Use gentian violet to tone down brassy hair

What you need

My hairdresser always advises me to tone down the brassy colours in my hair with silver shampoo. The salon was out of stock last time I wanted to buy but he gave me a great tip. Make your own for a fraction of the price.

Add Gentian Violet to your regular shampoo or conditioner – or both.

Gentian Violet is inexpensive and I found it easily at my local pharmacy. It’s an old fashioned remedy used as an anti fungal treatment for thrush in babies mouths. It also has antibacterial and anthelmintic (de-worming) properties.

In the photo you can see a small bottle of Gentian Violet lying flat in the front. On the far right of the photo is an empty bottle of my usual L’Oreal silver shampoo, which was out of stock.

In the middle of the photo is a tall bottle of conditioner with the cap removed. I added Gentian Violet to the conditioner with a dropper. Gentian Violet is intensely concentrated. Add a small amount at a time. Shake the bottle and check the colour. You want enough colour to tone down copper colours in your hair. But not so much you turn purple.

Work outside or over a plastic bag. And wear old clothes – or no clothes – in case you mess. This stuff will not wash out. It’s also used as a purple dye.

And you know what? It works perfectly. And that’s not all, it’s way cheaper than my usual salon brand and has bonus properties.

You can also see how to make you own lip tint – here. And if want a bargain cuticle oil minus all those ghastly ingredients such as parabens etc? Then click on – this link.

At the top of this page are the Greenie Galleries. You can find yet more DIY beauty ideas as well as home decor, clothing and jewlery making tutorials.

I will be back with more next week.

Greenie.