Can You Put Purple Shampoo On Dry Hair? Here’s Why You Can’t

Purple shampoo is an obvious answer to dealing with brassiness and unwanted yellow shades of blonde hair. Whether your hair is blonde by nature or bleaching, the purple shampoo will help you obtain a beautiful, glossy color tone.

While purple shampoo is applied similarly to regular shampoo, some have developed the idea of using it on dry hair to help it absorb the product faster. But can you put purple shampoo on dry hair?

No, you cannot apply purple shampoo to your hair when it’s dry.

These days, some people want to use purple shampoo on dry hair because they think it’s more porous, making it easier for the hair strands to absorb the purple pigments.

While this may be true, this method has a huge adverse effect.

So, what happens if you put purple shampoo on dry hair?

Your hair will still absorb purple shampoo, but not evenly. The reason is that the porosity is not equal between the top and the end of the hair, causing the absorption ability to differ.

Plus, the thicker the shampoo, the harder it is to spread the product on your hair. Even when you use a comb, it’s not easy to distribute the purple shampoo evenly all over your hair.

As a result, if you go ahead and use purple shampoo on dry hair, prepare to see blotchy colors or the uneven pigmentation on your head after the session.

Purple shampoo doesn’t work as good when used on dry hair
Purple shampoo doesn’t work as good when used on dry hair

How To Use Purple Shampoo Correctly?

The proper way to use purple shampoo is to apply it to wet hair.

During your hair wash routine, apply the product to your hair and form a lather with it. Leave the product on for two to three minutes and rinse with water.

The amount of shampoo and time to leave it on depends on your hair length as well as how much toning you aim at.

If you have dry, frizzy, seriously damaged hair, and it’s your first time using a purple shampoo, the most secure option is to dilute the product in water to reduce the purple tone.

Extra Tips To Get The Best Results From Purple Shampoo

Choose The Right Product

When shopping for purple shampoo, you should go with thicker color and high consistency products. A good purple shampoo won’t be transparent but rather opaque.

Also, pay attention to the formula of the shampoo. Brighter purple shampoo is made for blonde hair, while a darker purple shade is designed for silver, gray, and platinum hair.

Use Warm Water Before Applying Shampoo

Soaking your hair with water before applying purple shampoo helps open up the cuticles and expand hair shafts so the product can penetrate better.

Massage The Shampoo In Your Hair

As you spread the shampoo all over your hair, remember to massage it gently. This way, the product is spread more evenly and thoroughly while your hair absorbs it more efficiently.

Let It Sit 

The difference between using purple and regular shampoo is that you need to let the former sit in your hair for a few minutes.

This step aims to give the product some time to generate the neutralization effect you look for.

Rinse With Cold Water

After letting purple shampoo sit in your hair for a while, rinsing it with cold water seals the hair shafts and cuticles to lock in the color pigment.

It helps guarantee the result and avoid washing away the purple shades from your hair.

FAQs

Does putting purple shampoo on dry hair make it blonder?

No, it doesn’t. Using the product on dry hair results in uneven color distribution rather than helping with your hair’s blonde tone.

The purple shampoo contains purple pigments. It means over absorption causes your hair color to turn lilac or evenly toned instead of blonde.

How long do you keep the purple shampoo on dry hair?

If you decide to use purple shampoo on dry hair instead of damp hair, leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing with water.

To compare, purple shampoo only needs to sit on wet hair for 2-3 minutes. Yet, without wetting your hair first, the excess oil on your hair strands is not loosened. Also, the scalp is not opened up. Hence, it takes longer for the shampoo to penetrate.

On the other hand, letting purple shampoo sit on dry hair for too long can result in unwanted purplish shades for your hair.

Can you use purple shampoo on dry gray hair?

No, you can. Just like with dry blonde hair, you should not apply purple shampoo on dry gray hair, or the color pigments will be absorbed unevenly. You should only apply purple shampoo on wet hair.

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