If your blonde is looking a little yellow, the blue will help tone that down, but you have to be careful so you don't end up with blue hair (depending on how porous your hair is). I use Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo and conditioner, just once or twice in a while. My hair is gray, but I perm it which can turn it yellow on the ends, so Shimmer Lights tones the yellow down. I'm sure to concentrate it on the ends so the roots don't get too white/blue, but that won't be as much of a problem for highlighted hair - it should have similar porosity all along the shaft, unless it's long, then the ends can become more porous.

No yellowing or brassiness, still blonde but not as bright. Pretty color but I'd like to brighten them a bit more.

My hair did get that soft silky feel, the way it feels after I've been to the salon. After conditioning I used John Frieda's gloss that you leave in for 3 minutes.

I'll continue with the clarifying shampoo once a week as suggested, maybe the highlights will brighten?

I have gray hair and have been using Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo for years to neutralize any warm tones that appear. I've tried a number of shampoos that claim to do this and this one really works. In fact, it works so well that I have to periodically lay off for several shampoos lest a violet tone creep in.

Oakley, are your blonde highlights ash-toned? If not, I'm not sure a purple tone is what you need.

I have lots of Whiteish-Brown brown highlights.......... ;-)

......And, hard water too!

Faron

I guess I'm not understand what you mean by dull. You say it's not brassy (yellow or orange) so tinted shampoo isn't going to correct anything. Really if hair is brassy a toner is needed. Did they possibly change your highlights making them lean ash? Did they use bleach or color to lift your hair? It could be the color formulation or could relate to you water.

Oakley, I don't color my hair, so I can't help with that part, but I wonder how things are going with your DH and your stress levels. My hair is a barometer -- when I am sick or going throug periods wit a lot of long ours, less sleep or general stress, my hair is likely to show it by looking duller, darker and/or not having the same body it usually does. Your hair may just be refleccting the stress you've been under. Take care of yourself, try to eat and sleep well. If that's whhat's going on, it will come back.

I have blonde highlights and have them done every 3-4 months but I don't do my roots. I use Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner for colour-treated hair.

ETA - That's two separate bottles and not a combo.

I don't expect my highlights to last much more than 2 months.

First, always use a shampoo for color-treated hair so that you do not strip the color. Do not use clarifying shampoo. It will strip color. Second, use purple shampoo occasionally to brighten highlights. Here is an article that reviews three purple shampoos. The winner is Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo.

Using Purple Shampoo to Remove Brassy Hair Tones

If there is ash in the color, it's not much. I guess I need to buy shampoo for color treated hair.

Shee, dull means not very shiny. It's due to hard water and build up & products used on the hair. When I first noticed it the one word I came up with was dull. That's when I heard about clarifying shampoo which takes the products and hard water deposits out of the hair. C. shampoo isn't supposed to be used all the time though. It definitely took the dullness away.

Linelle, I've heard Joico products are good.

I'm surprised your all's highlights don't last long. I've never had that problem until now, but the highlights are still there, just not as bright and pronounced.

Lascatz, I'll update on the other thread. :)

I imagine how long they last depends on things like how often you wash your hair.. and perhaps your base color. Also, the products used to highlight.

I have only highlights and lowlights. I also have a fair amount of gray. I stopped doing the all-over color with highlights around 3 years ago because the root line was noticeable after 3 weeks or so. Now my hair is a mixture of gray, natural mousy brown, highlights and lowlights. About every 3 months I get only foils of highlights and low lights and now I never get that root line and the highlights don't fade much at all. My friend who does my hair told me to use shampoo with no sulfites. I use L'Oréal Evercare shampoo and occasionally I use Head & Shoulders.

