A Look At The History of Purple Hair

PRAVANA launched in 2004 with their ChromaSilk VIVIDS Originals hair colors and they’ve been leading the semi-permanent category with their best-selling purples ever since. That’s why the brand recently added three more purple shades to the VIVIDS collection (dubbing them the Digital Purple Palette). Periwinkle, Grape and Smokey Violet join Luscious Lavender, Violet, Purple Tourmaline and Wild Orchid to round out the line. These three new shades of purple—like all of PRAVANA’S purples—are a reflection of purples that are trending across all industries.

PRAVANA has always thoughtfully customized their purple semi-permanents based on colors that are trending at the time. For a full breakdown of PRAVANA’s cult-favorite purples, read on!

2004:

PRAVANA launched into the professional hair color market in 2004 with ChromaSilk VIVIDS Originals. The semi-permanent line is designed to be used without a developer and provides long-lasting, rich color with major shine that lasts up to 30 washes on hair levels eight and up.

The line is now made up of 23 shades making it the industry’s largest semi-permanent collection. Colors range from silver to emerald to grape, and include one black to deepen and customize colors and two clear shades to dilute.

2010:

A PRAVANA purple weaved into the popular asymmetrical haircut in 2010.

2013:

In 2013, PRAVANA expanded the ChromaSilk VIVIDS semi-permanent line with their Pastels collection featuring four shades including a lavender.

2014:

Nicole Richie had a major PRAVANA pastel lavender moment in 2014.

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA

2015:

PRAVANA announced ChromaSilk VIVIDS Black in 2015 to mix with VIVIDS Originals colors to create darker tones.

A look at smokey purples using VIVIDS Black:

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @makeupbyfrances

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @daniellearnold__

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @colorbriehappy

Click here to add PRAVANA’s New Digital Purple Palette to your color lineup.

2018:

In 2018, PRAVANA entered the permanent fashion hair color space with ChromaSilk VIVIDS Everlasting. The collection bridges the gap between permanent creme hair color and direct dye. It’s comprised of seven shades including three purples: Mystic Magenta, Poison Berry and Violet Reign.

That same year Pantone named Ultra Violet (a “purpler than purple”) its Color of the Year. A hue Pantone describes as “communicative of originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.”

A look at Ultra Violet and looks inspired by it:

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @taylorrae_hair

Photo Courtesy Pantone

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @lissettecruz

2019:

A vibrant PRAVANA lilac inspired by the previous year’s Ultra Violet.

2021:

The year 2021 brought masks and vibrant and smoked-out purples.

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @pinkdagger

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @alehell.hair

2022:

Pantone named Very Peri, a true periwinkle, the 2022 Color of the Year which may have been the reason that one in every three VIVIDS products sold was a shade of purple (either Violet, Purple Tourmaline, Luscious Lavender or Wild Orchid).

A look at Very Peri and looks inspired by it:

Photo Courtesy Pantone

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @crybabyhairartistry

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @beautybymvca

2023:

2023, however, might be the biggest year for PRAVANA’S purples thus far. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that VIVIDS Violet has been the number one PRAVANA purple shade, VIVIDS purples are the top performers on the brand’s social media with 70 percent of top posts featuring VIVIDS purple tones. Not to mention, PRAVANA launched its Digital Purple Palette with the three new purples inspired by the trending purples at the time.

You can learn more about PRAVANA’S new collection and purchase it for your back bar here!

Photo courtesy PRAVANA

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @artistic.aestheticss

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @memmieyo

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @luxwardle

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @georgeeblancoo

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @anastasialsamsonova ​​​​​​​​​

Photo courtesy PRAVANA

PRAVANA Specialist Kayla Boyer (@kayla_boyer) created this look using the newly launched Periwinkle and Grape VIVIDS shades.

• Formula A (dark purple)

  PRAVANA ChromaSilk VIVIDS Grape

• Formula B (light purple)

  PRAVANA ChromaSilk VIVIDS Periwinkle

Photo Credit: Instagram via @PRAVANA @kayla_boyer

FORMULA STEPS:

1. Prelighten the hair to Level 10 using your favorite global blonding technique and the lightening formula. 

2. Cleanse the hair with PRAVANA’s Intense Therapy Cleanse and towel-dry.

3. Apply the toning formula for 10 minutes at room temperature and rinse.

4. Dry the hair completely.

5. Take a perimeter section from underneath the front part all the way around the head and clip the rest of the hair up and out of your way.

6. Apply VIVIDS Formula A to the perimeter section from roots to ends and cover with foil or meche sheets to form a barrier.

7. Take down the rest of the hair and color melt Formula B into Formula A starting four to six inches above the ends of the hair.

Pro Tip: Hold sections vertically when you color melt for a seamless blend.

8. Process 30 minutes at room temperature.

9. Beginning with the perimeter section, rinse with cold water and high water pressure until the water runs clear and apply PRAVANA’s Color Protect Condition.

10. Repeat step 9 with the remaining hair.

11. Rinse and style as desired.

Click here to learn more about PRAVANA’S new Digital Purple Palette.