My Ultimate Guide to Blonde Shampoos

In case this picture of my bathroom shampoo collection isn’t obvious enough, I like my blonde shampoos.

I know that for every person who loves them, you’ll find someone who hates them.

Through trial and error, I now have a pretty good idea why they might work great for some and not so much for others. And I’ve written it all down here.

Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner

Ah, the most controversial one of them all.

Personally, the John Frieda Go Blonder shampoo and conditioner have worked great for me. Even when my hair was a lot darker than it is now; it still gave my locks a yellowy gold hue. Now that I have highlights, it really seems to lighten my do.

The effect doesn’t stay long though. That’s why you have to keep using them at least once a week to keep up the result.

Don’t leave it on all day or overnight! This may work for some, but if you want to avoid any scary side effects (like some bloggers talk about), it’s best to stick to what the label says. I leave it on while I scrub or shave my legs, that’s it.

Some people say that it made their hair darker. That’s because these are made to lighten darker blondes. If you’re fairly blonde already, a silver shampoo will work like magic for you (scroll down to discover all about them).

Highlight Activating Shampoo and conditioner

My personal favourite.

These bring out highlights you didn’t even knew you had.

Many different brands have their own highlight activating range these days, and they are really worth giving them a try. If you already have highlights, it’ll really make them pop. If not, it’ll create them for you. These shampoos and conditioners give the most interesting effect, bringing out different hues in your existing shade.

Regular Blonde Shampoos and conditioners

These are usually said to give you a ‘sun kissed look’. Don’t expect any miracles, but they do enhance your existing hair colour. When I use them I notice my hair colour is ever so slightly lighter and my blonder highlights pop out more,

Natural Hair lightning

There are plentiful of natural ingredients that bring out the best in your blonde coupe. Lemon juice, camomile tea, honey, cinnamon, … they all work great at making your hair a few shades lighter.

I sure do love natural and DIY in the same sentence, and I’ve been using natural hair lighting tricks for a while now. FInd out how I do my own all natural balayage highlights here.

Purple Shampoos and conditioners

The outsider.

Purple shampoos are for the lightest of blondes. They take away any brassy tones in your hair, letting your fair locks shine.

If you feel your hair could use a little (or a lot) less brass, this is what you should go for. It’ll also work on darker hair, but it’ll just tone down any yellow/red-ish hues you might have, it won’t magically make you a bright, white blonde.

Like all things in life, all of these shampoos and conditioners will probably work differently for everybody. They may have a staggering effect on some, and others might barely notice the difference. Unfortunately, life can be a B sometimes.

Happy hair lightning everyone!

Ina