How Long Does Purple Hair Dye Last? (Solved & Explained!)

If you are planning on dyeing your hair purple, or you already have purple in your hair. How long does purple hair dye actually last, and does it fade quickly?

Even though it’s true that most unnatural hair colors tend to fade relatively fast, especially if you wash your hair frequently using regular shampoos and conditioners. Is it the same for purple hair dye?

Here’s How Long Purple Hair Dye Lasts For:

The amount of time it takes for purple hair to fade is determined by how frequently you wash your hair. Your hair may not stay vivid for more than a week or two if you wash it frequently. Purple hair color lasts about 4 to 5 washes on average.

How Long Does Purple Hair Dye Last

Does Purple Hair Dye Fade Fast?

Purple hair dye fades after every wash and is notorious for fading fairly quickly. So when you are choosing a purple dye, it’s crucial not only that you like the initial shade of purple, but also that you enjoy the hue it will fade to over time.

How quickly purple hair will fade will mostly depend on the quality of the hair dye that you choose. Also, the color, shade of purple, and how frequently you wash your hair or what you wash it with.

On average most purple hair dyes will last for about 4 to 5 washes before they begin to fade and lose vibrancy in your hair. However, there are some things you can do to preserve the color and make it last much longer.

What Color Does Purple Hair Fade To?

Purple hair initially fades to a lighter shade of purple, but after continued washing may reveal more blue or red tints in your hair. The color your purple hair fades to can depend on the specific shade of purple you used when dyeing your hair.

When we look at color mixology, red and blue make purple. So there is a good chance that most purple hair dyes will have blue and red pigments in the dye.

This means that when your purple hair color fades. It will begin to reveal more of the underlying pigments found within the dye, namely red and blue which are often harder pigments to remove from your hair.

How Do You Make Purple Hair Dye Last Longer?

What things should you do to make your purple hair last longer?

Maintaining your hair color can always be a challenge when you use purple hair dyes. Similar to most unnatural colors, you will want to minimize color fading while still being able to clean or wash your hair.

Here are some of the things you can do to make purple hair dye last longer:

  1. Make Sure Your Hair Is Healthy Before Dyeing It Purple
  2. Get Your Hair Dyed Purple by A Professional
  3. Choose a High-Quality Purple Hair Dye
  4. Allow the Purple Dye to Sit in Your Hair
  5. Rinse Your Hair Using Cold Water
  6. Avoid Washing Your Hair Every Day
  7. Use Shampoos Suitable For Purple Hair
  8. Try Alternatives To Hair Washing Like Dry Shampoos
  9. Use Purple Shampoo To Even Out Fading
  10. Avoid Getting Your Hair Wet (Rain / Swimming)
  11. Avoid Heat Styling Your Hair
  12. Re-Dye and Upkeep Your Purple Hair on A Schedule

Doing the things listed above will not only ensure that you maintain your purple hair color. It will also help you to reduce color fading, meaning that your purple hair will be longer-lasting.

How Hard Is It to Maintain Purple Hair?

How Hard Is It to Maintain Purple Hair?

Unfortunately, purple hair is high maintenance due to how fast it tends to fade. Most purple hair dyes last 4-5 washes on average, meaning you will need to touch up and re-dye your hair to keep a vibrant purple color.

Purple hair loses its vibrancy and fades over time, regardless of if you use permanent or semi-permanent hair dyes.

So if you want to maintain your purple hair color. You should expect to re-dye your hair approximately every 1-6 weeks. Depending on how frequently you wash your hair, how much it has faded, or how well you get along with the faded purple color.

To keep a vibrant purple color in your hair. You will need to re-dye your hair on a schedule. You should set a time every couple of weeks to dye and add purple pigment back into your hair. This will help you ensure you keep the desired hair color.

How Many Washes Does Purple Hair Last?

How many washes purple hair can last for will depend on how often you wash it. On average, purple hair dye will last for around 4 to 5 washes. However, this can be less or more depending on the shampoo you use, and whether or not you heat style your hair.

Hair washing and heat styling are normally purple hair’s worst enemy. They will both damage the bond that the unnatural purple color has with your hair, and also strip away and dull the color.

If you wash and style your hair using straighteners, curlers, or blow dryers. This can greatly reduce the number of hair washes it will take for the purple dye to be removed from your hair.

So to increase the number of washes you can put your purple hair through. You should try to avoid regular washing, heat styling, and use cold water when washing or rinsing your hair to reduce fading.

Does Purple Hair Wash out Completely?

Initially, purple hair dye lasts around 4 to 5 washes before it begins to fade. So each time your wash your hair more of the purple color will be removed. However, some purple dyes can be stubborn and take a long time to wash out completely.

Some purple hair dyes can leave your hair with light purple, red, or blue tints, and hues once it has faded. This makes some people move past washing their hair and resort to using bleach, color remover, or toners to remove the purple color pigments.

However, if given enough time and with frequent hair washing. Most of the purple color will be removed from your hair completely within 1 to 6 weeks if you wash using regular shampoos.

Is Permanent Purple Hair Dye Actually Permanent?

Unfortunately, no. Most permanent purple hair dyes are not actually permanent. Similar to many other semi-permanent dyes and box dyes, permanent purple hair dye will still fade in your hair over time. They simply last a little longer, usually anywhere up to 6 weeks on average.

In most cases, permanent purple hair dyes last longer because they provide better coverage or application, and contain a lot more purple pigment than regular dyes do. This means they don’t fade as quickly.

However, how long a permanent purple dye will last can depend greatly on the quality of the hair dye used. Also, on how frequently you wash or heat style your hair.

Permanent purple hair dyes are still susceptible to color fading when exposed to water, heat, or the sun. So it’s worth bearing this in mind when choosing between permanent and semi-permanent purple hair dye for your hair.

Final Thoughts On “How Long Does Purple Hair Dye Last?”

So how long does purple hair dye last?

Purple hair dye lasts around 4 to 5 washes on average. Also, how long it lasts is determined by you maintain the hair color. Frequent hair washing, heat styling, and the use of shampoos not suitable for purple hair will make it fade much faster.

So to ensure your purple hair lasts for as long as possible. You should take the right steps listed in this post to upkeep this high-maintenance hair color.