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Our editors have researched and reviewed the best nontoxic haircare on the market — these are our picks for purple shampoos to tone gray hair and nourish your strands.Â
Some go to great lengths to mask wiry, gray hairs that can grace their heads as they enter their later decades. While one’s decision to embrace the gray or keep their grays at bay is always personal preference, hiding them often means loads of time, money, and sometimes even exposure to potentially harmful chemical dyes. And while dying one’s hair may temporarily conceal gray hair, over time, and with the frequency needed, it more often causes damage to aging hair. Let’s consider the alternative: Try embracing those beautiful grays! Adopt #aginggracefully and focus on the overall health of the scalp and the quality of our hair as it evolves. 👩‍🦳
Even if you’re embracing your gray hair, it is important to nourish it as it ages. For this, we love clean, nourishing purple shampoos and conditioners that will give those locks added vibrancy and the nutrients they need.
Why does hair go gray?
Graying happens when our hair follicles produce less melanin, a natural pigment that gives hair (and skin and eyes) color. It’s pretty much unavoidable. Although the rate at which it occurs is different for every woman, graying tends to be a gradual process — and many factors affect the rate. It’s perfectly normal to see grays dot our strands in our 30s, and yet many others won’t encounter any loss in hair color until later in life. Even still, there are some women who experience premature graying as early as their 20s. In addition to genetic factors that cause early grays to sprout, graying of hair can be accelerated by the amount of environmental, oxidative, and lifestyle stress we experience over time, as well. Among other health issues, deficiencies in vitamins like B12 and D, can also affect melanin production, causing faster graying and disruptions in overall hair growth and health. And, yes, as we age and become prone to the hormonal imbalances caused by perimenopause or thyroid disorders, these factors can mess with melanin production and cause hair loss and graying, too.
What are the benefits of purple shampoo for naturally gray hair?
Just as the rate at which hair grays varies for each person, so too does its tone and color. As aging hair loses pigment, it can grow in tones of gray, white, or silver. Melanin, which gives our hair color, typically prevents hair from yellowing, but gray, silver, and white hair have little to no melanin, so they can yellow. A good quality, nontoxic purple shampoo acts as a toner for blonde, gray, silver, or white hair, making it a simple, affordable, and healthy way to cancel out unwanted brassy hues, leaving cool-toned gray, white, or silver locks. And, of course, we love that there are so many options for nontoxic, eco-friendly purple shampoos, especially in the form of long-lasting shampoo bars or refillable containers. These purple products not only nourish and boost hair health but also reduce your environmental footprint. Win-win!Â
What ingredients should you avoid in your haircare?
No matter your age or your hair color, it’s best to choose hair care products that restore moisture and softness, provide nourishment, and offer manageability. Always avoid hair care products that contain hormone-disrupting and harmful sulfates, i.e., sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate. These ingredients and chemicals are especially damaging to aging hair. Harsh surfactants strip your hair of natural moisture, leaving it drier and more prone to breakage, something aging hair already must contend with. Products that are gentle and moisturizing are especially essential for our hair as we age. In addition to humectants, products for aging hair should contain ingredients that strengthen hair and reduce breakage, like keratin and biotin. And, considering the health of one’s hair truly starts at the root, worthwhile aging hair products should maintain a strong focus on the health of the scalp too and use plant-based oils, botanical extracts, and vitamins.
Our criteria:
Our editors have used, researched, and scoured thousands of customer reviews of natural and nontoxic haircare brands to compile this list of our favorite shampoos to nourish and tone gray hair. We’ve selected brands that use only clean ingredients without harsh chemicals and are proven to be effective at a range of price points. We update this list regularly with emerging favorites that meet the following criteria.
- NATURAL/ORGANIC | Each shampoo is free of sodium lauryl sulfate and other harsh ingredients. We’ve prioritized brands with certifications to back them up like B-Corp or EWG verified, and only selected options that are safe according to EWG.
- EFFICACY | We’ve read through hundreds of customer reviews, testimonials, and chosen brands that are backed by professionals to ensure you get the results you’re looking for from these shampoos.
- AFFORDABLE | While it’s nice to invest in your self-care routine, we understand that not everyone’s haircare budget is the same. We’ve included some options that make repurchasing these products easy.
