At some point, we have all imagined ourselves with blonde hair. This stunning shade has turned heads for centuries, and do not predict a change anytime soon. Although many people are obsessed with blonde hair, others are wary of complicated colouring services and aftercare.
Thankfully, you can push your worries aside.
If you have ever wondered about the secrets surrounding blonde hair, this ultimate guide will reveal the truth. You will learn about pre-toning, silver hair, red hair with blonde highlights, restorative shampoo, purple shampoo, blue shampoo and more.
We also have a thorough guide for getting and maintaining Ash Blonde hair colour (along with some ideas for styles to try).
Pre-Toning For Blonde Hair
You might hear about hairdressers using purple shampoo to pre-tone hair before applying colour. This is an added step after bleaching or lightening where purple shampoo is used to cool down the yellow or golden tones of bleached hair. By doing this before colouring or toning, you can achieve more of the intended colour.
Pros & Cons: Should I Pre-Tone Blonde Hair?
PROS:
- A clean canvas: Pre-toning can assist in neutralising unwanted tones so there is a clean slate when applying colour and guaranteeing the integrity of the colour. This ensures that your undertones won’t affect the result of the colour, and the need to colour correct afterwards is eliminated.
- Eliminate yellow or brassy pigments: Pre-toning can also soften unwanted yellow and brassy tones in the hair. Fanola No Yellow Shampoo with violet pigment will eliminate yellow pigments and Fanola No Orange Shampoo with blue pigments will eliminate orange tones.
- Create cool tones: You want to eliminate warmth by pre-toning when trying to achieve cool tones, such as silver, cool blonde, white blonde, lilac or cool beige. This helps achieve a neutralised result.
- A cleaner fade: Pre-toning can also make the fade-out process a lot cleaner. When hair fades out, yellow or golden hair will not be left.
CONS:
- Time-consuming: With so many clients, pre-toning might be one more added step you simply don’t have time to complete. After all, there are only so many hours in a day and so many clients to see.
- Makes hair knotty: After a bleach, hair can be already quite dry and shampooing can sometimes make the hair knotty.
How to Pre-Tone Using No Yellow
While every toner is different, here are some simple steps to pre-tone with Fanola No Yellow:
- After lifting to the desired level, rinse out the lightener.
- Use gloves to apply Fanola No Yellow Shampoo to slightly towel-dried hair.
- Process for 2-10 minutes depending on the desired amount of toning.
- Lather and then rinse.
- Towel dry and apply the desired toner.
How To Achieve Silver Hair & Wear It With Confidence
Although everyone is familiar with most shades of blonde hair, what about silver hair? Less is known about this unique colour, but we want to draw back the curtains. You can learn how to create and care for silver hair no matter your current colour.
How To Get Silver Hair From Dark Brown
A huge colour transformation will require a stricter care regime, intense nourishment and more frequent haircuts. Even though not all hairdressers are the greatest fans of such dramatic changes, they know how to deal with turning dark hair into lighter nuances.
1. Remove Colour
From time to time, you will need to colour-correct by applying professional colour extractors. The first step to getting silver hair from dark nuances would be to remove the initial colour. A colour extractor or lifter is a great friend of very dark brunettes and black hair. You can get similar results at home with a softer colour remover. Make sure you follow the instructions to the word to prevent hair damage.
Keep in mind that colour removers are not omnipotent. Often, the best you can achieve with them is reducing artificial undertones or weird colouring. Therefore, you will need bleach to get to the lighter platinum blond range.
2. Bleach
Step number two is to apply bleach to accomplish intensive highlighting. Bleaching is not as fearsome as it looks. Your hair must be healthy before you bleach it. Therefore, dedicate a month or two to restore its health prior to going silver-blonde. It’s even better if you don’t alter it chemically in any way for a few months before bleaching.
We also recommend using a bond builder during the bleaching process to prevent dramatic damage to the hair.
3. Add Violet/Silver Highlighter
Now comes the best part of dyeing hair silver: using a toning agent to contrast yellowness.
If you are a natural blonde with cool undertones – lucky you. The silver hair trend is your ally. You can skip the previous steps and directly experiment with violet highlighters all you like. Try washing your hair with a natural-tone silver shampoo, which can give you a vibrant violet palette.
For the rest of us, assuming that the highlighting work has been done, you can choose toners and shampoos that act as colour refreshers.
Ideas For Red Hair With Blonde Highlights
What about red hair with blonde highlights? The combination of red and blonde offers warm tones on natural redheads and red-coloured hair, which will help you stand out from any crowd.
