What Would You Do: Removing Purple Haircolor
Tips & Tricks For How To Safely Remove Stubborn Purple Pigment
With clients still bored in the house, some can’t help but give themselves an at-home fashion color transformation. At least, that’s what happened in this particular case, leaving one newer stylist wondering how to remove purple pigment from previously highlighted hair. So we turned to the BTC Community to get their advice! From color removers to toning formulas, keep reading to see what they suggested.
“I need advice! I’ve only been doing hair for about a year and this one scares me! I have a client that has highlighted hair and decided to put purple over it, and now she wants the purple out. How would you suggest removing purple from lightened/bleached hair?”
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Use A Color Remover/Corrector Or Clarifying Shampoo
“I used Joico Color Intensity Eraser to remove the purple from my hair. Took every bit out, no damage.” – Carly Desch
“Try PRAVANA Artificial Hair Color Extractor. Follow the directions and it comes out perfect all the time and no damage to hair.” – @hairbyadele.ny
“Matrix SOCOLOR CULT Color Eraser and distilled water.” – @amycrashnl
“I would start with a color remover with 6-volume developer. Wash it out with a clarifying shampoo and use a deep conditioner. Then, I would tone with a smidge of gold if it’s still a little bit of a light lavender.” – @sara.jo.olsen
“Try a direct dye remover first. Then, an oxidative dye remover like Goldwell’s [System Hair Color Remover] or RUSK Elimin8 Color Corrector before trying bleach. Even a pre-treatment under the dryer can lift minimal residue out.” – Heza Lang
“Pulp Riot Blank Canvas with 20-volume developer is awesome depending on what brand of purple she has put in over the last year. I’d recommend doing a test strand first so you don’t create more of a situation for yourself.” – @kimwhodidyourhair_
“Malibu C DDL Direct Dye Lifter for direct dye purple or CPR Color Pigment Remover for permanent. It is bleach free, so that’s my first step when removing color!” – @mrs_fields_912
Or Try These Formulations
“Use Wella Professionals Color Touch 0/00 (Clear) with 10-volume developer. It will pull any ‘fantasy’ color out quickly and will keep the integrity of the hair.” – @tamtammua
“Tone it with gold to neutralize without bleaching.” – @thekolorkween_
“Bleach wash. Warm water, bleach, 10- or 20-volume developer. A bit of shampoo in a color bottle. Work it through at the sink. Do not walk off. Stay there and keep working it through until you get the results you want. Then, probably all-over color after that.” – Pam Carnal-Connolly
“This sounds pretty weird but mix equal parts bleach powder with Redken Shades EQ Processing Solution. It removes vivid colors when other removers don’t.” – @dcrlane
“Soap cap and then tone with its compliment color. So if it lifts blue (it happens), tone with a peach or an orange (depending on the lightness). If it lifts to a lighter purple, tone with gold!” – @domdoesbalayage
“I would try to tone it out with a 10G and 20-volume developer. It all depends on the integrity of her hair. You could try a direct dye remover, but let her know that at this point, there are no guarantees. It also depends on what she used. If it was Splat, DO NOT bleach over it. I have seen hair literally fall off the head like it was being cut from trying to remove Splat. I don’t know what is in that box but that crap is radioactive or something. I won’t touch a color correction over Splat.” – Abby Ruth
Some Words Of Encouragement/Advice For Newer Stylists
“Ah, we’ve all been there. Bless your heart, learn and grow. Like me you’ll look back in 20 years and chuckle at these nightmares, and believe, they don’t stop so don’t quit. Seek advice as you have done. You’ve got this. 💪 💜” – @thebohochicboutiquegb
“Always test strand. Sometimes lightener mixed with water will pull those direct dyes right out—in foils though, not as a soap cap. Potentially, if you try to lift them out with lightener, the developer will sink that color into the cuticle even more. Find out what she used first though. Make sure it’s not a metallic dye.” – @breezybalmer
“Always under promise and overachieve. 🙏🏼” – @yourstylistsienna
“Make sure the client knows that nothing is guaranteed when correcting at-home color jobs, and that it could take more than one appointment to achieve the end result. Good luck babe.” – Lisa Putnam
“You got behind the chair, stay there! Don’t step down and hand over to a ‘more experienced stylist.’ You gain experience by putting in the work! That’s not to say you can’t ask a more experienced stylist for help because everyone is going to reach out and have their opinions, which all look great. But just remember to trust your gut, do research on the color line she used and continue to educate yourself on color correcting, not just color formulations for depositing. You’ve got this!” – @styled.by.stone_
Products Used
See what other stylists had to say on Instagram and Facebook!
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