Do you wonder whether purple conditioner works on brown hair?
Purple products have picked up traction. As they are designed for blonde hair, this leaves brunettes guessing.
But in this article, we’ll tackle that question: Can brunettes use purple conditioner?
The truth is, it depends. On your hair color, shade, type, etc. But don’t worry, we’ll dive into that, and more.
If it turns out that purple conditioner (or purple shampoo for that matter) isn’t for you, we’ve also suggested a few alternatives.
Understanding Purple Conditioner
Before we can answer the question of whether purple conditioner works for brunettes, we need to understand how it works.
How It Works
Purple conditioner is a hair care product designed specifically to help maintain and enhance the color of your hair. It’s especially useful for people with blonde hair or light-dyed hair.
The formula in purple conditioner contains pigments that work to counteract unwanted tones in natural or dyed hair.
Over time, your hair is exposed to external factors. This can be sun exposure, pollution, or other things.
These external factors cause your hair to develop unwanted yellow, orange, or brassy tones. And this is where purple conditioner comes in.
When applied to your hair, the purple pigments in the conditioner can tone down yellowness and brassiness. This helps your hair color look more vibrant and true to its intended shade.
Understanding the Color Wheel and Tones
To effectively use a purple conditioner on brown hair, you need to understand the color wheel and how tones work.
Think of the color wheel as a guide to neutralizing unwanted hues. The opposite colors neutralize each other.
For example, if your brown hair has orange or brassy undertones, a blue conditioner might be a better fit.
Purple conditioners are typically more suitable for lighter hair tones, such as blonde or gray, as they work to neutralize yellow or golden tones.
Purple Conditioner On Brown Hair
You can use purple conditioner on brown hair. But, the effect may not be as significant. Luckily, there are other benefits as well.
Benefits of using purple conditioner on brown hair:
- Moisturizes and softens hair
- Nourishes strands, helps with detangling
- Subtle toning effect on lighter highlights or areas prone to brassiness
Pitfalls of using purple conditioner on brown hair:
- Less effective toning on brown hair
- Limited impact on overall appearance
- Not as dramatic as on lighter hair colors
Benefits for Brown Hair
While purple conditioner is primarily designed for blondes or lighter hair colors, you can still enjoy some benefits from using it on your brown hair.
For one, purple conditioner adds moisture and softens your hair, like any regular conditioner would. It nourishes the hair strands and helps with detangling. This makes your hair feel smoother and more manageable.
Another possible benefit of using purple conditioner on brown hair is the subtle toning effect it may have. This is especially true if your hair has some lighter highlights or areas where brassiness tends to appear.
Pitfalls for Brown Hair
On the other hand, the toning properties of purple conditioner aren’t as effective on brown hair compared to lighter hair colors.
The purple pigments are designed to counteract the brassiness typically found in blonde or lightened hair. They might not have a significant impact on the overall appearance of your brown hair.
That being said, using purple conditioner on brown hair likely won’t harm your hair, as it still provides the conditioning benefits mentioned earlier.
If you’re looking for a more dramatic change or to enhance the richness of your brown hair, there are specific color-depositing conditioners available. We’ll give you some alternatives later in this article.
Brown Hair Colors & Purple Conditioner
Purple conditioner affects different hair types, shades, and colors differently.
It tends to work best on lighter shades of brown hair. If your hair is darker, you may not see significant changes, but it can still contribute positively to your hair’s overall appearance.
| Hair Color | Effects of Purple Conditioner |
|---|---|
| Light Brown Hair | – Neutralizes brassiness – Enhances cool shades – Brightens and refreshes hair – Adds vibrancy |
| Brown Hair with Light Highlights | – Targets highlights – Neutralizes yellow and brassy tones – Brightens and refreshes highlights |
| Dark Brown Hair | – May neutralize red or orange undertones – Can potentially enhance appearance and depth of hair color |
Light Brown Hair
For those of you with light brown hair, a purple conditioner can have subtle but noticeable results.
Since your hair has lighter tones, the conditioner works to neutralize any unwanted brassiness and enhance cool shades.