If you need inspiration, think about how good bright red looks on Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone. Whether you have dark auburn or light strawberry blonde hair, blonde highlights can add dimensionality to any hair type, style and texture.
Who Can Wear Red Hair With Blonde Highlights?
The short answer is anyone. That being said, certain red shades will be more flattering to lighter skin tones and others will look best on darker skin tones. Here is what to look for to add blonde highlights for every skin tone.
- Light Skin Tone: Strawberry blonde and bright copper tones like Oro 6.46 Dark Blonde Copper Red are the best matches for very pale skin. If you have a rosy complexion, you want to highlight and add several dark strawberry highlights to freshen up the look. You cannot go wrong with a darker copper foilage like a Dark Blonde Copper Red either - Shop our copper hair colours here.
- Medium Skin Tone: Cherry red and fire red like Limitless Colour 8.66 Light Intense Red Blonde are good choices to emphasise natural golden tones. Add light golden blonde highlights to round up the complementary look.
- Olive Skin Tone: This skin tone will suit cool undertones that do not wash out the complexion, such as Med Auburn Blonde or Dark Blonde Mahogany. Avoid orange undertones if you have olive skin.
- Brown Skin Tone: On brown skin, explore wine shades like Goldwell 6KR Topchic Tube and red-brown shades like Light Red Beige Brown. For a rich and sunkissed shade, use red-brown combined with light beige-blonde highlights.
- Dark Skin Tone: The most intense red hair colours complement dark skin tones. Think of creating a base of dark auburn, burgundy, or cherry red and add lilac foils to achieve an inspirational look that looks as fresh as a daisy.
The List Of Red Hair With Blonde Highlights
Red hair colour is generous because you can add subtle highlights or surprise everyone with a fire-red shade. Here are some sexy and sophisticated ideas to add highlights to every type of red hair.
Types Of Natural Red Hair
- Simple: If you are blessed to be born with a red mane, then there is the option to add golden blonde highlights in a most innocent manner – make sure you add more foils in the front for the flattering face-framing effect.
- Copper Red: The waves on this copper blonde look gorgeous and will challenge those balayage skills to achieve the delicate transitions from red to blonde.
- Caramel Red: Is your client unsure that full-blown red with highlights would suit them? Then take it easy by blending in some caramel foils and solve the hesitancy like a breeze.
Types Of Dark Red Hair With Blonde Highlights
- Cruella De Red: This courageous combo is nothing like the iconic movie character. On the contrary, it is rather sweet, but will still turn heads. Add a claw clip to accentuate the red-blonde contrast.
- Dark Auburn Balayage: Here is a dark balayage look that will suit dark or olive skin. Plus, blonde highlights are still possible. Prove it is possible by creating a base with chestnut red, such as Inebrya Colour 4/6 Chestnut Red.
- Festive Red: This look is what most people have in mind when they mention red hair with highlights. Since it gives the impression of a burning fireplace, it can be presented at a beach barbecue or (metaphorically) light up the fire at home over holiday celebrations.
Types Of Bright Red Hair With Highlights
- Copper Ombre: Red tones typically carry the note of fall, but we don’t see why you wouldn’t wear them in hot weather too. This transitional ombre from copper to golden blonde will certainly inspire a few ‘ahs’ and ‘ohs’. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart if you don’t want to draw too much attention. If you do, then you have our absolute support!
- Soft Rosy Red: Add rose gold highlights to a light copper red shade to flatter light skin tones and layered hairstyles. We suggest rose gold toners at home to avoid colour fading between salon appointments.
- Warm Apple Cider: This stunning blonde red look is created by adding a pastel peach toner to soften the look. Use a barrel curler to create bouncy waves. Then, add medium-hold hairspray to extend the hairstyle’s lifespan.
The Best Restorative Haircare For Blondes
The best shampoo for blonde hair is the question everyone wants to know. If you are a blondie, now is your time to shine! It is all about knowing the correct maintenance to keep your hair looking smooth, healthy and shiny.
The best shampoo for blonde hair is just one of the ways you can get the perfect colour this season.
Fanola Fiber Fix:
When you go to your hairdresser to get your hair bleached, you may notice they offer a plex treatment like Olaplex. This is because bleach breaks the bonds in your hair and eats into the hair cuticle. Therefore, plex treatments are important.
