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DIY Hair: 10 Purple Hair Color Ideas


I heard you wanted to dye your hair purple. So here I am, to provide you with all of the different options! In this article you'll find 10 different violet styles, and what dyes you need to use to get them.

Fortunately, not all purple dyes need to be applied to bleached hair. So, if you're trying to avoid hair damage, purple may just be the color for you. If you're aiming for a lavender or a neon purple, you'll probably have to bleach your hair to a platinum white before proceeding.

Always remember to take care of your hair with deep conditioning treatments between bleaches and dyes!

1. Manic Panic Electric Amethyst

Get this bright purple by using Manic Panic's Electric Amethyst. This dye would need to be used on bleached, platinum hair, or else it will not be as vibrant as it appears in the photo. For pink ends, try using MP's Cotton Candy Pink!

2. Pravana Lavender

For this muted lavender, hairstylist Guy Tang used Pravana's Pastel Lavender mixed with a touch of Pravana Violet. The result is a more toned down light purple than Electric Amethyst.

3. Manic Panic Purple Haze

Purple Haze can be used on unbleached and bleached hair for a rich, warm tone. Apparently it is very difficult to get out of platinum hair, but it's definitely an option for those of you who are opposed to bleaching your hair. Save yourself the damage and go Purple Haze!

4. Manic Panic Mystic Heather

This dye is more of a cotton candy purple, best used on platinum hair. It's pretty light out of the bottle, so I wouldn't recommend diluting the color.

5. Joico Purples

This formula gets a little more complex. As you can tell from the photo, there are warmer and cooler purple tones. Here are the two mixtures:

  1. Warmer: 3 parts Joico Wild Orchid, 2 parts Light Purple, 1 part Titanium
  2. Cooler: 2 parts Light Purple, 1 part Titanium, and a touch of Indigo to deepen the color

The model's hair was about a level 8, light blonde when the purple dyes were used.

6. Manic Panic Lie Locks

Try out Manic Panic's Lie Locks for a bright, blue-tinged purple. This dye gives more of a neon tone than their other dyes.

7. Joico Light Purple

This gorgeous mix is a result of combining Joico's Light Purple and Orchid dyes. Typically, Orchid is more of a deep, bright pink. To get a more pastel look, mix it with white conditioner when applying.

8. Manic Panic Purples

Mixing dyes is an awesome way to get your own personalized color! Lauren Calaway used four Manic Panic dyes to get this lavender look - Electric Amethyst, Mystic Heather, Cotton Candy Pink, and Ultra Violet.

9. Pravana Mix

If you're looking for dyes to use on unbleached hair, Pravana seems to be the way to go. This dark purple combo is a mixture of Pravana Pastel Blue and Green, Pravana Vivids Wild Orchid, and a bit of black streaks here and there. For a streaky look like the one in this photo, you'd be best using a dye brush to paint on streaks of dye, rather than pre-mixing dyes in a bowl.

10. Manic Panic Ultra Violet

One last look is using Manic Panic's Ultra Violet dye. This amplified hair color leans a little cooler on the purple scale, with lots of blue tones.

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