Trying Pink Shampoo on My Bleached Blonde Hair

This year I took the plunge and achieved a life-long dream of mine – to dye my hair pink. To maintain it, I’ve been experimenting with pink shampoo in the months to follow. Since bleaching my hair for many years now, I’ve gotten used to toning it a shade of either ash or neutral blonde. Though I’ve loved my blonde balayage every time, I was feeling a little fiery this year and just went for the pink. Plus, life is too short to not have pink hair at least once in your life, am I right?

ombre pink balayage salon visit bleached hair — Rose gold balayage by CL Salon

Going Rose Gold

The first session at CL Salon, we did a beautiful rose gold on my hair. It was a very dreamy pastel shade – exactly how I wanted it. Unfortunately for me, though I absolutely loved it, the colour washed right out. When I went in again to redo it, my hair stylist suggested we take things up a notch. We ended up toning my hair to an intense fuchsia colour that left me in a complete shock. This was not what I had expected when I first came it to have it redone but ended up loving it anyway. That, and something about pink hair just looks so badass.

Pink balayage salon visit bleached hair — Bright fuchsia colour done by CL Salon

In My Pink Era

Fast forward to a month later, the bright fuchsia toner lasted much longer than the rose gold. And if I’m being honest, the vibrant pink made me feel much like a superhero. Best part was that the pink colour stayed on my locks for a good three weeks before starting to fade. I made sure to stretch out my hair wash days from three to four days in between and always wash with cold water. However, when it started to fade though, I knew I needed to find an alternative fast. I couldn’t bear to part with my pink hair so soon.

Toning With Pink Shampoo

After some searching on Amazon, I found the Four Reasons toning shampoo ($34.10 CAD), which is a pink depositing shampoo. This was my first time trying pink shampoo on my bleached blonde hair and I was super nervous. I hate messing with my hair – in case it turns out horribly – but I figured a pink depositing shampoo is relatively low-risk so, why not? It wasn’t a dye but merely another layer of shampoo added on top of your regular colour-safe one.

Update: Pink shampoo is now $76.08 with free shipping on Amazon.

Pictured above is how my hair looked before trying the pink shampoo on my hair. As you can see, there were still remnants of pink pigments left in parts of my hair, mainly towards the ends. This was around the four-week mark of having first dyed it pink. It had faded out nicely to a pretty rose gold with the neutral blonde strands coming through, which was lovely.

However, to get my hair back to more of its pink colour, I looked for a quick solution. I’m sure many of you can agree, salon visits are crazy expensive. Not to mention, you have to keep up with your visits to maintain your hair’s health and colour. This is why I was more than happy to try out the Four Reasons Toning Shampoo as an affordable alternative between visits.

My Experience With Pink Shampoo

Et voilà! I applied the pink shampoo on my hair after using my regular shampoo shampoo and conditioner for colour-treated hair. For best results, I left it on for at least ten minutes after application and tried my best to apply it as evenly as possible throughout my hair. The shampoo itself came out a bright shade of pink but diluted quickly after application.

I was pleasantly surprised by how clarifying the pink shampoo felt on my scalp. It left both my hair and scalp feeling so clean and refreshed. The colour also turned out amazing – subtle but yet, still vibrant. With a blended rose gold colour that gave my hair dimension and plenty of personality, it breathed life back into my fading strands.

Only downside with the pink shampoo I’ve found is the more I’ve used it, the less effective it’s become. I’m unsure if it’s because I’m not leaving it in long enough or there just isn’t enough product being applied. I will have to experiment further. A suggestion I have is to apply it on damp hair rather than super wet hair. Also, try to avoid using any other products on your hair afterwards other than hair oil.

If you’re looking to use a pink depositing shampoo to return your hair back to its original shade of salon pink, don’t expect drastic results. However, pink shampoo definitely works. Keep in mind, my hair wasn’t super light to begin with. If I had been a platinum blonde, the colour would’ve come out much more intense. Even so, I was very happy with the end results.

After washing my hair with pink shampoo, the colour became a beautiful pastel shade of pink that was perfect for summer. From an intense fuchsia colour to a multi-dimensional rose gold, I was very satisfied with the results. The colour was especially stunning in natural lighting, giving my complexion a vibrant glow. I’d definitely recommend using pink shampoo as an alternative to those expensive salon visits.

For those curious about using pink shampoo on your bleached blonde hair – I say go for it. It’s not damaging like most box dyes and super low-cost. Paying an extra $15 to have the Four Reasons Toning Shampoo shipped, this brought my total to $50. This is exceptionally more affordable than shelling out a couple hundred to get my hair re-toned every few months. I love my salon visits but they’re very pricey. Whenever possible, I limit myself to getting it professionally done only twice a year.

All in all, I love how natural the pink shampoo looks in comparison to going full throttle in pink dye. If you’re more of a medium blonde like myself, you’ll love the subtle pink pigments it’ll leave on your hair. When massaging it in, the product won’t be completely even. This gives it even more of a rock n’ rock vibe. The result is a cool unintentional ombré look that is so on trend right now. Happy pink shampooing!