If you’re looking to round out your clean beauty routine, take a look at our favorite clean makeup brands for mature skin.
1. ProseÂ
Best For | Hair health
Natural & organic ingredients | Personalized natural ingredients, no parabens, sulfates, or GMOs
Prices starting at | $100+
Okay so, Prose does not specifically cater to gray hair — and it is the only non-purple shampoo in our guide — but it’s too good not to mention. Prose promotes the overall health of hair, especially as you let your hair transition to gray naturally. These products are custom formulated to ensure your hair and scalp remain the healthiest they can be, which makes embracing those grays just a bit easier. After you take advantage of the free Prose hair consultation, you’ll get a custom hair care system that targets specific hair goals and can include a shampoo, conditioner, and a custom scalp mask. Prose is an Earth-friendly brand that uses sustainable and natural ingredients like maca for scalp stimulation and hair growth as well as silk proteins, biotin, cucumber oil, Siberian pine nut oil, rosehip oil, and shea oil for strength, shine, moisture, and repair. It’ll give your hair and those grays just what they need.
Customer Review | “I have grey hair that has a tendency to dry out and be unruly, but since I started using Prose, my hair is softer and more manageable than it has been in quite a while. I love the fragrance.” – Christina G (Read more reviews.)
2. SuperZero
Best For | Eco-conscious
Natural & organic ingredients | Vegan keratin, hemisqualane, chamomile, bond builder
Prices starting at | $28
SuperZero’s Purple Shampoo is a toning purple shampoo bar and conditioning treatment in one. Like other purple hair products, it’s designed to neutralize brassiness, offering an ashier, cooler white or gray tone. It’s essentially a one-stop shop to boost long-term hair health, hydration, and shine. And it’s all thanks to Superzero’s signature Triflex complex — a treatment that includes scalp-healing, bond-repairing, and hair-boosting ingredients. Superzero claims their bar has a concentration of five times the concentration of clinically proven ingredients, and one bar is equivalent to a supersized 16-ounce luxury shampoo. Super Zero’s Purple Shampoo bar is pH optimized with a lavender and chamomile scent. Superzero products are free from sulfates, soap, silicones, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, artificial dyes, formaldehydes, and parabens. This brand avoids plastic at all costs and throws in free bar storage and a travel bag with each purchase.
Customer Review | “I love this. It makes my grey hair shine white and beautiful.” – Dara D. (Read more reviews.)
3. Kitsch
Best For | Adding moisture to color-damaged hair
Natural & organic ingredients | Biotin, coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil
Prices starting at | $14 per bar
Kitsch’s Grey Hair Purple Toning Shampoo Bar and Purple Conditioning Bar are enriched with biotin and natural oils to help boost shine, reduce dullness, moisturize, and strengthen hair — all while neutralizing brassy and yellow undertones. Kitsch products are said to be effective after just one use, and these earth-friendly shampoo and conditioner bars replace two bottles of liquid shampoo and conditioner. They are also made in the USA. The Kitsch brand is 4Ocean certified, so for every shampoo or conditioner bar purchased, 4Ocean pulls the equivalent of one shampoo bottle’s worth of plastic from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines. These purple products come in an orange blossom and jasmine scent.Â
Customer Review | “LOVE this bar shampoo. It makes my silver sparkly and soft. Helps with fly-away and lathers better than any bar shampoo I have tried. I will order again.” – Allison K (Read more reviews.)
4. Innersense
Best For | Travel and on-the-go
Natural & organic ingredients | Apple extract, witch hazel, monoi oilÂ
Prices starting at | $32Â
Innessense’s Bright Balance Hair Bath and Conditioner are silicone-free formulas that feature a custom pigment blend for potent purple power. These products restore balance and vibrancy without stripping hair of natural moisture. They also come in multiple size options, so if you are unsure, just purchase 2-oz samples first to make sure it’s a good fit for your hair. These smaller options make these perfect on-the-go products as well. According to Innersense, the Bright Balance products only need to be used once a week to be effective. The ingredient Monoi Oil is packed with antioxidants and vitamin E, while Apple Extract includes vitamins A, B, C, K, magnesium, potassium, copper, and calcium to help nourish the scalp. The witch hazel offers a skin-soothing astringent for relief from dryness and to balance excessive sebum production. Innersense purple products carry a jasmine scent.Â
Customer Review | “Cleans and brightens my salt and pepper hair. Love it. -Amanda (Read more reviews.)
