Blondes (of the unnatural variety) have long been using purple shampoo as a secret weapon to keep their colour looking fresh. The colour technology is a go-to for blondes who want to keep their bleached hair looking like it did when it was freshly dyed, and stop it from turning brassy.
Brunettes, meanwhile, have had no such magic solution to stop their coloured hair changing shades – until now. Enter blue toning shampoo, the latest hero beauty product being championed by brunettes, and now available on the UK high street.
Charles Worthington's new ColourPlex range includes the Colourplex Toning Blue Shampoo (£7.99 for 250ml), which sits alongside the brand's ultra violet shampoo for blondes, and promises to restore brunettes' "salon-fresh vibrancy."
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It works by following the complementary colour theory (in the same way purple shampoo is used to neutralise yellow tones), and promises to banish red and orange tones, leaving brunette hair a cooler, deeper shade, and shinier.
"In the same way that blonde hair can turn brassy, brunette hair is also prone to oxidising which can bring out orange or red tones," says Charles Worthington ambassador, Ken O'Rourke. "If you’d like to keep your brown hair cool, I’d recommend using a blue toning shampoo once a week or alternating it with your regular shampoo if needed."
Another blue shampoo is Aveda's Blue Malva Shampoo (£32.55 for 1000ml), made from "wildcrafted", sustainably gathered blue malva plant and organically grown blue flowers, which Aveda say neutralise brassiness in chemically treated hair.
Meanwhile, Joico's Colour Balance Blue Shampoo (£10.95 for 300ml) is ideal for darker brunettes with salon highlights. Its formula promises to guard against colour fade and keep the hair nourished. Like the others, its job is to keep brown shades cool and ward off warm and brassy tones.
Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo (£13.40 for 1000ml) also neutralises brassiness, with the help of "colour-depositing blue-violet pigments." The product can be left on for up to three minutes to help the toner work its magic, as well as being used as a regular shampoo.