During the past 2 years of my grey hair transition, I tried many purple shampoos brands, to see the different results and understand what worked better on my hair, so I decided to write a purple shampoos review, hoping my #silversisters will find it helpful!
I have a sensible scalp and I do not tolerate many of the most common shampoo brands for a start, but on the other hand some of the more natural and organic brands are not good for me too, as they tend sometimes not to clean my hair properly, or to be not nourishing enough for my type of hair. To this you need to add the challenge to treat the transitioning hair, which is a completely different animal from your dyed mane pre-transition. Your new grey tends to be healthier and much less demanding, but the dyed ends are much drier and more problematic, if you have any highlights to ease the transition, like I did, then even more so.
I was looking for something nourishing, purple toning but in a gentle way, and that did not leave any residue on my hair. And that could tame the frizz too, just to make the search easier!
And the below is what I found out…
2 Years of testing brought its fruit
Loreal (shampoo and conditioner)
During Transition: Agreeable smell and consistence, I find that is quite nourishing, and you obtain a good result on highlighted hair which are actually toned down, and it take away some of the brassiness (no magic wand!). Light enough to have two wash with it!
After: Always good result overall but tend to add a purple hue to the greys that look a bit darker, so even if I believe that is good value for your money, I’m not using it anymore after completing the transition.
John Frieda (shampoo and conditioner)
During Transition: I have tried the purple shampoo and conditioner and I found that it does not really agree with my scalp, I actually had to stop using the shampoo as it was giving me itch and it did not feel right. I went on finishing the conditioner, but did not really appreciate the results.
Provoke (shampoo and conditioner)
During Transition: Nice smell, not aggressive on the hair, it does what you expect, toning slightly down the brassiness.
After: It tends to give that purple-greyish hue that tend to turn off the silver sparkle, I wouldn’t use it anymore.
Luseta (Mask)
During Transition: Very strong! It has an agreeable scent, maybe not the most delicate on the scalp, so I tend to use it mainly on the length. This mask nourishes the hair and tones down the brassiness. Overall, I found it a bit too strong for me, so I use it sparingly.
After: Same as above, but if you are looking for something with a serious toning effect, it works well.
Geo oil (Shampoo, conditioner and leave in treatment)
During Transition: It does not contain silicones, parabens, nor sulphates, so it’s quite gentle. I’ve tried the shampoo, the conditioner, and the leave in cream. The scent is quite strong, like a perfume, almost border line for me, but it works well toning down the brassiness, without covering or darkening too much the silver. The leave in cream is really lovely, its rich but not heavy, it eliminates frizzy hair and is top for any retouch between washes.
Update on the 3 July 2023: I’ve been contacted by Geo Oil and they let me know that actually the line is not tested on animals and cruelty free! (I wrongly indicated as not certified initially , as I could not find the cruelty free label) Very pleased about that as the blonde hair treatment is still one of my favourite products after 2 years!
After: I’m not using anymore the shampoo due to the strong and intense perfume, a bit too much for me. But the Blonde hair treatment is more lightly scented and a perfect leave in treatment in terms of nourishment!
Perlessence (shampoo, conditioner, leave in cream)
During Transition: American brand that goes light on chemicals, still providing shampoo and conditioner that are quite powerful in toning down the brassiness! Nourishing formula too, the brassiness is banished but no purple residue on the hair, so the result is a great and shiny silvery mane!
After: Great result as well, it is my favourite brand after Aveda, I don’t use it on a regular basis, just now and then when I want the silver to shine really bright.
Aveda (Shampoo and conditioner)
During Transition: This was an investment, and a sort of leap of faith as well, as I bought the one litre bottle without having tried it before. I wanted to try it due to the more natural formulation (compared to the more common brands) and the brand ethic too (cruelty free, yeah). I’m pleased to say that this was a very good choice! The smell is incredible, and you can see that even if it has purple pigments, they are on the lighter side, and it feels very delicate on the skin and on the hair. That said, it was not nourishing enough to be used on treated hair, so I’ve always used it as for the second wash, after using a normal nourishing shampoo for the first wash. In this way I managed to get the most out of it. The one litre bottle is extremely convenient, much more than I thought, so good value for money. It makes the silver shine bright without covering it, and it tone slightly the brassy parts, creating a very bright and pleasant effect.
After: The good news about this one is that being so gentle, it works really well when you are completely transitioned too, I still use it a second wash only, and it works well even followed by a normal conditioner.
Klorane (Shampoo)
After: I’ve began to use it towards the end of my transition, when the dyed hair was almost gone.
This shampoo has been the greatest surprise. Klorane is an old French botanical brand, so old that I remember my granny using it when I was little, you could buy them only from a chemist at the time, it was quite expensive and was sold in glass bottles! I never really thought about it ever since, but lately I found it online and thought about giving it a go.
It has the most marvellous whitening effect on the hair, enhancing the silver that looks like enlightened from within. Thanks to the purple toning effect of a plant called “centaurea cyanus”, its effect is very natural. I would advise to use it only towards the end of your transition as it does not help toning down the brassiness of the fading dye. It is very delicate, yet hydrating, and leaves the hair really soft and delicately scented.
I use it for my second wash, after having done the first with a nourishing shampoo, and after massaging on my hair, I leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse and proceed with a normal conditioner.
Roots (Colour enhance platinum conditioner)
After: Really great one, I discovered it only lately, son I can’t talk about its effect on transitioning hair, but is surely works really well now. It has a gentle action and it tones brilliantly without leaving any purple tinge, but I found it left my hair a bit dry.
My overall thoughts on purple shampoos
After having completed my transition since almost a year, I have to say that I do not use purple shampoo on a regular basis, as although is quite good to cool out the yellowish tones, it tends to darken considerably the wither hair strands. And I love my whiter than white strands, so I find that for everyday use, is more convenient to use only shampoos that are great for my hair texture and help me manage it , and the shining silver takes care of itself. Just once in a while I use it to cool down the lengths, but I have to say it was a good ally during my transition, I’ll be forever grateful!
Fancy shopping my favourites? Just click on the banner below and head over to Lookfantastic to buy Aveda and Klorane products!
I hope you find this helpful, let me know in the comments if you have used any of the above and what are your thought about it!
If you want to know more about my grey hair transition, click here!
I really enjoyed the experience that was told. congratulations for the blog
Thank you Andreas, I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