If purple shampoos are a holy grail product for blondes, then for brunettes, it has got to be green shampoo! The concept of adding green shampoo to your hair care routine has recently become quite popular, and we're here to help you explore how it is created and geared specifically towards brunette hair care.
While we recognize the gap in availability of products designed for brown hair care, we’re thrilled to deep-dive into all the good things green shampoo can do for you. Adding green shampoo to your hair care routine will bring lasting freshness and flare to your already beautiful brown hair. If you’re a brunette, you know finding a shampoo isn’t a difficult task, but the results of using a basic shampoo, was well, y’know, basic.
Using a shampoo that is meant for your hair color and hair type will go beyond the cleansing function of shampooing. It will take care of your color and protect it but most importantly, it will make your hair look and feel alive.
What is green shampoo?
Green shampoo, like blue and purple shampoo, refers to the color of the product and it’s neutralizing capabilities. You could think of this shampoo as a color corrector for your hair. Just like in makeup, you would use a green color corrector over any red acne scarring, orange over blue patches of skin etc. Green shampoo works to neutralize any unwanted red tones in dark brown hair.
Why do you need to use green shampoo?
It's all about neutralizing, baby! Just like purple neutralizes yellow (which is why purple shampoo is essential for blonde hair care), blue neutralizes orange, green shampoo works to neutralize the red tones in your brunette hair; offsetting any red tones that make your hair look more fiery than it’s supposed to look. To understand this simply, check out the color chart below; colors adjacent to each other are complementary. Green shampoo works to bring neutrality and reduce any unwanted undertones in your hair.
These unwelcome red undertones can be the result of constant heat styling, exposure to hard water or harsh rays of the sun, as well as when your hair naturally lightens and exposes the underlying pigment.
Consistently washing your hair with green shampoo or adding a green hair mask to your hair care routine once or twice a week can help bring back the beautiful natural brunette tones of your hair, saving you a ton of salon visits.
Who can use green shampoo?
Being a brunette covers a wide range of shades from deep, warm tones to lighter hair with blue undertones. In order to make sure a green shampoo is right for your hair color type, it is essential to analyze what tone of brown your hair is.
Green shampoos work best on brunette tones that lean towards the deeper end of the spectrum. If you have lighter brown hair, it’s better to use a blue shampoo, as it works to reduce brassiness/orange tones. Red undertones exist in deeper brown hair, so green shampoo is most ideal if your hair falls anywhere in the medium to deep shades of brown.
When should you use green shampoo?
If you’ve recently dyed your hair brown, (we see you, Cara Delevingne!) and have been enjoying the brunette life or have naturally brown hair, we highly recommend washing your hair with a green shampoo to get the most out of your hair color.
Now that we have this color toning companion with us, it’s important to know how to use it correctly. Matrix celebrity hair stylist George Papanikolas shares his insight on how to correctly use green shampoo, when to use and what to avoid. Here are a few of his tips:
- Wear gloves to prevent stains on your hands.
- Avoid getting it on your scalp
- Use the shampoo or hair mask once or twice a week
- Do NOT use green shampoo if you have blonde hair, light brown hair or light highlights, it will turn your hair green
- Green shampoo, conditioner and hair masks are specifically designed for dark brown hair
Celebrity Hairstylist Approved
We reached out to celebrity hairstylist Anthony Perez, hairstylist to our fave senorita, Camila Cabello and asked him for his take on this new product that seems to be taking over. Here’s what he had to say about using green shampoo for brunette hair.
Have you tried green shampoo? Does it work?
I personally have only used it a few times with one of my brunette clients and can tell you it does make a subtle difference.
What does green shampoo do for brunette hair colours?
Green is the opposite of red on the color wheel. And as you know, most brunette shades sit in the red department of the color wheel, hence the green tones in the shampoo will counteract red from taking over! All hair will go red when color begins to fade so balancing it with green shampoo will get more of a neutral brown instead of a warm brown.
Do you have any favourite brands?
The brand I’ve been using is Matrix Dark Envy.
Green Shampoo Recommendations
While the market is still playing catch up in terms of brunette hair care, a few brands have released products that have some stellar reviews. If you’re planning on jumping on the green shampoo bandwagon real soon, we recommend starting off with Matrix's colour depositing collection below.
The hair care world is ever evolving, always adapting to the now, educating us and showing us how to correctly care for our hair. We love that there are products specifically designed for every hair type and color, and it isn’t a one-size-fits-all world. Green shampoo can do so much for your beautiful brunette hair if used correctly. It is the ideal way to revive your hair and bring life to your color right at home. It doesn’t get better than this now, does it? If you’re a brunette yourself or know one, don’t forget to share all the information you’ve learned today!
