragrance content and for building genuine authority within the space. She is passionate about challenging outdated beauty stereotypes, championing inclusive representation in beauty, and educating readers on the trends, products and conversations shaping the industry today. Follow her on Instagram or find her on LinkedIn.
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