5. Ethique
Best For | Long-lasting and easy to use
Natural & organic ingredients | Babassu oil, beetroot powder, glycerine, beataine
Prices starting at | $34
The products offered in Ethique’s PURPLE Shampoo and Conditioner Bar Bundle deliver up to 10x more concentrated active ingredients than typical liquid shampoos and conditioners — in bar form. Ethique purposefully created its shampoo and conditioner bars in a signature ergonomic shape, making them easy to hold and use in the shower. These bars are also like the everlasting gobstopper, lasting the equivalent of up to eight bottles of shampoo and conditioner. One review said Ethiques’s purple products make their grays look luminous. Ethique’s purple shampoo and conditioner bars come with a light jasmine scent and condition and soften gray and aging hair.
Customer Review | “Lovely shampoo, I have grey hair and the shampoo compliments the grey, giving it a shine and brightens up my hair, giving it a natural, but light colour to take away the dullness of grey hair. Plus anything that is not in a bottle or plastic is my priority.” – Karen W (Read more reviews.)
6. DaeÂ
Best For | Textured, wavy hairÂ
Natural & organic ingredients | Moringa, cactus flower, quinoa protein
Prices starting at | $28Â
Dae products are known for desert-derived botanicals. Their purple shampoo, called Violet Hour, not only has a fun name and fresh citrus scent — but it also contains cactus flower extract, which has been shown to strengthen hair’s elasticity and help with its manageability. This formula is a powerhouse to bolster aging hair and is made from moringa leaf, which can help boost keratin production and repair damage. It also contains quinoa protein, which is said to improve hair’s moisture content and add shine. Violet Hour is great for textured and curly hair, and it contains those violet pigments that are credited for adding depth and dimension to gray, silver, and white strands. A slight glitter content allows your grays to shimmer and shine!Â
Customer Review | “Love your regular shampoo & conditioner but this VIOLET one is awesome for my gray hair, it makes it beautiful. I have gotten so many compliments on my hair since using this shampoo I ordered another 2 bottles. I don’t want to be without it” – Amelia A (Read more reviews.)
7. Flourish
Best For | Sensitive scalps
Natural & organic ingredients | Blue green algae, purple sweet potato extract, rosehip and sunflower oils, panthenol (vitamin B)
Prices starting at | $94 for the system
Flourishes’ Vibrant + Violet line contains three products: Vibrant + Violet Purple Perfecting Shampoo, Perfecting Conditioner, and Violet Booster. Although they can be purchased and used separately, they are most effective when used as a system. Flourish’s plant-based formulas are not only good for aging gray hair, but all products are made with ingredients recommended for sensitive skin and undergo thorough quality control to ensure both safety and effectiveness. The purple color in Flourish products comes from berries, fruits, and veggies and is non-drying but still effective at neutralizing brassy tones in silver, gray, and white hair. These contain a secret essential oil blend including violet leaf. Flourish purple products are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals and packed with anthocyanins for deep, cool-toned color correction and scalp nourishment. Flourish Purple Conditioner is rich in antioxidants, which defend strands against exposure to environmental oxidative stressors — protection we all could use! One of the most remarkable aspects of Flourish products is the low-waste refill system.Â
Customer Review | “I have used the purple shampoo and conditioner for many years. It remains a favorite of mine. It leaves my hair silky soft and brightens my silver strands.” – FK (Read more reviews.)
Featured image is from Prose
Randi Donahue is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is currently earning an MS in Health Science and Functional & Integrative Nutrition from Northwestern Health Sciences University. She brings over 10 years of research and writing expertise, focusing on making complex health and wellness concepts more accessible to readers. When not writing about health topics, you can find her reviewing the latest outdoor products and wellness tech. Based on Florida’s Gulf Coast, she and her family are passionate about nature and believe the path to a healthy and prosperous life requires authenticity, kindness, and a whole lot of fresh air.