I wear my hair quite short so my highlights are redone every 6-7 weeks when I get my hair cut. By the time I get back to my hairdresser, they don't look quite as vivid or bright as they do when I leave but they are perfectly acceptable. I have much harder water in my new place compared to the old and I'm sure that contributes. I also have very fine and dry hair so don't shampoo it often - that just increases the dryness. I do use a detangler product my hairdresser gave me, as that seems to help with both the dryness and any dullness caused by the hard water. It is a Paul Mitchell product intended for use on kids hair and is called 'Taming Spray'.

Matrix Hair products has this one purple shampoo that my sister (a seasoned hairdresser) recommended Matrix Total Results Color Care So Silver Shampoo and it's a very good product. It's available at Ulta.

I found some reviews here in case you're interested.

https://www.influenster.com/reviews/matrix-total-results-color-care-so-silver-shampoo?dismiss_outdated_browser=True

I'm letting my gray grow out since September, so I'm still getting some color on my roots about every 4-5 weeks. Not full color as before but what my hairdresser calls a 'demi'. It doesn't last quite as long and doesn't take as long to process. I have noticed that since I've been using bar shampoo the color doesn't fade off as fast as when I was using regular shampoo. And I was using sulfate-free shampoo. I still use my regular shampoo from time-to-time.

I have no idea if the bar shampoo really makes a difference and whether it would improve the looks of your highlights.

Luk, this is why I get confused on purple shampoo's. Read a snippet of a review from the link you shared:

"*DOES NOT substitute for a toner. Won't lift color. Won't help Orange tones too much.. just brightens lighter hair*

So what's the difference between lift and brighten? Aren't they the same thing?

I wash my hair twice a week except during summer. I think I may email the colorist and see if she recommends something over the counter.

Forgot to add, I was using the bar soap on my hair and that's when I noticed the dullness. Not sure if it had anything to do with it.

What kind of bar soap? I'm not sure I'd be doing that. I notice that bar soap even dries out my skin. (I use Aveeno on my skin and that was a recommendation from someone here - I love it)

I would also guess that the bar soap is the likely culprit. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner for color-treated hair. Your highlights will fade and lose their shine, but a harsher shampoo will speed up that process.

I don't use bar soap on my skin. I use Dove (in the bottle, not the bar). Or Aveeno. Aveeno makes more suds which I don't care for as much but I love the lavender scented Aveeno.

Bar shampoo isn't the same thing as bar soap. It's very mild and doesn't strip your hair. Here is some info about shampoo bars and colored-treated hair.

Oakley, I remember you said you were using the ACV rinse and leaving it in. Everything I've read said to rinse very well.

Oakley, I think I remember you posting a picture a few years ago, looking for a new hairstyle, and the best I remember, you have light brown hair/blondish hair....correct me if I am wrong.

My teenage granddaughter has light brown/dull blonde hair with some very subtle highlights which is beautiful in her hair. I actually gifted her with her first highlights for her 14th birthday. So...some suggestions - She uses a "purple" shampoo once a week, uses a clarifying shampoo once every week or two, then just "whatever" the rest of the time. Being a teen with oily hair, she shampoos at least every two days.

The shampoo she prefers is Regis Designline Super Silver. My DH who is completely gray also uses the same shampoo to keep down the "brassiness" which is common in gray. I picked this up at a salon that is located within Walmart. I am sure Ulta or other stores have it also. I am sure there are others that work just as well.

One other thing you might try is shampooing more often, perhaps every other day, perhaps with a good conditioner. Do you use mousse, gel, hairspray, etc..that dulls highlights also.

Hope your DD is doing OK.

I have no idea Oak, all I know is that it keeps the highlights in my hair from getting brassy. We have well water that can be pretty hard even with a softener. It could just be that person's specific hair type or the product they used to highlight it. (in that one review).

But you know what! I'm going to my hair dresser tomorrow so I will ask her! She uses Redkin products and I like them as well.

Oakley, the difference between "lifting" color and brightening it, is "lifting" means lightening, like products with peroxide do. Sometimes lifting can refer to stripping off an existing toner, but usually lift means a degree of lightening.