You might experience a slight shift in color that helps brighten and refresh your locks, making them look more vibrant.
Learn more: How to Use Purple Conditioner
Brown Hair With Light Highlights
If your brown hair has light highlights, a purple conditioner can be especially beneficial for you.
The conditioner mainly targets the lighter parts of your hair, such as the highlights, neutralizing yellow and brassy tones.
As a result, your highlights will appear brighter and more refreshed, while your overall hair color remains relatively unchanged.
Dark Brown Hair
For those with dark brown hair, the effects of purple conditioner tend to be less noticeable. If your hair has undertones of red or orange, the conditioner may help to slightly neutralize and balance these colors.
While the impact on dark brown hair will be subtle (if there is any), purple conditioner can potentially enhance the overall appearance and depth of your hair color.
Best Purple Conditioners for Brown Hair
If you’re thinking about using a purple conditioner for your brown hair, you should look for one with nourishing ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and avocado oil.
These ingredients can help keep your hair healthy, hydrated, and vibrant.
Choose a purple conditioner that is:
- Available in an 8 oz full size and a 2 oz. sample
- 100% vegan and curl-friendly
- Free from harsh chemicals
- Made with moisturizing ingredients like cetearyl, cetyl, and stearyl alcohol, as well as behentrimonium chloride and guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
- Contains shea butter and coconut oil
- Formulated with natural oils such as jojoba seed oil, linseed oil, and rosemary leaf oil
Alternatives to Purple Conditioner for Brunettes
If you’re a brunette looking for alternatives to purple conditioner, there are a couple of options that can help neutralize brassy tones and keep your hair hydrated and shiny.
The two best alternatives for most people are:
- Blue shampoo
- Blue conditioner
Blue Shampoo
Blue shampoo is a fantastic alternative for brunettes as it helps neutralize the brassy and orange tones in your darker hair.
Like with purple conditioner, you’ll want to rinse the blue shampoo thoroughly, so it doesn’t stain your hair. This pigmented shampoo can be used on brown hair with blonde highlights.
Blue Conditioner
Another option for brunettes is blue conditioner. This is the same as purple conditioner, but it targets orange tones instead of yellow. This products helps maintain your hair’s hydration levels while unwanted orange and brassy tones.
While not as pigmented as the deep treatment, blue conditioner can still give your hair a subtle pastel hue. It can also help extend the life of your hair color between salon visits.
As with any color-depositing product, be sure to rinse thoroughly to avoid staining your hair or hands.
Final Takeaway
In conclusion, purple conditioner can be used on brown hair for nourishing, but it’s generally not recommended as a toning agent. There will likely be better options out there for you. A few examples include blue shampoo and blue conditioner, or even a toning treatment.
There are also blue hair masks, and other similar hair care products.
Frequently Asked Questions
What effect does purple conditioner have on natural brown hair?
Purple conditioner is primarily designed for people with blonde or bleached hair to remove brassy tones. On natural brown hair, the effect will likely be minimal as purple conditioner works best on lighter hair colors. If your brown hair has subtle lighter tones or highlights, it may slightly neutralize any unwanted warm hues.
Will brown hair with highlights be impacted by purple conditioner?
Yes, brown hair with highlights can benefit from using purple conditioner. Although it’s primarily created for blonde hair, it can also help maintain the cooler tones in highlighted brown hair. The purple pigments within the conditioner work to neutralize warm tones and brassiness in the highlights, ensuring they remain fresh and vibrant.
Can purple conditioner lighten brown hair?
Purple conditioner cannot lighten brown hair. Its purpose is to neutralize and remove brassy or warm hues, not to lighten the hair. Since it doesn’t contain bleach or lightening agents, it won’t alter your overall hair color but may help remove unwanted tones from highlights or lighter sections on brown hair.
How does grey hair respond to purple conditioner?
Grey hair can often develop a yellow tinge due to environmental influences, hair products, or natural aging processes. Purple conditioner can be an effective solution to neutralize this yellow hue and maintain a more silver or ash tone in grey hair. As with brown hair, the purple pigments in the conditioner work to counteract any warm tones and keep your grey hair looking fresh and cool-toned.
