Purple shampoo is aimed at helping neutralize brassy or yellow-ish tones in blonde or lightened hair, and as I’ve been asked by a number of followers for suggestions which are free from methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, here is a round up of safe products you may wish to explore, without any comments on performance.
Note that completely natural options can be difficult to come by, because the purple and violet tones used in these products are typically artificial. That said, there are some options which use plant-based purple anthocyanin pigments and other bluish or violet botanicals to counteract the yellow.
We’ll start with some hair-brand / salon-type options, before looking at budget options, natural options, solid bar options, and fragrance free options … If you have suggestions for additions which work well for specific needs or sensitivities, please let us know in the comments.
Nexxus Blonde Assure Purple Shampoo (US)
This was recently voted the top performer by beauty website Byrdie. In the United States, you can buy it from Walmart or Target.
Kerastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet Shampoo (Worldwide)
This is one of the more natural choices of the big names, with a number of botanical ingredients, and what appears to be a more ‘allergy friendly’ fragrance blend than most, that may be well tolerated by some with fragrance sensitivities (though it does contain limonene). Contains SLES and dimethicone too. In the US, go to the Kerastase website. In the UK, you can buy it direct from Kerastase, or from Amazon or from Look Fantastic. In Australia, it is stocked by Oz Hair & Beauty.
Amika Bust Your Brass (Worldwide)
A “Cool Blonde Strength Repair” shampoo, which boasts quinoa proteins and a few other natural ingredients. Does have silicones, though, and quite a lengthy list of ingredients if you need to check others. In the United States, you can get it direct from the Amika website, as well as from Amazon. In the UK, you can get it from Boots and from Sephora. In Australia, also try Sephora. In Canada, try Amazon.
Redken Colour Extend Blondage (Worldwide)
This one probably wins the prize for best name, and claims to “protect colour vibrancy and promotes bright, luminous locks with salon-worthy shine”. Preserved with phenoxyethanol. Available from Redken direct in the United States, and Look Fantastic in the UK, and Walmart Canada.
Neal and Wolf Purple Brightening Shampoo (UK)
An option which is Vegan Society certified in the UK. One of the fragrance compounds it contains is alpha isomethyl-ionone, which is not an isothiazolinone, in case that concerns you. Click here to find out more.
Aveda Botanical Repair(TM) Purple Toning Shampoo (Worldwide)
Aveda have a strong reputation, and I know many who love their products. You can buy this particular one from Aveda US and Aveda UK. In Australia, perhaps try Adore Beauty.
Budget Options
Superdrug Revive Purple Shampoo (UK)
A safe option from this British high-street chain. Check it out here.
Bondbar Purple Brightening Shampoo (US)
A good-value option from the US, available in Walmart.
Dumb Blonde No Yellow Shampoo (Australia)
And a budget option from Australia, which you can find on Oz Hair & Beauty.
Daddy-O by Lush (Worldwide)
This is not the most natural choice, but probably easily widely available to most readers, given the ubiquity of stores in major cities internationally. It contains some ingredients some prefer to avoid — such as artificial fragrance, SLS, SLES, parabens and propylene glycol. As with the Neal & Wolf product, it contains alpha isomethyl-ionone. As well as in store, you can get it internationally at United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia, as well as others.
Natural Options
The Cornish Seaweed Bath Company Super Nutrient Purple (UK)
A wholly natural option from this southern English brand, but which only appears to be available in a ‘shampoo and conditioner’ set, although both are safely MI-free. Plant-based anthocyanins, pigments, spirulina and blue tansy appear in the ingredients, and I presume are used to replicate the purple in the absence of synthetic colour. Check the duo out on their website.
Flourish Beauty Lab Purple Shampoo (US)
This US brand’s product uses purple sweet potato and spirulina extracts to colour, and is overall probably the most natural shampoo I’ve managed to find. It’s also a Clean Beauty Awards winner from 2021. You can buy it direct from the brand if you click here.
EverScents Organic Berry Blonde Shampoo (Australia / NZ)
Actually, this one probably runs the Flourish Beauty product close for natural attributes. It really does look good from a glance of the ingredients. Buy it from the EverScents website. Haircare Market New Zealand also stock it — click here.
Solid Options
I’ve not been able to find a solid shampoo bar which DOES contain MI or MCI/MI, so almost all (if not all) will be safe, I imagine. Here are just a few of the many that now seem available.
Kitsch Purple Toning Solid Shampoo (Worldwide)
Shampoo bars are increasingly popular, and typically don’t need preservation, so are almost certainly going to be MI-free. This example certainly is, and has quite few ingredients, so easily checked against any other of your allergens or ‘avoid’ list. pH balanced and vegan, and claims to neutralize brassy tones. Get it from Kitsch in the UK, or from Amazon in the United States. In Australia, HairShop stock it. In NZ, try from Blak. In Canada, Well.ca.
SeekBAMBOO Natural Purple Shampoo Bar (US)
This one could fit into the natural category too. Available in the United States, it uses purple sweet potato pigment and mica. Find it at the SeekBamboo website.
Naturél Purple Shampoo Bar (US)
The name implies natural, but the coloring agent is synthetic in this otherwise good, few-ingredient bar. Find it on Amazon US.
Fragrance Free Options
Four Reasons No Nothing Sensitive No Yellow Unscented Shampoo
A Finnish product, describing itself as irritant-free and hypoallergenic, and the one to go for if you have fragrance allergies along with isothiazolinone allergy. For those with fragrance sensitivities in the US, Amazon is the best source, although also the No Nothing US website. In the UK, try the Four Reasons website itself, or else Amazon UK do stock it. You can also see it listed at Amazon Australia but it was not available at the time of writing. It’s the same story with Amazon Canada, but you might want to keep an eye on it — although Windsor Beauty Supply currently have it in stock.
By the Way Purple Shampoo Fragrance Free (US)
At the time of writing, they appear to be on a break (“back soon!”) but I’m including this product, as there seems to be only this and the Four Reasons No Nothing above to choose from, so you might want to keep an eye out for the brand’s return if the alternative is unsuitable for you. Click here to see it.
WARNING!
Stay away! The following are just a few of those I came across which are NOT MI-FREE
John Frieda Violet Crush for Blondes
Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo
Jhirmack Silver Brightening Purple Shampoo
Tigi Bed Head Dumb Blonde Shampoo
Aussie SOS Blonde & Hydrate Purple Shampoo
NB: Note that Not Your Mothers Shampoo Blonde Moment used to contain MCI/MI, and still does according to certain sources, but it looks now to have been reformulated, according to their own website. Click here to see what I presume to be the new formulation. Some third party sellers may still be selling the MCI/MI-containing version, though (Amazon still list it as such).