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Purple hair dye, purple shampoo, and violet toners can all leave your hair with an unwanted purple tint. But don’t panic — you’re in the right place. Check out our step-by-step guide to learn how to remove purple from hair.
Uh Uh. Don’t Like Your Purple Hair?
Hair coloring is a science, and experimentation is part of it! If you’ve recently found yourself experimenting with purple and are left with unwanted violet tones in your hair, it can be stressful trying to find out how to remove the purple from your hair.
If you’re not digging the Grimace vibe, your purple hair is fading to an ugly color, or if purple tones are giving your hair color a dull, grayish cast, it’s understandable that you want the color out ASAP.
We’ve got your back on this. Our guide will make it easy to fix your hair and get rid of the violet hue you’ve come to despise. Ready to get started? Keep reading to see how to remove purple from hair with 3 different methods.
How to Remove Purple From Hair 3 Ways
The way you deal with unwanted purple in your hair depends on the current color and condition of your hair, your desired results, and which methods you’re comfortable using. Whatever your situation is, getting rid of the purple color won’t be as difficult as you think.
You just need to follow the right process step-by-step. Below, you’ll see how to remove purple color from hair 3 different ways.
Purple hair dye can be stubborn, not wanting to gracefully fade out and disappear. If you’re still seeing purple in your hair, your purple dye has faded to a color you don’t like, or you’re just ready to move onto a new color, you’ll need to get the purple dye off first. Removing purple dye can be done with a chemical color remover, bleach wash, or gold/orange toner.
Method 1: Use a Color Remover
Most professionals will start the process of removing purple color from hair with a chemical color remover. There are many of these on the market, but you can grab Color Oops Extra Conditioning Hair Color Remover or Color X-Change Phase-Out Gentle Dye Decolorizer + Intensive Hair Mask on Amazon to do it yourself at home.
- Removes dye in 20 minutes
- Ammonia-free for less damage
- Formulated with aloe and protein
- Users dislike the scent
- Mixture is runny
These safe color removers don’t contain ammonia or bleach, which is the source of most chemical damage to hair. You’ll apply the color remover according to the package instructions and allow it to sit anywhere from 20 minutes (Color Oops) to overnight (Color X-Change).
After time’s up, rinse the color remover from your hair using a clarifying shampoo or apple cider vinegar rinse. The clarifying shampoo contains stronger cleansing ingredients than regular shampoo, so experts say it’ll help pull even more of that purple pigment from your strands.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses act like a natural clarifying shampoo sans harsh sulfates and parabens. Follow it all up with a deep conditioning treatment or hair mask to replace the moisture the clarifying step took out.
Here’s what women in the Behind the Chair and Reddit Haircare Science communities shared about using this method:
- “Honestly Color Oops did wonders for removing fashion colors from my hair. You’ll have to dye the hair a color close to your natural shade after but this was definitely the most damage free method I’ve tried.” – @tricksonyou, Reddit user
- “I used Joico Color Intensity Eraser to remove the purple from my hair. Took every bit out, no damage.” – Carly Desch, BTC community
- “Try PRAVANA Artificial Hair Color Extractor. Follow the directions and it comes out perfect all the time and no damage to hair.” – @hairbyadele.ny, BTC community
- “I took someone’s help and recommendation and used Joico Color Intensity Eraser. It took rich purple/blue out of my hair and left basically no stain behind. It was kind of miraculous.” – @spiritsailor, Reddit user
- “Color Oops got seven years’ worth of dark red dye out of my hair in about twenty minutes. I did have to spend a fair amount of time in the shower afterward…but at the end of it my hair was the same pure blonde it had been in high school.” – @kasdeyah, Reddit user
Using a color remover is a very effective option and works for most people. But if you’re looking for a different solution to remove the purple pigment, you can always try the next method: bleach.
Method 2: Try a Bleach Wash
If a color remover didn’t budge the purple dye or you didn’t want to use a color remover, hair bleach is your next option. Bleach will lighten your hair to bust the purple pigment out. But it’s much more damaging to hair, and unlike your semi-permanent purple dye, bleach permanently changes the color of your hair.
For this reason, we recommend leaving the bleach to the professionals. You can try a bleach wash or bleach bath at home, which is a less-damaging method that still lightens your hair. Before you try it, read this: Should I Bleach My Hair?
If you use a bleach wash on purple-dyed hair, you may end up with a lighter shade of purple that is easier to conceal with another color or toner. Or, it may lift the rest of the purple out of your hair if there wasn’t much purple dye lingering.
It just depends on the current color and condition of your hair. Bleach washes are commonly used in situations like this to remove unwanted tones or dye.
