Best shampoo for balayage hair

By: | Last Updated: November 24, 2022

The balayage took the style world by storm and is still a staple in hair color styles. After ombre hair and dip-dyed ends had their time, the balayage became the classier, more stylish big sister that’s sure to be a classic look in the future. 

Balayage is achieved by doing freehand highlights  — meaning no foil here! 

The result is a gentle, gradual, and more natural style of highlighting that gives just about any hair color dimension and body. 

The highlights in balayage also start in the middle of the shaft of the hair, or towards the end rather than from the root as in typical highlights. 

This follows the natural way the light hits your hair, more on its length and darker at the base. This leads to a very effortless look that highlights all the best of your hair. 

But to keep the classy, timeless look of the balayage, it’s of course, important to take good care of your hair. 


Which shampoo is good for balayage hair?

With your hair being lightened with the process, it could easily become brassy and dull. Especially when you start off with a darker base color.

Lightening black or brown hair would mean that there would still be orange and yellow tones peeking through. 

Even naturally blonde hair needs to be toned with other colors to keep it bold and cool-toned instead of dull and yellowing

A lot of this is chalked up to the type of shampoo you use. 

More often than not, classic balayage looks are made with different shades of blonde. So, the easiest way of treating balayage hair is just to take care of it as you would if you had dyed your hair blonde. 

However, this also applies to taking care of your balayage when it’s brown or whatever color your highlights are. 

Toning shampoos are key for maintaining color. And there’s one for just about any natural shade of hair. 

Aside from brassiness and discoloration, another important step is keeping your hair nourished and hydrated. Shampoo tends to take this away from hair as it cleans out dirt and build-up. But there are definitely options that make up for it with healthy ingredients.

When you have to bleach your hair to achieve the balayage look, you’d also have to take extra care of it. This includes deep conditioning your hair to restore healthier, nourished hair after the intensely stripping process of bleaching. 

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5 Best Shampoo for Balayage Hair

Here are our top picks:

OGX Thick & Full + Biotin Volumizing Shampoo

Best sulfate-free shampoo for balayage hair
Sale
OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Shampoo for Thin Hair, Thickening Shampoo with...*
  • Give thin, flat hair a beautiful boost with the hair thickening power of this nutrient-rich volumizing shampoo...
  • PLUMP UP THE VOLUME: The 13-fluid ounce bottle of OGX Thick and Full Biotin and Collagen Shampoo gives thin...
  • THICKER, FULLER, HEALTHIER: Ideal for flat to medium volume hair, this volumizing shampoo leaves hair feeling...
  • HAIR CARE INSPIRED BY NATURE: The nutrient-rich, plump-it-up formula contains vitamin B7 biotin, which helps...
  • ALL-AROUND SENSORY EXPERIENCE: The bergamot, jasmine and vanilla scent leaves your locks smelling irresistibly...

* Prices and Images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on 2024-03-28 at 15:01  

When you have bleached, dyed hair, you’d want to be able to keep as much moisture as you can in your hair. This means that sulfates are a big no-no. 

Most traditional shampoos use sulfates because of how efficient it is at cleaning away dirt and oil build-up. But sulfates are also notorious for stripping your hair of moisture. 

The OGX biotin and collagen shampoo gets rid of unnecessary chemicals like sulfates, and instead is packed with nourishing biotin and collagen. These strengthen bleached and dyed hair, preventing breakage and further damage. 

Despite it being free of sulfates, it doesn’t mean it skimps on cleaning. It has lightweight cleansing that keeps hair clean without having to sacrifice shine or volume. 

While it might not have a purple tint to it, it does have proteins that keep color locked in while protecting hair from dehydration.

Pros:

  • Nourishing sulfate-free formula 
  • Lightweight consistency 

Cons: 

  • No color deposit to combat brassiness

Fanola No Orange Shampoo

Best shampoo for brunette balayage hair
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Fanola No Orange Shampoo With Blue Pigments To Eliminate Unwanted Orange Brassy Tones In Lightened...*
  • Indicated on colored hair with dark tones. Gently cleanses and neutralizes unwanted copper/red highlights....
  • After the color service or exposure to the sun and other external aggressions, hair colored with dark tones...
  • No Orange Shampoo gently cleanses and neutralizes unwanted copper/red highlights.
  • After applying the shampoo, the hair regains its original shine and hydration, without unwanted reflections.
  • Extra Blue Pigment, the No Orange shampoo eliminates orange reflections and makes medium-dark hair shiny and...

* Prices and Images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on 2024-03-28 at 15:01  

When you think of color theory, blue cancels out orange, which makes it no surprise that blue shampoos are the way to go for brunette balayage hair. When you dye hair brown, or lighten brunette hair to be a lighter shade of brown, it’s prone to turning red or orange. 

In order for you to maintain the complex depth of the brunette balayage you are going for, a blue shampoo is sure to prevent the copper tones from overwhelming everything else. 

The Fanola No Orange shampoo is also a double-duty color-preserving shampoo which is great when you have more than one tone in your balayage. 

It can also cancel out yellowing in blonde highlights aside from its main purpose of maintaining brown highlights. 

For extra nourishment, it also has coconut oil that nourishes and locks in moisture–essential for bleached and dyed hair. The coconut oil also protects brittle lightened hair from breakage. 

