How to Remove Purple Shampoo Stain from Hair – There’s Several Ways!

Purple shampoo can be a valuable tool to have in your beauty arsenal. It can help with removing brassy tones from yellow or blonde hair and leave you with a much more even-tone. However, while it is such a valuable tool, that doesn’t mean that things do go wrong occasionally.

Sometimes, washing your hair with purple shampoo can leave your hair stained. Unless you were going for a lavender hair color, it can be quite concerning to see your hair stained after using purple shampoo. Don’t panic! There are things you can do to remove the stain from your hair. Read on to learn how to remove purple shampoo stain from hair.

Table of Contents

• Does Purple Shampoo Turn Your Hair Purple?
• How to Remove Purple Shampoo Stain from Hair
  • Clarifying Shampoo
  • Baking Soda
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Dandruff Shampoo
  • Professional Color Remover
  • Lemon Juice
  • Liquid Dish Soap
• How to Keep Purple Shampoo from Turning Your Hair Purple
  • Choose a Salon-Grade Purple Shampoo
  • Don’t Overuse Purple Shampoo
  • Learn How to Properly Apply Purple Shampoo
  • Don’t Use Purple Shampoo if Your Hair is Too Dry
• Final Thoughts: Removing Purple Shampoo Stain from Hair
• FAQs

Does Purple Shampoo Turn Your Hair Purple?

Purple shampoo is designed to neutralize brassiness and leave you with vibrant-looking hair. While it isn’t supposed to actually turn your hair purple, some purple shampoos can be more highly pigmented than others. This can sometimes result in your hair being left with a purple hue—definitely not the results you were looking for.

Lower quality purple shampoos are more likely to turn your hair purple than those from a salon. Professional purple shampoos are more carefully formulated with the ideal balance of purple pigment. Those of a lower quality could be made with too much purple pigment, which is why they are more likely to leave a purple stain on your hair.

The purple stain from a shampoo can be different shades of purple, ranging from a pastel color to a brighter color. You could even notice a lighter gray or blue color as the result of washing your hair with purple shampoo.

How to Remove Purple Shampoo Stain from Hair

If you want to work to remove the purple shampoo from your hair more quickly than just letting it fade on its own with regular shampooing, there are a few different things you can try. Keep in mind that these ideas may not deliver instant results. You still may need to do a few repeat treatments and be patient to let the stain fade away completely by giving it some time.

Clarifying Shampoo

Clarifying shampoo is one of the best ways to remove that purple shampoo stain from your hair. It can also be a great choice if you’re looking for how to remove purple shampoo stain from hair extensions. If you’re not familiar with clarifying shampoo, it is designed to give a deep cleaning to the hair. Many swear by it for removing product build-up, oil, or dirt from their hair.

Despite how great it can work to remove purple shampoo stains, don’t expect to see instantaneous results. It will take a few days or washing your hair once or twice a day (don’t try to do it more than twice a day) to get rid of a purple shampoo stain. When you do wash your hair with clarifying shampoo, always follow up with a deep conditioner. Otherwise, clarifying shampoo can leave your hair too dry.

Here are a few of our picks for the best clarifying shampoo to remove purple tint from hair:

Baking Soda

Will baking soda remove purple shampoo? Yes, baking soda can be an effective treatment to try if you are trying to get a purple shampoo stain out of your hair. It can help to strip the purple color out of your hair, leaving it closer to the color you’re aiming for.

You don’t have to use the baking soda alone for it to be effective. You can add a little bit (about ¾ to 1 ½ teaspoons) to your regular shampoo. Then, use the mixture to wash your hair as you typically do. Let the solution sit for a few minutes, then wash it out with lukewarm water. Be sure to rinse all of the residue out of your hair. You’ll also want to follow up with a deep conditioner or hair mask because baking soda can damage your hair or leave it too dry.

Hydrogen Peroxide

When working with hydrogen peroxide, be careful as it is quite strong. Always dilute hydrogen peroxide before applying it to your hair to prevent any accidental damage. You should use twice as much shampoo as hydrogen peroxide, and then add a little extra water to the mixture to make it runny.

After mixing the hydrogen peroxide, shampoo, and water, put the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray it all over any purple sections in your hair. Comb through the hair to help spread the hydrogen peroxide out, then let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. After that time, rinse your hair thoroughly to remove all of the hydrogen peroxide. Apply a deep conditioner to your hair to help moisturize it.