- “Bleach wash. Warm water, hair bleach, 10- or 20-volume developer. A bit of shampoo in a color bottle. Work it through at the sink. Do not walk off. Stay there and keep working it through until you get the results you want. Then, probably all-over color after that.” – Pam Carnal-Connolly, BTC community
- “You can use heat with the bleach bath to make it work faster and better just cover it and use a blow dryer or bonnet blow dryer. Also you can do more than one if your hair is ok after the first one.” – @redheadstepchild99, Reddit user
- “Update! Finally got the bleach wash done. I had amazing results!” – @krazyfool88, Reddit user
If you want to try a bleach wash, you’ll need to gather some supplies. Bleach powder, 10 or 20 volume developer, shampoo, latex gloves, a shower cap, and a good deep conditioner are what you’ll need to get started.
Mix 1 ounce of bleach powder and 1 ounce of developer in a small bowl or container. Use more if your hair is very long or thick, just make sure you’re sticking to the 1:1 ratio. Now, add an equal amount of shampoo to the bowl to make your bleach wash. Mix it all together.
Next, wet your hair thoroughly and towel-dry it so it’s evenly damp. If you prefer doing this method dry, you totally can. Just do what’s more comfortable for you! Wrap an old towel around your shoulders to protect your skin and clothing for the next step.
Put on your latex gloves to protect your skin. Then use your hands to apply the bleach wash solution to your damp or fully dry hair. Make sure you evenly distribute the wash so you’ll get even results.
Pop a shower cap on your hair to trap heat and speed up the process. Set a timer according to your hair’s current color and your desired results:
- Already bleached purple hair: 7-10 minutes
- Deep purple-dyed hair: 15-30 minutes
Be sure to continually check your hair’s color progress before the timer goes off. Porous hair may process much faster than you expect, which can result in damage. So use a towel to wipe off the bleach wash in a small section to test the color.
When it’s reached the level you want, it’s time to rinse. Finally, once your hair has reached the desired color or level, thoroughly rinse the bleach wash out.
If you plan to follow up with hair dye, you can do that next. If not, now’s the time to work a deep conditioner into your hair and let it sit for a few minutes. This will keep your hair from feeling damaged or dried out.
Method 3: Tone With Gold
The vivid color of purple can be neutralized with yellow or gold tones the same way purple shampoo neutralizes and tones brassy or yellow blonde hair. If you’re comfortable applying a yellow (or orange, depending on your shade of purple) toner to your hair, you can neutralize the purple at home.
Stylists and DIY hair colorists use toner often to neutralize purple tones.
- “I would start with a color remover with 6-volume developer. Wash it out with a clarifying shampoo and use a deep conditioner. Then, I would tone with a smidge of gold if it’s still a little bit of a light lavender.” – @sara.jo.olsen, BTC community
- “Tone it with gold to neutralize without bleaching.” – @thekolorkween_, BTC community
- “Tone with its complement color. So if it lifts blue (it happens), tone with a peach or an orange (depending on the lightness). If it lifts to a lighter purple, tone with gold!” – @domdoesbalayage, BTC community
You’ll need a yellow/gold toner for deep purple hair. If you’re dealing with faded purple or light purple, opt for an orange toner since those colors have more blue in them than true purple. You’ll also need some latex gloves and 20 volume developer.
Mix your toner with developer in a 1:1 ratio (equal parts of each). Put on your latex gloves and apply the mixture to your hair from the roots down to the ends. Be sure to evenly saturate your hair. Set a timer for 10 minutes and check the progress.
You can leave the toner for up to 20 minutes. Finally, rinse your hair thoroughly and wash it with shampoo. You should see that the purple tones are completely gone! The results should last 3-4 weeks.
Bye Bye, Purple Hair!
You wondered how to remove purple from hair, and now you know that answer. We’ve looked at 3 easy, effective methods to get every last trace of violet out of your hair. Each method works, but the one you choose depends on how comfortable you are using salon-grade chemicals on your hair.
If you’re very comfortable working with chemicals and have colored or bleached your hair a few times, we recommend starting with a color remover to bust off the violet pigments. In most cases, if you visit a salon, this is the first step they’ll take.
If you’re not quite comfortable using a color remover, or if you’re looking to slightly lighten your hair color anyway, opt for a diluted bleach wash. This will lift the purple tones in your hair and make them less noticeable or take them completely out, depending on how intense the color was.
If you’re a total beginner and are afraid of messing your hair up, it’s relatively safe to try a gold or orange toner mixed with developer. This should neutralize the remaining purple in your hair.
You may be able to remove purple from your hair at home, but it’s never a bad idea to visit a salon instead. Have a professional handle the job if you’re not feeling 100% confident in your ability to fix the issue. Let an expert take over, and you’ll have peace of mind and perfect results.