In a perfect world, you go to the salon with the gals and get your hair done, either choose a new color or just go for your monthly highlights. Go out feeling fresh like the world is in your hands and your color just looks perfect until your hair color grows out and it’s time for a new look. Sounds pretty solid … if only!

Whether you’re a natural blonde or just pretending to be (your secret is safe with me), it’s hard to say you’ll ever find yourself bored. The constant upkeep and care that go into having the shimmering, shining hair you always dreamed of is a lot of work, but when done right, totally worth it.

Maintaining that gorgeous blonde color can be a hassle at times. Something which not everyone knows is that brassy tones creeping up in blonde hair is a very real problem that should not be taken lightly.

Enter Clairol Shimmer Lights purple shampoo, a hair care product designed specifically for those individuals looking to go for a cooler hair tone. Like a lot of people experimenting with their hair, a few years back, I decided to go blonde. It took me a while until I found exactly the shade I was looking for, but only recently I decided that I look best in a more ashy/platinum look rather than a yellow/ orange.

What Does Purple Shampoo Do? Purple Shampoo For Blonde Hair Explained

Here’s the problem – about a week or two after I either get my hair professionally dyed or do it myself, I find so many yellow brassy highlights which just ruin the entire look I am trying to go for. After all, who the hell wants brassy tones in their platinum hair?! The struggle is real!

The top solution for a color safe treatment for brassy hair is purple shampoo. That being said, there are plenty of products on the market claiming to be the best purple shampoo for brassy hair, but their effectiveness for blonde and silver hair varies. I’ve experimented with a few of them and I found my personal favorite to be ‘Shimmer Lights’ for blonde and silver hair.

What Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo does is simple. Its purple-based color cancels all the yellow tones in your hair. It’s good to use more than once a week, or just once a week if you prefer. This specific shampoo is a protein enriched coloring formula that tones down brassiness on blonde and grey hair, while refreshing and renewing faded highlights and ash tone hair. The nourishing formula means that it’s one of the few I would recommend as a purple shampoo on dry hair. It removes dull, yellow, grey & white hair, leaving you with the perfect color you originally started out with.

On the bottle, it says to keep it in for just about 3-5 minutes, but if you want stronger and faster results, I would suggest to keep it in longer. Once it’s lathered, you’ll notice it does actually give your hair a bit of a purple tint to it. No worries, once you wash it out this will go away.

When you rinse the shampoo out, you can see immediate results and you’ll be able to see some good silver-y highlights if you look closely. When lathering it on, keep in mind that you should be doing it twice while you shower. After lathering it in, rinse, and apply again for a shorter time.

PURPLE counteracts YELLOW! Use @Clairol_Pro Shimmer Lights Shampoo from @SallyBeauty for icy blonde color that's safe for your extensions! pic.twitter.com/sP7tdFdBpX

— BarelyXtensions (@BarelyXtensions) April 18, 2017

Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo Review

As shampoos go, the smell of Clairol professional Shimmer Lights shampoo one is pretty solidly average. If you’re looking for the best shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair, whether purple shampoo or otherwise, odds are you are going to have to put up with a bit of a chemical-y smell due to the shampoo ingredients.

However, with Shimmer Lights, I found along with the chemicals it still smells like flowers and that definitely draws me in. My only real qualm with this shampoo is that it does contain parabens and sulfates, which I why I generally only use it once a week.

The texture of the purple shampoo was a little bit loose and definitely not what I’m used to. When it was in my hair I was able to rinse it out with little difficulty. It seems that when the consistency is thicker, it’s harder to rinse out. For anyone who is using this shampoo for the first time, heads up! The color is actually a dark purple and if kept on for too long will stain whatever it goes onto (hence all the chemicals). Take extra caution!

Clairol Shimmer Lights Before And After

This is a product I highly recommend! It enhances my blonde platinum color into looking a lot more vibrant than it ever has. In addition, it also deep cleans the hair, which makes it look and feel healthier automatically. I always think of this shampoo as a toner but it’s not just that.

It’s a shampoo that enhances and removes any unwanted color in the blonde or silver, which is exactly what many people are looking for. I have not yet found a product like this that works so effectively on my platinum hair. This is a big reason that Shimmer Lights is used in so many hair salons worldwide.

The cost is usually reasonable as well. I found it cheapest on Amazon, with pricing as low as $9.11 for a 16 fl.oz bottle, but keep in mind that prices do vary from time to time depending on sales etc.

Clairol Shimmer Lights Purple Shampoo Vs Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo

Clairol Shimmer Lights Purple Shampoo

As far as purple shampoos go – this one seems to have garnered a reputation for having a bad smell. It was only until I actually flipped the lid that I could say I truly do concur. So if you have a sensitive nose, I’d recommend using a different brand. In terms of effectiveness, it’s not bad. Using Clairol professional Shimmer Lights shampoo twice a week does help to reduce brassy tones a little, but for someone who doesn’t have brassy tones – you won’t really notice that much of a difference.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t really recommend using this brand in light of the fact that you can get other purple shampoos for cheaper that are more effective. But if you’re particularly interested in choosing this one – I’m not going to stop you. Just be sure to have a lot of almond oil on hand, as it has been known to dry out hair.

Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo

Joico caters for color-sensitive hair types.

Joico is a brand that really does cater for color-sensitive hair types and has long been hailed as one of the best affordable go-to options for those who dye their hair.

The Color Balance Purple Shampoo smells great, is reasonably priced, and is really effective. It not only helps to keep your hair clean and fresh but will actively help to remove brassy tones whilst balancing out your hair tone to ensure that your hair is a brighter, lighter shade of blonde with every wash. This makes the dyeing process a lot easier and helps to guarantee that you have lasting color protection over time.

I’ve been using the Joico brand for a long time and have no real issues with their products. They’re affordable, effective, and easy to use – what more could you want from a purple shampoo?

Clairol Shimmer Lights Conditioner Review

One of the best parts of the Clairol Shimmer Lights conditioner has got to be the smell. Besides the fact that it softens your golden tresses, it’s the smell of fall that really gets you while you lather. When it comes to toning brassy hair with purple shampoo the smell can often be what puts you off. The same can be said of purple conditioner, but not in this case.

Another pro of the Clairol Shimmer Lights conditioner is the fact that you can even apply to dry hair just to put a little brass at bay while conditioning your locks. It’s thinner than most conditioners but it does the job well!

Conclusion

Whatever shade of blonde you go for, a purle shampoo is often the secret weapon against brassiness. But finding the perfect purple shampoo and conditioner can be hard. That’s why Clairol Shimmer Lights should definitely be on your “to try” list when you hit the salon. Purple shampoos, and hair care in general, is not a one-size-fits-all, but if you’re looking for something affordable and effective, it might be worthwhile giving the Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo & Conditioner a go!