Goldilocks Argan Oil Essence:
Goldilocks Argan Oil Essence is a non-greasy and lightweight way to boost the appearance of blonde hair. This intensely nourishing formula helps to eliminate frizz, lock in moisture and dramatically reduce drying times. You can even block out humidity during every application.
K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Repair Mask:
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask is designed to reverse hair damage. In fact, you can restore 94% original elasticity and 91% original strength. This is particularly important for blonde hair, which is vulnerable after salon appointments.
The Best Purple Shampoo For Blonde Hair
Purple shampoo is specifically designed for lightened hair, such as blonde, platinum, silver, grey or white. The intense pigment will banish brassiness and create a cooler look. Purple works because this colour is opposite yellow the colour wheel, which means they cancel each other out or mute one another.
The results will depend on how long you allow the purple shampoo to work its magic. The longer you wait, the more the formula will tone your hair. The pigment is often so strong, you need to equip yourself with disposable gloves to avoid getting purple fingers.
Keep in mind not all purple shampoos are created equally, and we have compiled all our favourites to save you the usual trial and error.
Fanola No Yellow Shampoo and Mask:
This is considered to be the best shampoo for blonde hair by many hairdressers and bloggers on social media. Once you have bleached blonde hair, Fanola No Yellow Shampoo will remove brassy yellow to achieve your desired cool blonde.
Although Fanola No Yellow has magical toning effects, the shampoo can also leave the hair feeling a bit dry. This is why you need to take the next important step to care for your hair... Fanola No Yellow Mask.
Most people neglect this essential step when maintaining hair and wonder why their strands are so dead and dry. Remember that your hair has been stripped to achieve your desired blonde colour. On top of this, it has been exposed to heat and other environmental factors, such as the sun. After a shampoo, your hair cuticles are open, so you need to seal the cuticle by applying a conditioner or mask treatment.
Hi-Lift True Blonde Zero Shampoo & Conditioner Duo:
Vegans rejoice! There is a shampoo and conditioner out there for you animal-loving people.
Hi Lift Blonde Zero Yellow Conditioner will combat those unwanted yellow tones using a nourishing formula. You can expect Kakadu and native plum extracts to extend, protect and enhance the life of your hair colour. The conditioner is also enriched with macadamia nut and coconut oil to help detangle hair and add shine. This formula is also free of nasties like sulphates and parabens.
18 In 1 Professional Violet Shampoo & Conditioner:
18 In 1 Professional Violet Shampoo and Conditioner will tone the hair without fuss. This nourishing formula is filled with benefits - 18 benefits in fact! You can eliminate brassiness, moisturise, smooth, hydrate, repair, strengthen, protect, prevent split ends and more. The secret is Australian Kakadu plum, argan oil, amino acids and vegetable protein.
12 Reasons Purple Shampoo & Conditioner:
You probably don’t need 12 reasons to maintain your blonde hair, but we know you will appreciate 12 Reasons Purple Shampoo and Conditioner anyway. You can tone, cleanse, detangle, colour protect, nourish, moisturise, smooth and the list goes on.
Natural Look Silver Screen Ice Blonde:
Natural Look Silver Screen Ice Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner is used to counteract unwanted yellow, gold and brassy tones. You can gently cleanse and nourish using a combination of organic plant extracts. The formula is free from paraben and petroleum-based ingredients that may harm the planet’s natural environment.
How To Use Purple Shampoo To Suit Your Hair Type
- Platinum blondes: If your hair is platinum blonde, evenly distribute the shampoo, especially at the tips, and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse and condition as per usual or let the purple conditioner/mask sit for extra toning time. If your hair is a bit gold, this should produce a cool toned effect for a platinum blonde look. Shop our platinum blonde hair colours here.
- Porous Hair: For hair with high porosity that easily absorbs colour, you will notice that the shampoo will catch and stain on the hair. If this is the case, then try to dilute with water or combine it with regular shampoo to dull the pigment. If you have patches of violet in your hair, then you can wash this off with normal shampoo.
- Natural Blonde Shades: For more natural blonde shades, you can use the shampoo for a shorter amount of time up to 2-3 minutes as you don’t want to overtone it. You just want to brighten your blonde and make it less dull. You can also target problem areas by colour correcting and applying more on certain areas that are more yellow.
-
Silver Hair with Yellow Undertones: If you want your hair more on the silver side, you will want to overtone by applying the shampoo for longer. Apply it generously and evenly. Leave it on for up to 30 minutes. This can result in some violet staining, so it is best for silver or grey hair.
