Best silver shampoo: Give silver, grey or blonde hair a clean finish
Keep silver-grey and silver-blond hair colours looking clean and cool with our favourite silver shampoos
Silver shampoos are in vogue, thanks in no small part to the trend for Daenerys Targaryen-inspired white-blonde hair, but blue- and purple-toned silver shampoos have been around for much longer than the kingdom of Westeros. Designed to remove brassy or yellow tones from the hair, silver shampoo keeps natural (or dyed) silver-grey hair looking clean and bright without bleaching or harming the hair.
Natural silver hair can pick up yellowness from the environment. Smoke, city pollution and chlorine from swimming pools can all sit on silver hair and make it look dull and brassy. Dyed silver hair can also turn yellow over time as salon-applied toner fades, exposing the yellow undertone of the hair beneath. Silver shampoos contain violet pigments that cancel out yellows, and silver shampoos designed for mature hair will also contain nourishing ingredients to moisturise and volumise the hair.
Whether you have natural or colour-treated silver hair, a good silver shampoo will clarify and lift your colour, helping your hair shine at its brightest. We’ve taken the time to test the best, so read on for our picks of silver shampoos that will give your silver hair a beautiful finish.
The best silver shampoo: At a glance
- Best for dyed silver hair: Bleach London Silver Shampoo | Buy now
- Best for natural silver hair: Redken Color Extend Graydiant Shampoo | Buy now
- Best for regular washing: Philip Kingsley Pure Blonde Silver Brightening Shampoo | Buy now
- Best budget shampoo: Provoke Touch of Silver Brightening Shampoo | Buy now
How to choose the best silver shampoo for you
Why does silver hair turn yellow?
Natural silver hair tends to be dryer and more porous than hair that still has its former colour, so it can be more prone to absorbing molecules from the environment that leave it looking yellow and dull. Because it’s pale to begin with, natural white-silver hair also tends to show yellow deposits more than coloured hair. Smoke, chlorine, dust, dirt and even sunlight can deposit yellow tones that, over time, appear dirty and dull. A silver shampoo not only removes dirt and cleans the hair shaft, it also deposits a violet-blue pigment that cancels out yellow, leaving natural silver hair looking cleaner and brighter.
Dyed silver hair will gradually turn yellow over time as the silver toner washes off the hair, exposing the hair’s original (or bleached) colour. Silver shampoos replace some of the silver tone, increasing the time you need between salon appointments to maintain your dyed silver colour.
How does silver shampoo work?
Silver shampoos contain a violet pigment. Violet sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so it cancels out the yellow in the hair, leaving silver or platinum blonde hair looking cooler and cleaner. The best silver shampoos will also hydrate thirsty locks and cleanse the scalp for healthier hair. To use, simply wet hair and lather in your silver shampoo as you usually would, let the shampoo sit for a few minutes to deposit the violet colour on your hair, then rinse and follow with a conditioner. The effects are temporary, but easily topped up next time you wash.
How often should I use silver shampoo?
Natural silver hair will benefit from a silver shampoo once or twice a week to maintain a brighter silver tone. Dyed silver hair can be washed with a silver shampoo once a week. Alternate with your colour care shampoo to avoid rinsing out dyed colour.
Both natural and dyed silver hair will benefit from a monthly treatment masque or glossing treatment, to help add shine as well as freshening up colour.
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The best silver shampoos to buy
1. Bleach London Silver Shampoo: Best shampoo for dyed silver hair
Price: £6.50 | Buy now from Boots
Home hair colour specialist Bleach London has been keeping the heads of fashionable young things colourful for a decade – and this vegan and cruelty-free silver shampoo deposits cool violet pigments onto bleached, toned hair to keep dyed silver colour shining at its brightest. Suitable for anything from hip slate-grey granny hair to ash or platinum blonde, this toning shampoo is formulated with wheat protein, castor oil and vitamin B5 to moisturise bleached hair and keep it silky and soft. Follow with the Silver Conditioner in the same range for an extra toning and a conditioning boost.
Key specs – Pack size: 250ml
2. Redken Color Extend Graydiant Shampoo: Best shampoo for natural silver hair
Price: £15 | Buy now from Amazon
Made with silver-grey hair in mind, Redken’s Color Extend treatment shampoo is a silver shampoo with citric acid to cleanse and strengthen hair, and a deep violet pigment that neutralises yellow and brassy tones. The gentle shampoo is hydrating and nourishing, with amino acids to help mature hair regain its strength and shine from within. To use, massage the deeply pigmented shampoo into the hair (wear gloves to prevent staining on the hands), and leave in for a few minutes to deposit the violet colour. Follow with Redken’s Graydient Conditioner, which is a silver-coloured conditioning treatment that deposits a bright silver-gray tone onto the hair to keep your silver strands looking their beautiful best.