Most of the purple shampoo products aren't too expensive, so why not try one to see if it does what you want? Or ask your hairdresser what she would recommend. She probably has a product in the shop; perhaps she'd either use it on you so you and see, or give you a small sample to try at home.

Sorry, I didn't mean regular bar soap, it was J.R. Liggett Original Shampoo bar. I began using it a few weeks before I had my hair done. When I noticed the dullness I started using my regular shampoo again. Not sure if the bar shampoo was the culprit or not.

Tuesday, my hair is a mixture of dark and light blonde. Definitely blonde.

Mayflowers, I used the ACV rinse only once. I went back to using a tiny bit of conditioner.

Luk, I'd appreciate that!

Oly, I thought toners were to reduce brass and yellow in hair, mine's neither. What's strange is, when I washed my hair yesterday and took the towel off my head, I could see very bright streaks, just like the first day. I was excited. When it dried they just blended in and aren't that noticeable. I have no explanation. lol

I looked in the other bathroom mirror with better lighting and my hair isn't as bad as I probably made it sound. I want it brighter the way it used to be.

Does the purple shampoo wash out if I don't like it? Purple tones down color, so I don't see how it can help unless I had some brassiness in my hair. I'll look online to see if I can find one that may help.

This video answered my questions! I'm going to look into the lifting products and see if I can do it myself.

Ellebangs, the lady in the video, gets a lot of views. She must be good!

I use shampoo for blonde color, from Loreal (more daily) and Oribe (expensive, but excellent and use twice a week). I also useLoreal Shade Reviving Treatment.

Also, your fading blonde could be your stylist error. If you're graying with changing hair, your hair color needs change.

Yes the blue will wash out...depending on how porous your hair is it might take a couple of shampoos. I don't know what that woman is talking about...she says it's without peroxide/bleach but then mixes the color with 20 volume peroxide! She also is talking about bleached blond hair...depending on your non bleached natural hair color, you could end up with an orange mess. Why don't you go back to your hairdresser for advice and help?

It's a good time for a little pampering!

I talked to my girl today, she said the "purple shampoo" will remove the dullness and brassiness" from colored hair but to lighten up your highlights, you need peroxide and it's not a very good idea to do that outside of a salon.

I agree with Linelle and the Joico Violet shampoo. I also use their sulfate free shampoo.

OMG, I bought that Joico Sulfate Free shampoo because I was told it was similar to the one I always use and it made my hair frizz and feel like it had been over processed. It was so strange. After a few tries, I passed it on to my daughter. I wonder if those shampoos are sensitive to hair type. My hair is heavier but doesn't have a lot of body.

Lukki, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Joico. Sometime in the last 18 months or so they went sulfate-free. The only thing I noticed is that it doesn't suds quite so lavishly and may need an extra squirt. Otherwise I like how my hair turns out. My hair is now short, straight with a mild wave here and there, thickish. [I consider it just average thickness but everyone tells me I have thick hair.]

I do need to be mindful of a violet cast to my hair and lay off the Joico for a shampoo or two.

Thanks Linelle, I think it just shows how much everyone's hair differs and to keep that in mind when looking at this stuff or even suggesting it for that matter. What works for some may not work for another. It's hard because at 25 - 50.00 a pop for shampoo / conditioner it's practically become an investment and you want to know it works before spending the big bucks for it.

I was told by both my sister and the girl I see not to use the purple for every wash, but maybe just once a week. They also thought said the purple isn't permanent and should all wash out, so that makes me wonder why it's leaving a violet cast.

6 weeks ago, I bought the Redkin sulpher free because the girl who cuts my hair said it was more gentle, but like you, it took more shampoo to get a lather going and I didn't like the way my hair reacted to it. When I told her that yesterday, she said that Redkin has gotten similar feedback from a lot of the salons and that's why they haven't discontinued the shampoo with sulpher it was supposed to replace. Maybe a Sulpher Free shampoo is just not a very good idea.