It’s my best friend, and it’s also my worst enemy.
On the one hand, I am oddly attached to my hair. Whenever my poor poor stylist (sorry Sean!) comes within 3 feet of me w/ a pair of scissors in his hands my palms start sweating, my heart starts beating faster, & the panic attack begins. He literally has to get me a glass of wine & a magazine to distract me from watching the floor & micromanaging how many inches I see fall to the ground. #OCD.
On the other hand, when I have those days (sadly, this is most days) that my hair won’t do what I want no matter how many products/hot tools I use, I just want to throw my hands in the air & chop it the eff off. Luckily, due to past experience, I’ve learned to never ever follow through on that one. Short hair + me = a total fail.
It’s a never ending love/hate relationship.
Lately, the biggest hair battle I’ve been fighting is BRASS. I am team ash all the way, so the fact that my hair has decided to pick up brassy tones is driving me off the walls. I recently went to my hair guru to correct the brass, & although we got some of it out, it’s a process that involves a few spaced out visits to the salon. When it comes to orange hair, I am extremely impatient, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.
Which brings me to (d-d-d-drumroll please) PURPLE SHAMPOO!
I know what you’re thinking– isn’t purple shampoo just for blondes? I mean it says so right on the bottle? False false false!! Brunettes can totally use it too, and if you’re on team ash like me, you needed to start yesterday.
(Blondes, don’t click out just yet, I’ve got some much-needed purple shamps tips coming at ya!)
Over the past month, I have learned that purple shampoo isn’t just like normal shampoo & there are a few crucial things you need to know before you hit the shower::
+ Which one I use: Shimmer Lights shampoo & conditioner (update: I have recently switched to Pravana’s formula specific to brunettes– it a bit more blue/teal so it’s even more effective, although the purple works great too & can be a little less harsh!).
+ Don’t use it every time you wash your hair! It can be super drying so you only want to use it every 3 times. Personally, I only wash my hair 2-3x a week (love those natural oils), so I kinda did it every other time instead. If you wash your hair on the reg., I’d stick to the every third wash rule.
+ Let it sit. Unlike your normal shampoo which you rinse out almost immediately, this stuff you want to let it sit for a bit. The longer you let it settle in your hair, the more it banishes the brass. Shave your legs, exfoliate your face, sing a song, or do whatever to kill some time while you let the shampoo work it’s magic.
+ Condition. Condition. Condition. Purple shampoo is basically a toner, so as I said above, it can really dry out your hair if you don’t condition properly. After I rinse out the shampoo, I mix together a lil’ bit of the Shimmer lights purple conditioner & It’s a 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner + Keratin. I let that sit for about 2-3 minutes & then rinse with cool water to seal the cuticle. When I get out of the shower, I pat dry my hair (never aggressively rub dry, that causes major breakage), brush with The Wet Brush (« if you don’t have one, buy NOW! It will change your life), & then apply It’s a 10 Miracle Leave in Conditioner. When my hair is dry, before I use my hot tools, I apply Moroccan oil to protect & smooth my tresses.
[ Sidebar: as you can see, I am a huge fan of “It’s a 10” products… they are simply the best! End of story. ]
Whoever said blondes get to have all the fun, lied. Brunettes can partake on the festivities as well & have a total blast. That is if you consider washing your hair a good time… which I totally do.
Any other brunettes out there had good experiences w/ purple shampoo? Tell me all about it!
xx, E
++ the picture to the right is after just 5 purple shampoo washes! ++
