Purple shampoo? Never heard of her. Blue shampoo is the answer to all your brassy hair woes. What does blue shampoo do? Besides neutralizing brass, it’s a game changer for your strands. We’ve got everything to know ahead.

If you’ve got dyed brown hair, blue shampoo is a must in your routine. Blue shampoo extends the life of your color and maintains the health and beauty of your colored strands.

Blue shampoo deposits blue pigments onto the hair, eliminating unwanted brassy tones, but that’s not all. So what does blue shampoo do? In short it neutralizes orange, red and copper tones; keeps brunette hair looking vibrant and multi-dimensional and cools down warm tones. But it’s not just a hero product for brown hair, it helps to tone down brassiness in blonde hair too! More on that a little later, for now, let’s take a look at what blue shampoo is made from.

It’s probably not a surprise that the key ingredient in blue shampoo is blue pigment. The Silkening Shampoo from our Heart of Glass product line is a blue shampoo formulated with indigo blue pigments. It provides a gentle cleanse that enhances brown and blonde tones and adds noticeable nourishment to both natural and color treated hair. The vibrant pigments in the Silkening Shampoo come from the natural extract of Jagua fruit which is sustainably grown in Colombia to help maintain biodiversity. The blue from the Jagua extract helps cool-toned brunettes and blondes steer away from warm hues; and prevents the warm-toned brunettes and blondes from becoming even warmer. The formula immediately illuminates hair with no risk of color change, and balances unwanted tones - making it the perfect shampoo for brunettes and blondes, and the perfect shampoo for bleached hair.

If you’ve got brown or blonde hair with balayage, ombré or conventional highlights, if you’ve lightened your brown or blonde hair completely, or if you have a combination of dark and light hair with highlights- blue shampoo is used to neutralize brassiness. Blue shampoo helps to neutralize the orange, red and copper tones that can occur due to environmental factors. Blue shampoo also helps to seal in color, while adding moisture and shine. If you’re noticing dullness to your color after things like sun, chlorine or saltwater- blue shampoo will revive the vibrancy, glossiness and vitality of your strands. 

But what is blue shampoo used for on hair that hasn’t been colored? Even hair that hasn't been lightened can benefit from using a blue shampoo, as sun exposure, everyday styling, and even pollution can turn your natural brunette or blonde brassy.

Blue shampoo is used to neutralize orange tones. But what does blue shampoo do to your strands to make this happen? Blue and orange are complementary colors, meaning they cancel each other out. Blue shampoo temporarily deposits blue pigments onto the hair shaft, so that both colors disappear, leaving you with your original brunette or blonde color. It's important to note that these pigments won’t turn your hair blue. They simply help counteract brassy tones, for richer, glossier color.

Now let’s take a look at the difference between blue vs purple shampoo. The same way purple shampoo tones and brightens by neutralizing unwanted yellow, a blue shampoo does the same for orange. If you look at the color wheel, you’ll see blue directly across from orange tones, and purple directly across from yellow. Purple cancels out yellow and blue cancels out orange. As lighter hair loses pigment, turns yellow, where darker hair loses pigment and turns orange. 

So what does blue shampoo do to brown hair and what does blue shampoo do to blonde hair? The undertones that appear in your color will help you determine whether to use blue or purple shampoo. If you have brassy orange or red undertones, blue shampoo is your best bet. But blue pigment won’t do much for yellow undertones. The reverse is true for yellow undertones. Purple shampoo is great for removing yellow, but not as effective for orange or red. 

While you should stick with purple or blue shampoo most of the time, you do have the option to use both if you have multiple undertones. But a good rule of thumb is that a blue shampoo is best for dark hair and brunettes; and purple shampoo is better for blondes, silver or gray hair. 

Wondering how to use blue shampoo? Let’s get into it. How often you use it in your rotation is up to you, but our Silkening Shampoo can be used every time you wash your hair without any unwanted side effects. Always use blue shampoo on wet hair. Applying it to dry strands can cause them to grab too much pigment, as dry hair is more porous. Lather it in your hands and work it into your scalp, using gentle circular motions. Work the shampoo between strands, and down the shaft. Leave it on for two to four minutes and use cool water when rinsing, to close the cuticle and seal in the color and shine. 

Your last step is applying a conditioner for colored hair (or a conditioner for your hair type if it’s not colored). And finally, something to note is that although it can’t permanently change the color of your strands, the blue pigments can stain your shower floor or walls, so be sure to rinse it off right away.

To sum it all up, what does blue shampoo do? It extends the life of your color and maintains the health and beauty of your strands, while neutralizing orange, red and copper tones and cooling down warmth in brunette and blonde hair. If you’ve got brown or blonde hair, a blue shampoo is a must in your routine- in addition, stock up on other favorites from our Heart of Glass line designed to highlight the beauty of blonde and brown hair. 

And if you’d like to experiment with other pigment depositing products, look to our Alchemic System System of shampoos and conditioners to intensify and brighten your color. The 6 tones in the system can be creatively mixed together, or used separately to maintain and enhance natural and cosmetic color. 

Never compromising on our vision of sustainable beauty, all Davines products are produced with energy entirely from renewable sources. All products are carbon neutral, and the bottles are made with post-consumer recycled plastic. We’d love to hear about your experiences with blue shampoo before and after, so if you’ve gone blue, drop us a note in the comments.

by Jaclyn LaBadia, featured contributor