Pros: 

  • Good for both blonde and brown hair 
  • Nourishing formula 

Cons:  

  • Not sulfate-free

L’Oreal Paris EverPure Blonde Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Conditioner

Best everyday shampoo for balayage hair
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L'Oreal Paris Blonde Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair, Neutralizes Brass...*
  • Sulfate Free Shampoo and Conditioner Set: This blonde hair shampoo and conditioner is exceptionally gentle on...
  • Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner With Iris Botanicals: Sulfate Free formula with Purple Iris extracts, EverPure...
  • The EverPure Blonde System: For best results, use EverPure Blonde shampoo and conditioner in tandem, for a...
  • Vegan Shampoo and Conditioner: EverPure hair products have the purest respect for your hair and have been...
  • L'Oreal Paris Innovation: We are a total beauty care company that combines the latest in technology with the...

* Prices and Images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on 2024-03-28 at 15:01  

The L’oreal EverPure Blonde shampoo is great for maintaining a nice balayage because it’s free of harmful dehydrating chemicals and has a purple tint that prevents brassiness. 

Usually, purple shampoos aren’t meant for everyday use. This usually means the hassle of switching out products every few days. There isn’t any real harm in using purple shampoo every day, but it can deposit too much purple tint, making your color darker and a lot less vibrant. 

But with this shampoo, the purple tint is a bit mild, meaning it’s safe for use every day without dulling your color. 

The purple color also comes from natural sources, specifically purple iris extract. This allows it to prevent discoloration while being a gentle formula on dyed hair. 

It’s also a gluten-free vegan formula that is also free of parabens and sulfates. 

But just because it’s sulfate-free doesn’t mean it would be fickle to use. Unlike other sulfate-free formulas, this shampoo has a rich, thick lather, making it easier for you to saturate your hair and keep it clean. 

Pros: 

  • Gentle sulfate-free formula 
  • Rich lather 

Cons: 

  • The purple tint may be too mild for very brassy or yellow hair if not used every day 

TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Purple Toning Shampoo

Best drugstore shampoo for balayage hair
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TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Purple Toning Shampoo, 13.5 Ounce*
  • Helps gently cleanse blondes while refreshing and conditioning hair.To be used once a week and the product is...
  • Contains purple toning pigment to neutralize brassy tones in blondes and enhance cool tones
  • Blended with Polyquaternium 10 to prevent and control frizz, static and flyaway

* Prices and Images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on 2024-03-28 at 15:01  

For an easy, low-maintenance option from the drugstore, the Bed Head Dumb Blonde Purple Shampoo is a solid choice. It only needs to be used once a week and doesn’t strip away any color you might have on your hair. 

Its formula also relaxes the hair and reduces frizz, static and flyaway which can take away from a good balayage look. 

The purple tint in this shampoo is so potent that even by using it just once a week, you’d be able to get more vibrant and icier blonde tones. 

Pros: 

  • Frizz-reducing formula 
  • Intense purple toning 

Cons: 

  • Light lather, may need more product to saturate the hair

Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo

Best purple shampoo for balayage hair
Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo, 6.7 Fl Oz*
  • Color-safe, sulfate-free formula helps repair and seal the cuticle with ArganID technology.

* Prices and Images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on 2024-03-28 at 15:01  

The Moroccanoil Purple shampoo is richly pigmented that quickly cancels out yellow, orange, and red tones to keep blonde highlights nice and vibrant.

It’s even better used when you have the time to leave the shampoo in for 3 to 5 minutes so it has time to really soak into the hair. 

This shampoo is also great for keeping hair healthy and shiny because of the argan oil it contains. It seals the hair, keeping moisture in which dyed and bleached hair needs badly. 

Aside from adding in nourishing oils, it also maintains your hair’s own natural shine by cutting out sulfates from the formula.

It’s also a color-safe formula, so aside from amping up blonde shades with the purple tint, it also keeps any other colors you might have in your balayage safe from fading even when you wash. 

Pros: 

  • Nourishing formula 
  • Intense purple toning 

Cons: 

  • Can cause product build-up in oily hair

FAQs: 

Can I use purple shampoo on balayage hair?

Yes, definitely! In fact, purple shampoo is highly encouraged for balayage hair. Purple shampoo is most recommended for blonde-toned highlights. 

But always consider checking the specific shampoo you choose to see how often it should be used. Most purple shampoos can be used 2-3 times a week, while other lighter purple ones can be used every day. 

Overusing purple shampoo isn’t going to wreck your hair in any way, but it will deposit a lot of color-canceling pigment that will dull your color and darken it. 

However, purple shampoo isn’t the only option for balayage hair. It really depends on the color you want to maintain. While blonde-toned hair benefits most from purple shampoo, brown hair would be more vibrant with blue-toned shampoo

There’s even green-toned shampoo for red highlights if that’s the look you’re going for!

Can I use normal shampoo after balayage?

In general, shampooing and washing your hair is something you shouldn’t do every day if you want to keep your balayage as vibrant and fresh-looking as it did on day one. 

The best rule of thumb is to use colored shampoos in order to maintain the integrity of the color. 

However, you can still use a normal shampoo. It’s best to only do it 2-3 times a week and use sulfate-free shampoos. There are also non-colored shampoos that are color-safe which are better to use as they don’t pull color out of the hair. 


The bottom line of it all is that taking good care of balayage hair is essential to keeping it looking as good as it did when you stepped out of the salon. But also, it isn’t that hard to maintain. 

When choosing a shampoo, just remember to consider your personal frequency of use, whether you want it to tone a certain color, and to keep it free from harmful chemicals like sulfates and full of nourishing oils and vitamins. 

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