What Does Blue Shampoo Do?

 

You’ve heard of volumizing shampoo, color-protecting shampoo, purple shampoo, and maybe even carbonic acid shampoo. But there’s another type of shampoo that may not have come on on your radar, even in the last two years, that could do wonders for your hair: blue shampoo. 

That’s right, blue shampoo is a thing and it can have real beauty benefits for all the brunettes out there. It won’t turn your strands blue, but what it will do is keep them looking shiny and vibrant. So keep reading to learn more about blue shampoo, including which hair it’s best suited for and how to use blue shampoo in your hair care routine.

What Is Blue Shampoo?

Just like purple shampoo, blue shampoo is formulated to bust brassiness in color-treated hair. But where purple shampoo is intended to be used by blondes, and it’s also a common shampoo for gray hair, blue shampoo is better suited for brassy brunettes. 

Specifically, blue shampoo should be used on brunette hair that has been lightened or highlighted. When used on lightened brunette locks, blue shampoo deposits blue-toned pigments onto your hair to help neutralize brassy tones. 

It’s common for color-treated hair to gradually become brassy, with unwanted red and orange undertones developing — even if you opt for a cool-toned color — and since blue sits opposite of orange on the color wheel, it can counterbalance the hue. If you’re a brunette and you have virgin hair, you can also benefit from using a blue shampoo every once in a while to help make your strands appear shinier.

Can Blue Shampoo Be Used on Blondes?

If you’re blonde, you should totally should stay away from blue shampoo, because as L’Oréal Paris Creative Director of Style and Color Jonathan Colombini explains, “it won’t damage [blonde hair] but it could turn your blondest blondes a little muddy or even cast a blue tint."

How to Use Blue Shampoo

Interested in using blue shampoo on your brunette colored strands, but not exactly sure how? Follow these steps to easily incorporate blue shampoo into your hair care routine.

1. Wet and Cleanse As Usual

The most important thing to know about using blue shampoo is that you won’t be using it as frequently as you do your regular shampoo. Colombini noted that you’ll want to “use blue shampoo once a week at most,” as overuse could turn even dark hair blue.

Additionally, with a regular shampoo you generally want to concentrate the product only on your scalp and roots, but with blue shampoo it’s best to apply the blue shampoo from root to tip. This is because you want the blue pigments to work on all of your hair equally. Otherwise, you may be left with brassy spots in some places and not others.

2. Follow Up With Conditioner

Whatever your hair type, you should never skip conditioner — and this is especially true if you have color-treated hair. To help keep your color looking its very best, we recommend reaching for a deep conditioner or hair mask. Try the L'Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Signature Masque, Color Care Hair Mask, which works to nourish and protect color-treated hair while boosting shine and softness.

3. Treat Your Hair to a Leave-In Treatment

After you hop out of the shower, apply a leave-in hair oil or serum, such as the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Moisture Plump Serum, Paraben-Free to your damp strands. A little goes a long way here, so just dispense a dime-sized amount into your hands and apply it to the lengths and ends of your hair.

If you plan to reach for your blow dryer, be sure to use a heat protectant first, like the L'Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Weightless Blow Dry Primer, Heat Protectant.  apply it to towel-dried hair then blow dry for your desired look.

Next: What Does Using Purple Shampoo on Red Hair Do?

Edited by: Témi Adebowale, Photo: Chaunte Vaughn