Dandruff Shampoo

Dandruff shampoo is another product that can help remove purple shampoo stains from your hair. However, as with clarifying shampoo, don’t expect overnight results. You’ll need to use the dandruff shampoo once or twice each day for a few days or a week before the stain should fade.

Dandruff shampoo can also be drying for your hair. Follow at least one of your washing sessions with a deep conditioner treatment to keep your hair from getting overly dried.

Professional Color Remover

Using a professional color remover may be effective, but it probably shouldn’t be the first thing you try to get rid of purple stains in your hair. While the bleaching agent in color removers can help eliminate the unwanted pigments, it can also cause your hair to become dry or brittle. Also, in some cases, the bleaching agent may negatively impact the color of your natural hair, not just the pigments in the purple shampoo.

If you’re really in a hurry to get the purple stain out of your hair, this may be the best choice. However, just remember that it can have some negative side effects that you may not be 100% happy with. Always remember to use a deep conditioner to help restore your hair’s moisture after using the drying color remover.

Lemon Juice

If it has been less than 24 hours since you washed your hair with purple shampoo and were left with a purple stain, you may be able to use lemon juice to remove the stain. Combine the lemon juice with your normal conditioner (with approximately three times as much lemon juice as conditioner). Then, apply the mixture to your hair, starting at the roots and working your way down to the tips. Take care to evenly apply the mixture to each strand.

After applying the lemon juice and conditioner mixture, use plastic wrap to cover your hair and allow the treatment to sit for up to three hours. Lemon juice is acidic, which can help remove the purple pigments from your hair. Combining it with the conditioner will help prevent your hair from getting overly dry.

Rinse your hair thoroughly and follow up with a deep conditioner or hair mask after three hours have passed.

Liquid Dish Soap

Regular dish soap can also help to remove a purple shampoo stain from your hair. Compared to many other treatment options, dish soap is quite gentle and easy to use. Simply lather the soap in your hands, as you would with shampoo, then massage it into your hair and scalp.

Let the shampoo sit for about 12 to 15 minutes. Then, rinse your hair thoroughly to remove all the soapy residue. Follow up with a deep conditioner to restore moisture to your hair.

These steps will need to be repeated two to four times a week. It may take a few days or weeks to completely fade the purple stain.

How to Keep Purple Shampoo from Turning Your Hair Purple

When used correctly, it is unlikely that purple shampoo will leave a purple stain on your hair. Below are a few tips that can help you learn how and when to use purple shampoo to help ensure the best results possible.

Choose a Salon-Grade Purple Shampoo

The first step is to start with the right purple shampoo. As we mentioned above, not all purple shampoos are created equally. Higher-quality, salon-grade purple shampoos are much more carefully formulated. They should have the ideal balance of purple pigment along with the other cleansing ingredients to perform as described without leaving your hair purple.

Some drugstore purple shampoos are less likely to have gone through a more rigorous testing and balancing process. These shampoos could have too much purple pigment in their formula, which is what could end up leaving your hair purple after using them.

Don’t Overuse Purple Shampoo

Another tip to prevent your hair from turning purple after using purple shampoo is to limit how much you use it. Unlike your regular shampoo that you can use to wash your hair every day, purple shampoo is not designed to be used on a daily basis.

Check with your hairstylist for his or her recommendations, but in most cases you shouldn’t use purple shampoo more than once every 7 to 10 days. If you use purple shampoo too frequently, it can negatively impact the health of your hair and may make it more likely for the shampoo to stain your hair.

Learn How to Properly Apply Purple Shampoo

Beyond knowing how frequently you should use purple shampoo, it is also important to know how to apply purple shampoo to your hair. As a general rule, purple shampoo should be applied to damp hair and allowed to sit for about 5 or 10 minutes. However, the specific recommendations from different manufacturers may vary, so always double-check the use instructions on the shampoo you choose.

Don’t Use Purple Shampoo if Your Hair is Too Dry

Purple shampoo can be very drying. Using it if your hair is already very dry isn’t the best idea. If you need to tone down brassiness, but have dry hair, try using a purple conditioner or purple hair mask after washing your hair with a more hydrating shampoo.

Final Thoughts: Removing Purple Shampoo Stain from Hair

If your hair gets a purple tint after using a purple shampoo, it can be quite concerning. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Using the tips and products shared above can help you remove a purple stain from your hair and return it to its original beauty.

Learn more about using purple shampoo in these related posts on our blog:

• Purple Shampoo on Dry Hair
• Purple Shampoo on Brown Hair
• Best Sulfate Free Purple Shampoo
• How to Remove Purple Hair Dye

FAQs