The #PurpleShampooChallenge Is All Over TikTok — Here's What You Need to Know

There's a new viral challenge taking over social media, and it involves a very unlikely beauty product. For the last week or so, TikTok users have been participating in what they've deemed the #PurpleShampooChallenge, where people film themselves putting excessive amounts of purple shampoo in their hair under the assumption that the color will work as a dye and turn their hair purple. Needless to say, that's . . . not how purple shampoo works.

Purple shampoos are mostly used by people with blond hair, and according to Devin Toth, a hairstylist at Salon SCK, the purpose of it is to "cut out brassy gold and orange tones." Essentially, it's a maintenance product for any type of blond hair from platinum to dark blond, though it's not meant to be used as a daily shampoo.

"If you use too much purple shampoo the hair will turn purple or ashy," said Toth. "Also, in contrast to conditioner, the purpose of shampoo is not to deposit, it's to remove . . . so it will only do so much. If your main goal is to deposit cool tones, a purple conditioner will give you way better results."

So yes, there is a chance that already blond hair can become darkened by an excess amount of purple shampoo, but that's only if it's misused and applied too frequently over time. Contrary to what some users on TikTok may believe, using an entire bottle of purple shampoo on your hair in one sitting will not turn it purple — especially if your hair is a darker color. Still, the challenge itself is mildly entertaining. Read ahead to see a few videos.