A while back you might have seen my Current Haircare Routine post in which I talked about how hard it is to find a good purple shampoo for blonde hair, that’s also natural. Well I’m pretty sure Essano heard my prayers, as just a few days later a press release for the new Essay Blonde-Tone Correcting Purple Shampoo and Conditioner landed in my inbox. I’ve been lucky enough to try these out over the past month and wanted to report back with my thoughts on these new hair care products.
If you live in New Zealand, chances are you have heard of skincare brand Essano. It’s a natural, affordable brand, that’s available in your local supermarket. I haven’t actually tried any of the skin products from Essano, but I’ve heard wonderful things from others who have, and know many people who absolutely rave about their Hand Lotion. The products are made right here in New Zealand, with the majority of ingredients being from a natural origin. They also do their part for sustainability and the environment, with their packaging being 100% biodegradable or recyclable. Their hair care products also come in packaging that is made from 100% pre-used, recyclable materials that are also able to be recycled again. Plus, they don’t test on animals either. Lots of ticks right there!
The Blonde Tone-Correcting Purple Shampoo and Conditioner are designed to reduce brassiness and orange tones in blonde hair. I love my hair to look an ashy blonde, rather than have any yellow or orange tones, so I use a purple shampoo on the regular, as the purple and violet tones counteract any brassiness. These products are created with ingredients that are 93% of natural origin, and the other less natural ingredients aren’t deemed harmful on the EWG database. Both products contain Violet Leaf Extract which is the key ingredient in smoothing and softening dry and highlighted hair.
Blonde Tone-Correcting Purple Shampoo
This purple shampoo is sulphate-free and is also free from many of the nasty ingredients that are often packed into purple shampoo. Its a low-foam formula, due to the lack of sulphates, which can take a bit of getting used to, but it’s important to remember that foam doesn’t equal clean hair! Low-foam formulas work just as well at cleaning and removing oil from hair. I use about 4-5 pumps of this shampoo and massage it into my hair, starting at the roots and working my way down to the ends, making sure that the shampoo is evenly distributed. I then sort of pile all my hair up on my head and leave it between 3-5 minutes to do it’s thing before rinsing it out.
I’ll be honest, when I rinse this out, my hair feels a bit knotted. It’s because it’s so long and anytime I wash it (especially with purple shampoo), it gets really matted and knotted, so for me a purple conditioner is an absolute must. I find this purple shampoo to be a tiny bit more drying than others I’ve tried (likely due to the lack of nasty sulphates and silicones!), but I find using in conjunction with the conditioner makes my hair super soft and healthy!
Tip: Make sure your hair is soaked through before applying – it’s much easier to dispense the product evenly!
EDIT: Since I’ve cut my hair to shoulder length I have no issues with my hair getting knotted! It was just because my hair was so so long. If you have long hair, I definitely recommend getting the conditioner too! I’ve now been using this duo for over a year and I still rate it as my fave purple shampoo/conditioner combo!
Blonde Tone-Correcting Purple Conditioner
I had never actually used a purple conditioner until I used this one, and I have to say I’m super impressed. As I mentioned above, my hair does get quite tangled with the Purple Shampoo, so I absolutely need to condition in order to have any chance of getting the tangles out. I simply use a decent amount of this and focus it on the ends and lengths of my hair, and then work it up the hair to not quite the root. I personally hate having conditioner around my roots as it can make my hair a bit greasy, so I only try to apply to the lengths. I leave this in for the required 1-2 minutes and then rinse.
This stuff is amazing at detangling your hair. What is a matted mess, becomes silky smooth in just a few minutes, and makes even long hair like mine, really easy to brush out. The added benefit of the purple tone gives that extra help in brightening my blonde. It leave my hair feeling really soft and smooth, and doesn’t cause any greasiness or heaviness, which some other conditioners can do.
Overall….
Really loving this combo, and I’m so happy to have found a natural based Purple Shampoo & Conditioner. As mentioned, the shampoo is definitely more on the drying side, so I think the conditioner is a must. I do have very highlighted and dry hair normally though, so if you are on the oily side then you might not notice this so much. Both give amazing results, and I love the bright, ashy blonde colour that my hair goes.
They are also really affordable at $15.99 each, and are easy to buy as part of my weekly shop since they are available at the supermarket. You can also buy them online from Healthpost here (and are currently a little cheaper!)
I also love that the packaging is made from recyclable materials. This combo really does brighten my blonde and it removes those yellow and orange tones that I’m so desperate to avoid. I don’t use this every wash, instead every second (alternated with a hydrating shampoo and conditioner), and I find that keeps the colour perfect in-between my salon visits. If you have blonde, platinum, or white hair, and are looking for a toning shampoo more on the natural side I highly recommend giving these two a try.
