Being blonde means a lot of things – you’re simultaneously the butt of a thousand jokes and you’re adored by everyone around you. You have a gorgeous, golden hair that everyone is envious of – yes, even those that say they don’t like blondes – and yet, said hair can be quite an expensive nightmare to maintain. Regardless of whether you’re a natural blonde or you’re dying your hair, having the luscious golden locks that so many dream about is quite a hassle. One of the many products you’re probably well-aware of if you are a blond is the purple shampoo.
Purple shampoos and toners are vital for almost any blonde person to help them maintain the color and beautify of their hair, both after bleaching, dying, or just certain problems that can befall even a natural blonde. At the same time, however, purple shampoos are yet another cosmetic product that needs to be paid for and hurt your budget. What that being the case, it’s perfectly normal to wonder whether there is a DIY purple shampoo option that you might have missed.
We won’t go over what exactly is purple shampoo and how it works here, as we’ve already covered this in other articles.
What are the differences between a brand name purple shampoo and a DIY purple shampoo?
Before we delve into specific recipes, let’s first consider how good of an idea DIY purple shampoo actually is. Is this really a product that you can easily and effectively simulate at home or are you going to end up with a sub-par solution that won’t be good enough to do what you want it to do well enough.
Here are the main differences between brand name purple shampoo products and DIY purple shampoos:
- Price matters. Whether we like to admit it or not, even if you don’t have any budgetary problems, a lot of cosmetic products are simply too expensive for what they offer or for the costs behind them. So, whether you’re in the middle-class or a millionaire – why not save a few bucks as well as try to do things in a more cost-effective way?
- Adjustment options are essential in cosmetics. Do you have an orange, a brass-yellow, or a pale yellow hair? Different colors require different shades of blue/purple to be neutralized. And while brand name purple shampoos can come in all kinds of shades and variants, it’s very easy to get one that isn’t quite what you’ve been looking for even though the packaging suggested otherwise. In such cases, you’ll end up having to buy yet another product. With a DIY purple shampoo, however, you can adjust the mixture however you like until you get the exact color you need.
- Consistency is key too. One negative of DIY purple shampoos – and a positive of brand name shampoos – is the consistency they offer. If you’re experienced in making DIY shampoos and cosmetics you might be able to create the perfect purple shampoo from the first try, however, that won’t be the case for everyone. For a lot of people, it’s to be expected that the first several DIY attempts will be unsuccessful or at the very least – inconsistent. This isn’t a reason not to try, of course – it’s just something to keep in mind.
A DIY purple shampoo plus conditioner recipe
So, what exactly do you need to do if you want to try making your own purple shampoo at home? It’s actually a fairly simple recipe – let’s take a look!
Ingredients:
- Any simple and decent moisturizing shampoo or conditioner – it’s your choice whether you want a purple shampoo or a purple conditioner. Whatever product you end up going for, keep in mind that it’s important for it to be white in color. This will enable you to easily and precisely regulate its color – light purple, dark purple, blueish purple, and so on.
- Gentian Violet dye, a peroxide-free hair color, semi-permanent ammonia, or a good food coloring dye, as long as it’s in a violet shade. Either of these would work as long as it’s of the right quality and color. It’s a good idea to get several different blue and purple dyes so that you can tinker with the color as precisely as possible. Blue dyes are especially good if your hair is close to orange in color.
- A bowl plus a spoon for mixing, as well as a funnel and an empty bottle.
How to mix the ingredients:
- Mix a portion of the shampoo or the conditioner with 2-3 drops of the hair/food violet color dye. Using just half or a portion of the shampoo/conditioner is a good idea as it would leave you enough leftover product for a second attempt if something goes wrong. When judging exactly how much violet/purple/blue you want to add and what the end color of the mixture should be, use the color wheel as your guide – whatever the current color of your hair is, you should go for the opposite color in the wheel.
- After you’ve mixed the ingredients in the bowl as evenly as possible, pour them into the empty bottle with the help of a funnel.
- Use your DIY purple shampoo/conditioner as per the instructions of the base white shampoo/conditioner you used for the mixture – the dye isn’t going to change the way you should apply it.
Additional applications tips
The only exception in the application of a DIY purple shampoo is if you have a platinum bleached hair – in those cases use the shampoo sparingly and rinse it off quickly or your hair might get a strong purple hue rather easily. It’s also generally a good idea to use the purple shampoo/conditioner only once every three showers – use a standard shampoo/conditioner combo the other two times. Adjust the ratio after several weeks according to the results.
Another good suggestion is to use a good standard conditioner after the purple shampoo (or a good standard shampoo before the blue conditioner) for maximum results.
Good luck!
