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Why blue shampoo could be the miracle all brunettes need

Blondes have long had purple shampoo. Now, brunettes get their own go-to product.
Woman washing her hair in the shower
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/ Source: TODAY

For years, blondes have been turning to purple shampoo to keep brassiness at bay. Now, brunettes finally have a product that's all their own: blue shampoo!

What is blue shampoo?

Blue-tinted shampoo gets rid of unwanted brassy tones in brunette hair — a particular problem among women who dye their hair or have highlights — when the color starts to fade.

"That's when your undertones, the natural pigment, starts popping up, and the red comes out," celebrity colorist Mincho Pacheco, who uses blue shampoo on his clients at James Joseph Salon in Boston, told TODAY. "Everybody has red in their hair, even blondes."

"It's great to cancel out orange or red tones from brown color," he added. "We use it on someone who always wants that deep, shiny brown look, someone who spends a lot of time in the sun, or someone who washes their hair too often."

Blue shampoo works for brunettes the same way purple shampoo works for blondes. Colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel cancel each other out, so purple gets rid of yellow or greenish tones and blue gets rid of orange or red tones.

Hairstylist Paul Norton is also a fan of blue shampoo — he's used it on celebrity clients including Gina Rodriguez. But he adds that brunettes shouldn't discount purple shampoo entirely. Depending on what tones you're trying to correct, it might even be the better option.

The moral of the story? Play around until you find a shampoo you like.

"It is 100% safe to try any of these at home," Norton told us. "This is not something you need to rely on a hairstylist for because there's no deposit of color. There's only tonal correction, and it's not even aggressive tonal correction, it's almost surface-level tonal correction. And it's not permanent."

Both experts recommend that brunettes with brassy tones use a blue shampoo about once a week. But be careful: If you use too much at one time or shampoo too often, your hair could turn darker than your desired shade.

Top-rated blue shampoos for brunettes

dpHue Cool Brunette Shampoo

Formulated with a rich combination of silk proteins and hibiscus flower extract, this dpHue shampoo was designed to strengthen and soften your locks while preventing breakage. The longer you leave it on, the more powerful its toning and neutralizing is!

John Frieda Blue Crush for Brunettes Blue Shampoo

We're seriously crushing on this John Frieda shampoo for brunettes. Its Tri-Dye Blend technology allows for maximum hair penetration by targeting high fade areas for even toning.

Redken Color Extend Brownlights Shampoo

With a solid 4.3-star rating on Amazon, shoppers love how soft and shiny this Redken shampoo leaves their locks.

Fanola No Orange Shampoo

Pacheco swears by this blue shampoo by Fanola. It incorporates coconut oil to leave your hair feeling smooth and silky, along with hypoallergenic tiare flower to nurture and seal hair cuticles.

Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo

Matrix's blue shampoo promises to enhance the cool tones of brunette hair by balancing brassy tones with blue-violet pigments.

Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo

Joico says its blue shampoo is perfect for dark brunettes who have salon highlights they want to perk up. Its Bio Advanced Peptide Complex also repairs your hair from root to tip.

Pravana The Perfect Brunette Toning Shampoo

In addition to its vegan and sulfate- and paraben-free shampoo, Pravana also makes a conditioner and a hair mask to amp up your brassy-banning routine.

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