Key specs – Pack size: 300ml
Redken | Color Extend Graydiant | Silver Shampoo | for Grey/Silver Hair | Brightens & Tones | 300ml
3. L’Oréal Serie Expert silver: Best shampoo under £15 for silver hair
Price: £13 | Buy now from Amazon
For soft and nourished silver hair at a high-street price, look no further than L’Oréal Paris’s Serie Expert line. This clarifying shampoo for silver and white hair contains magnesium to remove build-up and promote hair strength, and a blue-violet pigment to banish yellow tones. The hydrating shampoo is gentle enough for regular use, leaving hair soft and shiny as well as clean and bright. It lathers well in the hair and is quite strongly pigmented, so doesn’t need to be left in too long. For super-soft results, pair with the Neutralising Cream in the same range.
Key specs – Pack size: 300ml
L’Oréal Professionnel | Shampoo, For Grey, White or Light Blonde Hair, Serie Expert Silver, 300 ml
4. Aveda Blue Malva shampoo and conditioner duo: Best organic duo for silver hair
Price: £42 | Buy now from Look Fantastic
Organic botanical brand Aveda has one of the nicest-smelling and most luxurious-feeling duo sets for silver hair. 100% vegan and cruelty-free, the shampoo and conditioner both contain natural extracts of coneflower and blue malva to moisturise and hydrate the hair while adding blue tones, neutralising brassiness. The ingredients are sustainably farmed and gathered, and housed in recycled packaging, so you can care for your silver hair and the planet at the same time. At £42, the duo set isn’t the cheapest, but the Blue Malva duo is effective enough to be used sparingly, and leaves hair feeling beautifully soft and looking naturally bright.
Key specs – Pack size: 1,000ml (shampoo); 250ml (conditioner)
5. Philip Kingsley Pure Blonde Silver Brightening Shampoo: Best silver shampoo for regular washing
Price: £21 | Buy now from Look Fantastic
Philip Kingsley’s hydrating Pure Blonde Brightening Shampoo is gentle enough to be used multiple times per week without the drying effects that come with some shampoos – perfect if you swim or exercise regularly and want to maintain a bright and shiny silver colour. The shampoo contains nourishing lavender oil and wheat protein to condition the hair, as well as optical brighteners for a clean and bright finish.
To use, simply massage the pleasantly scented foaming shampoo into hair and leave for two minutes to make sure each strand is properly coated, then rinse. The result is cooler-toned blonde or silver hair that feels soft and healthy.
Key specs – Pack size: 250ml
6. Provoke Touch of Silver Brightening Shampoo: Best budget silver shampoo
Price: £4 | Buy now from Amazon
Provoke’s Touch of Silver is a classic shampoo formula that has been lifting yellow tones from naturally grey and colour-treated hair since the 1970s. The vegan and cruelty-free shampoo is sulfate-free, and contains strengthening proteins to help rebuild colour-treated hair, as well as UV filters to prevent further damage and discolouration. Just one wash with this dark violet shampoo is enough to produce noticeable results. At less than £5 a bottle this is a great-value treatment shampoo. The Provoke range also includes a regular colour-care shampoo and conditioning treatments.
Key specs – Pack size: 200ml
PROVOKE Touch Of Silver Brightening Purple Shampoo 200ml, Neutralises Yellow & Orange tones, Formulated with Violet & Blue Pigments
7. Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet Shampoo: Best luxury silver shampoo
Price: £20 | Buy now from Look Fantastic
While it’s primarily marketed as a tonic shampoo for brightening blonde hair, Kérastase’s lilac-pigmented shampoo is also very effective at removing yellow tones from natural silver hair. The nourishing formula contains hyaluronic acid and edelweiss flower, which penetrates deep into the hair fibre to make sure your strands are hydrated from root to tip. The result is silky, soft and bright-toned hair, whether you’re an ash or platinum blonde, or rocking silver-grey locks. A 250ml bottle costs £20, but lasts around six months with weekly use. Follow with the Blond Fondant conditioner for even more lustrous locks.
Key specs – Pack size: 250ml
8. Fanola No Yellow Shampoo: Best shampoo for banishing stubborn brass
Price: £8 | Buy now from Amazon
If your hair has become very dull and brassy over time, perhaps you’re a keen swimmer or live in a smoky city, you need this no-nonsense No Yellow shampoo. The vegan formula is sulfate-free, so it won’t dry brittle hair, and the strong violet pigment makes light work of lifting even the most stubborn brassy or yellow tones. If the yellows in your hair come from environmental factors, you might find that using a clarifying shampoo first to start the cleansing process helps No Yellow do its brightening work. Finish with the No Yellow treatment mask for a nourishing boost.
Key specs – pack size: 350ml
