So, you’ve decided to dye your brown hair purple? Excellent choice. Purple is definitely one of the sexiest hair colors out there. It will never go out of style. And it’s something that everybody should try at least once.
We’ve seen celebrities like Katy Perry, Keke Palmer, Demi Lovato, and dozens more making quite a statement with purple hair.
But here’s the thing: purple is not a natural hair color, and it can be a little challenging to achieve (or maintain) the perfect shade especially if you have brown hair. People with dark hair cannot soak up bright colors just as good as blondes.
Plus, dyeing your strands with unnatural, bold hues require a lot of upkeep and maintenance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t rock bold and crazy colors. With a little knowledge and time, you can achieve your dream shade.
In this article, we’ll share with you some amazing tips on how to dye brown hair purple without damaging it. You’ll also learn about how to maintain the perfect shade. Let’s take a look!
Tips for Dyeing Brown Hair Purple
When it comes to coloring, the goal is to achieve the perfect shade. Here’s how you accomplish that:
Prepping Your Hair
Since you’re a brunette, you’re going to have to bleach your hair if you’re trying bold and vibrant colors such as purple. Now as you already know, bleaching can be very damaging. It can strip out moisture and cause dryness.
To avoid unnecessary damage, it’s important to have your hair in the best condition before bleaching. In order to accomplish that, you should start using nourishing and moisturizing hair products at least 2 weeks before your appointment.
Use hair masks, good conditioners, and hydrating shampoos. In addition, you would also want to hold off on heating tools such as curling irons or dryers for a while. This will keep your hair healthy, strong, and moisturized.
Finding the Right Shade
An important thing to consider before dyeing your hair is the shade. You can’t just go out and pick the first box you see in the store. It’s very important to find a shade of purple that will compliment your skin. Otherwise, you’ll just look like a hot mess.
Not all shades are created equal. If you have dark brown hair that won’t lift much, you should look for dark shades of purple. Pastel shades might not be a great choice in such a case.
Whatever shade you choose, make sure it goes hand in hand with your complexion. You can check out our roundup of the best purple hair colors.
Bleaching & Coloring
Now that you’ve prepared your hair, it’s time to get started with the bleaching process. We recommend that you head to the salon to get this done. Bleaching can damage your strands and it should be done by professionals only.
If not done right, you may end up frying your tresses. However, if you know what you’re doing, you can still do it right at home without causing unnecessary damage. Just make sure that your hair is up for it.
Depending on the color of your hair and the shade you’re trying to achieve, you may need to bleach your tresses multiple times. For example, people with dark brown hair trying to achieve pastel colors often require bleaching more than once to lighten their hair.
If you’re doing it at home, make sure to invest in the best at-home bleaches. Take note that it’s important to create a perfect base if you want the best results. In general, anything from pale yellow to platinum blonde would work.
Once you have achieved the perfect base to start with, it’s time to dye your hair with your favorite shade.
Note: No matter how perfectly it’s done, bleaching is still going to cause some damage. Therefore, we recommend Olaplex Hair Perfector to repair damage and strengthen your hair.
Shop Olaplex Hair Treatment on Amazon.
Maintaining Purple Hair
Dyed your brown hair purple? Perfect. Now, it’s time to care for your tresses, and it’s going to be a lot of hard work. Here’s what you need to do:
Invest in Quality Products
Maintaining the perfect shade requires special attention and care. You’re gonna have to invest in gentle hair care products. Avoid sulfates at all costs as they can strip out the color.
Switching to a color-safe shampoo is crucial. We recommend Davines Minu Shampoo. It protects your hair and extends the life of the color. Plus, it’s very gentle.
Shop Davines Minu Shampoo on Amazon.
You would also want to invest in conditioners that are safe for color-treated hair. In addition to this, use the protective spray when using hair dryers or styling tools. Also, consider limiting the use of heat styling tools. This would extend the life of your hair color.
Dealing with Color Fade
Color fade is inevitable. But unnatural colors such as purple tend to fade faster. It’s because these colors are usually semi-permanent and they contain less pigment. And they wash out faster than other colors.
So, it’s imperative that you wash your hair less often. Also, you may need to re-color your hair every week or two to maintain your favorite shade. Some colors fade into a beautiful purple hue while others don’t look very good.
To keep your hair looking good, you’re often gonna have to re-color.
Wash with Cold Water
Washing less often is key to make your color last longer. In addition to that, you should always wash your tresses with cold water. Hot water damages your hair and raises the cuticles, making it easy for the color to escape.
It is, in fact, one of the biggest culprits for the color fade. So, consider washing your hair with cold water to extend the vibrancy of your favorite shade.
Stay Out of the Sun
UV rays can make your color fade faster by breaking down the chemical bonds present in hair dyes. And they also damage your hair. So, you should stay out of the sun. Invest in color-protecting sprays and make sure to apply them when you head out.
Additionally, you should stay away from chlorinated pools and oceans. They also have the tendency to make your color fade faster.
Use Hydrating Hair Masks
Did you know dehydration can also cause the color to fade faster? Your hair color will stay longer if your tresses are healthy. Since bleaching and coloring can make your locks dry, hair masks can come in handy.
They moisturize your hair and prevent dryness. This helps in extending the life of your color. Arvazallia Rejuvenating Hair Mask is a great choice. You can shop for it on Amazon here.
Conclusion
Maintaining fun colors like purple sure requires time and effort. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying them out. At the end of the day, it’s totally worth it. You’re going to love your hair more than ever. And it’ll make you more confident about yourself.
We hope this article helped you find the information you were looking for. If you still have doubts, please let us know in the comments below. And if you have dyed your hair purple before, do share your experience with us.