How To Use Purple Shampoo
Applying purple shampoo may seem like a simple task. Just apply the shampoo and ta-da! Perfectly toned hair. Unfortunately, it can be a bit more complicated.
The good news is that you don’t have to do this every day. It is recommended you wash hair once a week with the pigmented shampoo. If you wash your hair more frequently in a week, then commence this procedure every third day. It depends on your habits and hair type.
Here are some step-by-step procedures you can take to care for blonde hair:
-
Shampoo with your regular shampoo: The first shampoo of every wash performs the role of lifting the dirt from your hair. This will remove all the build up of dirt, oils and sebum from your hair, opening up the hair cuticle so the next wash will allow the purple shampoo to deposit onto the hair.
-
Apply The Shampoo: Your hair cuticle is now open and able to catch those colour deposits. Remember to see what parts of your hair need the most toning and lather them in shampoo for greater effectiveness. Results will show most if you apply a generous amount on the hair. Leave on as instructed on the packaging. However, if you leave it longer for up to 20 minutes, you can tone it further and achieve an over toning effect. The more porous your hair, the more product will catch.
-
Conditioner / Treatment Mask: This step is essential as you want to provide hair with as much nourishment and hydration as possible while the cuticle is still open. It is highly recommended you use a matching purple conditioner or mask for extra toning on your hair. Otherwise, it is perfectly fine to use normal conditioner as the toning shampoo should have done all the work. The conditioner or mask will seal the cuticle and lock in all that gloss. Usually a purple conditioner should be left in for a few minutes while the mask might need extra time to soak.
-
Leave-in Toning Treatment: Once you have rinsed and towel dried your hair, lock the effect in again with the leave-in toning treatment of your choice.
-
Heat Protectant: One lesser known fact about blonde hair maintenance is that heat plays a massive role in the quality of your blonde tresses. Heat can fade the colour of your locks. This includes the use of hot styling tools, such as hair straighteners, blow dryers and curlers, exposure to sunlight, LED or UV rays and hot water. The heat can actually burn your hair and change its colour. The best way to minimise this damage is by using an effective heat protectant.
-
Argan Oil: Argan oil is known as the 'liquid gold' for hair because of its revitalising properties. This can undo the damage caused by chemical treatments and dye. You can even treat split ends.
Is The Best Shampoo For Blonde Hair Actually Blue?
If you are struggling with orange tones instead of yellowness, you need a blue shampoo. While violet counteracts yellow, blue will counteract orange. It’s all about finding the best shampoo for blonde hair that suits you! Sometimes you may need to use both blue and purple shampoos. It can’t hurt to alternate!
We recommend trying Fanola No Orange Shampoo and Mask to banish unwanted orange tones.
FAQ – Everything You Need To Know About Purple Shampoo
Q1. Will it dye my hair?
While purple shampoo does have strong violet pigments, it is not a hair dye and will not dye your hair. It is possible to overtone your hair the longer you leave it on, but it will leave more of a light violet tint. Also, it is not a permanent colour, so any staining can be adjusted by washing it off with regular shampoo.
Q2. Do I apply the shampoo to wet or dry hair?
Try applying on wet hair first and see how well your hair takes to the toning. If you are regularly toning, then best to apply to wet hair. However, if your hair is lighter and you want more of an intense toning treatment, you can apply it to dry hair for up to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes of absorption, simply rinse off.
Q3. How often do I use the shampoo?
Usage comes down to the condition of your hair and your normal hair routine. Your hairdresser will normally recommend washing hair once or twice a week as washing hair every day strips your hair from its natural oils and also fades the colour more quickly. If this is your normal hair routine, then use purple toning shampoo once a week. If you find however that your hair is easily discoloured, then try this treatment twice a week. It all depends on your hair and your routine.
Q4. How quickly will I see results?
Results will show instantly if you have used it correctly. If there is no difference, you have either not left it on for long enough or your hair might not be suited to pigmented shampoo.
Q5. Can I use it on hair extensions?
Hair extensions are extremely porous and will grab onto purple pigment. If necessary, however, you can dilute it into some warm water and dip the extensions in.
Q6. Can I use it on curly hair?
Yes! You can use it on curly hair as long as you take extra care by using masks and smoothing creams to care for it afterwards. There are also sulphate-free options that would be better for curly hair.
Q7. Will it work on ashy ombre hair?
It will work on the lighter parts of the hair and do nothing to the dark parts of the hair.
