Best Purple Shampoo NZ — Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet, A Working Stylist's Honest Review
The wrong purple shampoo turns expensive blonde hair into a streaky violet mess by week two.
We see it in the salon every week — clients walk in panicked about brassy tones, buy a $12 supermarket purple shampoo on the way home, and come back two weeks later with patches of overtoned violet at the front hairline.
Here is what actually works, what to avoid, and how to use purple shampoo without making the problem worse.
The short answer
For most blondes in NZ, the best purple shampoo is Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet. It is the one we sell most often, the one we use in the salon, and the one with the best balance of toning power and hair-care quality.
Cheaper alternatives like Fanola No Yellow can work but the pigment is unforgiving — one wash too many and you have purple roots. Supermarket purple shampoos under $20 are usually a waste of money: the pigment is too weak to neutralise brass, but the surfactants strip moisture from already-fragile blonde hair.
See the Kérastase Bain Ultra Violet at UKIYO →
What purple shampoo actually does (and does not do)
Purple is the opposite of yellow on the colour wheel. A purple-pigmented shampoo deposits a tiny amount of violet onto the hair shaft, which visually cancels the yellow and orange tones that bleached and balayaged hair drifts toward over time.
It is a toning tool, not a colour-correcting tool. It will cool down brass that has crept in since your last toner. It will not lift hair that was already too warm at the salon — that needs a fresh toner, not a shampoo.
It is also not a moisturising shampoo. The pigment carrier is slightly drying by design. Used alone three times a week, it will leave your hair feeling rough — which is why every salon-grade purple shampoo pairs with a nourishing conditioner.
Why Kérastase Bain Ultra Violet wins for most people
1. The pigment is calibrated. Strong enough to neutralise brass on cool-toned blondes, but not so strong that one extra minute of contact turns the hair lavender. Fanola No Yellow has more pigment punch but is easy to overdose. Bain Ultra Violet is the forgiving version.
2. It is built for sensitised blonde hair. Sulphate-free formula with hyaluronic acid woven in — meaning it tones without the moisture-stripping that most purple shampoos cause. Most clients can use it twice a week without the hair feeling rough.
3. It pairs cleanly with the rest of the Blond Absolu range. Follow with Cicaflash Fondant conditioner and you have the most reliable cool-blonde maintenance system on the market.
How to use purple shampoo without turning your hair purple
The mistake we see most often: clients use purple shampoo every wash, leave it on for ten minutes, and end up with patchy violet at the hairline.
The protocol we give in the salon:
- Use it once or twice a week, never daily. Alternate with a moisturising shampoo from the Kérastase Nutritive range.
- Leave on for 2–3 minutes maximum. Five minutes is the upper limit and only for hair that has gone genuinely brassy.
- Apply to wet hair, focus on mid-lengths and ends. The hairline absorbs pigment fastest and is the area most likely to overtone — avoid concentrating product there.
- Always follow with a nourishing conditioner. Cicaflash Fondant is the salon pairing.
- Test for tone shift weekly. If you see violet creeping in, drop to once a week and increase the moisturising shampoo rotations.
Why supermarket purple shampoos cost you more in the long run
The $12 supermarket purple shampoos look like a bargain compared with a $48 Kérastase bottle. They are not.
Cheap purple shampoos use poor-quality dyes that stain unevenly. They contain sulphates that strip the toner you already paid for at the salon, which accelerates brass return and means you need toner appointments more frequently. They also dry out the hair, which makes the cuticle more porous, which makes the next toner fade even faster.
The maths: a $200 toner appointment that fades to brass in three weeks instead of six because of cheap maintenance products costs you $400+ a year in extra salon visits. A $48 Kérastase bottle that lasts three months and stretches your toner life to nine weeks pays for itself in one cycle.
The full cool-blonde maintenance system
What we put together for our balayage clients:
- Kérastase Bain Ultra Violet — 1–2x per week for tone
- Kérastase Bain Satin — the other 2–3 wash days for moisture
- Kérastase Cicaflash Fondant — conditioner every wash for the first six weeks after a colour
- Kérastase Masque Ultra Violet — weekly mask treatment that doubles as a toning boost
This system keeps cool blondes cool, soft, and salon-finish for six-to-eight weeks between toner appointments. That is the goal.
The stylist's verdict
If you have spent serious money on a blonde, balayage, or highlight service, the purple shampoo you use between appointments is the single highest-leverage product in your routine.
Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet is the safe, reliable choice for almost every blonde shade. The price feels steep next to a supermarket alternative but the maths works out the other way once you factor in toner-appointment frequency.
Use it correctly and your colour lasts longer. Use the wrong one and your colour fades faster. There is no third option.
FAQ
Will purple shampoo lift brassy hair back to cool blonde? Only if the brass is mild and recent. Significantly brassed hair needs a fresh toner at the salon — purple shampoo maintains tone, it does not restore it.
How often should I use purple shampoo? Once or twice a week is enough for most blondes. Daily use causes overtoning and dryness.
Can purple shampoo turn my hair purple? Yes, if you overdose it. Leave on for 2–3 minutes maximum, use it 1–2x per week, and follow with a nourishing conditioner. Patchy violet at the hairline is the warning sign you have overused.
Is Kérastase Bain Ultra Violet safe for brunettes with blonde highlights? Yes — apply only to the lightened sections, avoid the darker base. The pigment will not noticeably affect natural brunette hair, but the contrast between toned highlights and untoned base looks better when you focus the product where the brass actually is.
Where can I buy Kérastase Blond Absolu in NZ? UKIYO carries the full Blond Absolu range at 18% off RRP — the deepest authorised Kérastase discount in NZ.
11% off your first order with code WELCOME11. 18% off the full Kérastase range. Free NZ shipping over $75.
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