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Purple hair color ideas: Find right shade for every skin tone

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Being a distinctive color option, the selection of purple hair color has become a celebration of uniqueness and personal style.

Regardless of whether you are a fan of delicate pastel lavenders or deep, rich violets, the right purple hair color for you will be determined by the blending of colors of your skin and hair care routines.

In order to avoid a brassy effect of your purple hair color, it will be essential to apply both coloring and heat treatment techniques. Here are tips for choosing and dyeing your purple hair.

What should be considered when choosing the right shade of purple?

What should be considered when choosing the right shade of purple?

Selecting the perfect purple color for hair involves ensuring compatibility of the tint's undertone with your skin color and overall aesthetics. Since purple is such a diverse range of colors from cool blue violets to warm magenta plums, it can be considered as one of the most versatile creative hair colors available.

While choosing your perfect shade, check whether you have cool, warm, or neutral undertones of skin.

  • Cool undertones of pink and blue will be ideally complemented by icy lilacs, periwinkles, and dark indigos.

  • Warm undertones of yellow or golden hues should go perfectly well with rich plums, berry purples, and warm magenta shades.

For those who prefer a more understated look, dark plum would give a subtle touch of color under the natural sun rays without being visible indoors.

Hair with gray or light hair base should be ideally complemented by pastel lavenders. While getting vivid violet colors, darker natural base may require pre-lightening before dyeing due to which proper hydration of your hair should be ensured throughout the process.

Varieties of light and dark purple hair colors 

Experimenting with all types of purple hair colors will help you find your way around the particular shade that will express the feeling that you want to convey. The following options have their own unique features:

Delicate lilac and lavender

Delicate lilac and lavender

Soft and pastel colors that give the look of whimsy and fantasy. Pastels look great on light blondes and light complexions with light-colored eyes.

Electric violet

Electric violet

Intense and vibrant purple hair color that is neither too dark nor too light. Electric violet combines cool blue and warm red undertones, creating a stunning effect.

Plum and eggplant

Plum and eggplant

Mysterious and dark purples with strong dark red and brown undertones. This is the right choice for people with dark natural hair who don't want to lighten their locks too aggressively.

Ash purple

Dusty and muted purple hair color that contains gray undertones. This is a good choice for those who are looking for a unique and modern purple hair color.

Creative coloring techniques for purple hair

All-over full color isn’t the only possible option in this case; some creative coloring techniques can give you the chance to play with your purple shade in many ways.

Gradient ombre coloring technique continues to be preferred by those who love having their hairstyles low-maintenance. You will be able to preserve your natural root color and then gradually fade into deep violet and bright lavender. In this case, there won't be any lines of regrowth visible for you to fix regularly.

Balayage highlighting

Balayage highlighting

painting hand-free purple highlights on some selected strands to create natural depth within your textured waves.

"Money piece" of face-framing

"Money piece" of face-framing

"Money piece" of face-framing bright lavender or electric purple: coloring only those strands that surround your face will give you an attractive accent of your bright color using minimum of coloring product.

Peekaboo underlayer

Peekaboo underlayer

Using bright purple dye under the top layer of natural hair will give you a chance to display this color in your updo hairstyles.

Colored hair protection using proper drying methods

The preservation of vivid purple color requires keeping the hair cuticle safe from excessive heat. The conventional hair dryers work by employing the scorching heat that breaks down the cuticle and results in a rapid washout of fragile purple hair dye particles.

Employing the method of high-speed air stream makes it possible to dry the colored hair without exposing it to excessive heat bursts. This way, the low temperature locks the outer layer of the cuticle and protects the pigment inside.

Purple hair style

Primary color goal

Blowout & drying approach

Recommended styling tool

Fine pastel lavender

Preserve delicate shade, prevent heat fading

Fast drying using high airflow at ultra-low temperatures to seal cuticles.

Laifen Air Hair Dryer

Textured purple waves

Define curl pattern, reduce color wash-out

Cup curls with a dedicated diffuser attachment on warm air settings.

Laifen Swift Special

Sleek dark plum

Maximum shine, zero static flyaways

Direct airflow downward along the hair shaft using an ergonomic, lightweight design.

Laifen SE 2

Daily practices that help avoid color fading

Maintaining the color of your purple hair requires following proper practices at home. Since the molecules of purple dye are bigger compared to the natural ones, they remain closer to the hair surface and fade faster.

Always use cool or lukewarm water to rinse your hair and avoid hot water since it expands the hair shaft and allows color to fade. Always use shampoo that is sulfate-free and safe for color-treated hair and include purple pigmenting conditioner once a week.

Use a leave-in thermal protector before you heat style or blow dry your hair. The combination of protective styling products with heat-control technologies of the Laifen Air Hair Dryer will keep your hair vividly colored, soft, and shiny.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to bleach my hair to go purple?

The answer depends on your natural hair color and your chosen purple shade. Pastels such as lavender and lilac will have to be applied to bleached hair because they will not appear properly if you do not lighten your base first. However, deeper purples including deep plum, burgundy purple, and dark violet work great on natural brown hair.

How can I extend the life of my purple hair dye?

Avoid washing your hair too often using cool water, shampoo that is free of sulfates and harsh detergents, and high-heat styling tools in order to preserve the purple color for longer. Also, use hair dryers with high velocity but low heat settings when blow-drying.

Does my purple hair dye wash off into something ugly?

The warmer shades of purple tend to turn pink or berry hues as time passes while cooler purples usually wash off into silver, periwinkle or ash blonde shades. Regular application of toning conditioners that contain purple pigments helps keep your purple hue looking crisp.

Is it safe to use high speed hair dryers on bleached purple hair?

Yes, the hair dryers with high velocity are the best choice for bleached hair. This is because such dryers use powerful air velocity rather than very high heat to evaporate the water from the hair thus preventing frying and color loss.

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Veylin Frostforge | Laifen blog author
Veylin Frostforge
Scientific mind with a writer’s sense defines the style of Veylin in beauty articles. With academic background in biology and chemistry, she conducts tests following an outcome-oriented philosophy. Her focus areas are haircare and oral hygiene products. She uses her knowledge and practical testings to help consumers make the right decisions without any technical details or exaggerations.
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