When you bleach or dye your hair, you may see the brassy shade at the roots, which is referred to as hot root. Your hair’s roots can appear bright, while the remaining of your hair is perfectly toned.
Blondes and colorists alike fear the sight of hot roots. The color of your roots is unintentionally and considerably warmer than the rest of the hair, resulting in hot roots.
So, what can you do to fix this issue? If your hot roots seem to be on blonde or red hair, the answer is YES.
Since purple is the polar opposite of yellow on the color wheel, it helps to cool down hot roots. Therefore, violet pigments in the purple shampoo help cancel warm or yellow tones in your hair.
Remember that a toning shampoo may affect your entire head of hair, not just the roots. Even so, you can still use it just like any other shampoo.
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What Are the Causes of Hot Roots?
Add color to previously dyed hair
Coloring hair that has already been colored can lead to issues. Once you try to lighten your hair, the hair color may react differently in different parts of your head.
The first reason is that the roots closest to your scalp are hotter than the mid-lengths or ends.
It is due to the proximity of the scalp to the head, body heat accelerates the coloring of bleach and hair dye, making your new hair lighter. As a consequence, it reacts to the dye more quickly.
Your roots may appear lighter than the rest of the hair as a result of this treatment. It may happen whether you are dyeing your entire head or just getting highlights.
The second reason is because of keratinization.
New hair growth takes about a month to harden fully. As a result, compared to the previous hair, the new hair will be softer and lack sufficiently hardened keratin.
Then, bleach with hair dye can reach the new hair shaft more quickly, resulting in lighter hair than typical.
First time lighten your hair all over
Your roots may not react as well as you expect if you are trying first to brighten your hair. It is due to the fact that your roots will most probably lighten quicker than the rest of your hair.
It can give the appearance of being unbalanced. That is the reason why it is recommended that you go to see a stylist once your hair is virgin. Or else, with a home boxed kit, your first dying trial may not turn out as well.
In the case of lightening hair on previously dark dyed hair, because color can not lift the color, the dark hair dye area will not be affected by lighter hair dye. Thus, new hair growth will be lightened.
First time dye your hair
Hot roots are much more prevalent when coloring the hair for the first time because the scalp is usually warm; the roots will absorb the color faster than the ends.
They are also common after bleaching since they push the chemical’s strength to its limit.

How Do You Fix Hot Roots With Purple Shampoo?
Rinse your hair
First, rinse your hair with warm water, which will gently open up the hair’s outermost layer, known as the cuticle, enabling the purple shampoo to penetrate the tresses easily.
It is possible to do this by simply leaning over a washing basin and running water over it. But it will be much easier to undress and enter the shower. This technique can even be used in conjunction with your morning or evening shower.
Apply purple shampoo
Next, apply a generous amount of purple shampoo to your hair, making sure to fill your hair’s entire length from roots to tips. Start by massaging the shampoo into the roots and working it through the hair.
Because there is not much color in the purple shampoo, you can use it as your regular shampoo without fear of leaving a stain on your hands, clothes, or washing basin.
Leave the shampoo on your hair
Then, allow the shampoo to stay in the hair for the amount of time stated on the package because each shampoo may vary.
Some shampoos call for you to rinse the color out right away, whereas others say you should leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes.
You can allow the shampoo to remain for up to 15 minutes if the brand label does not make clear a time frame. However, because this shampoo is relatively gentle, you can let it stay on for longer, based on the intensity of the damage.
In addition, the shampoo can be left on for up to an hour. For that case, you had better tuck the hair using a shower cap if you want to get out of the shower.
Rinse the shampoo out
After that, use cold water to rinse the shampoo out until the water is completely clear. After that, use a sulfate-free conditioner designed for color-treated hair.
You can skip this step if you have your own toning shampoo with a white conditioner.
It will help seal the shampoo’s neutralizing properties, keep the color in place, and close the hair shaft. It will also aid in the luster and smoothness of your hair.
Dry your hair
You can either allow your hair to air dry or use a heat-protectant product together with a hairdryer to speed things up.
Your roots may be a lighter shade than they were previously. Notably, they may be light orange color once you bleach your hair all over.
Friendly reminders:
- If you can not find purple shampoo in stores, you can create your own at home. Mix a few drops of semi-permanent gentian violet dye with your regular shampoo or conditioner. Then, you will receive a violet or lavender-colored liquid to fix your hot roots.
- Do not use purple shampoo to fix hot roots more than twice a week.
- Because results do not appear immediately, you must wait a few weeks for the roots to mix in with the rest of your hair, after which you should stop.
- If your hair starts to look brassy again, use the shampoo once a week.

Frequently Asked Questions
When It Comes To Fixing Hot Roots, Are There Any Alternatives To Purple Shampoo?
Make use of a toner
Purple shampoo is similar to toners since both works to balance any dark or light roots not blending well with the rest of the hair. Therefore, using a toner to fix hot roots is a good idea, especially if you want to see results immediately.
At first, selecting a toner may appear challenging. However, using the color theory will make the process easier. Your perfect toner color is the polar opposite of whatever color you are trying to get rid of at the roots.
To illustrate, if you want to get rid of yellowish hot roots, you should use a purple toner because yellow and purple are opposite on the color wheel.
- First, put on something you do not really mind getting dirty. Also, wear a pair of disposable gloves unless you want your hands to get stained.
- Mix one part toner with two parts developer in a mixing bowl (10 volumes for semi-permanent results and 20 volumes for permanent results).
- Then, use a tinting brush to apply toner to dry hair at the roots. Make sure you cover all of the root areas.
- Allow the toner to stay on the roots for the time specified on the label, which should take no more than 30 to 45 minutes to complete.
- Finally, thoroughly rinse your hair with lukewarm water.
Make use of box dye
They are a straightforward way to fix hot roots in addition to the purple shampoo. The dye will aid your roots in blending in with the rest of the hair by evening them out. Remember that the color of most of your hair should be the box dye’s color.
- To begin, wear an old shirt you do not mind ruining and gloves to cover your hands.
- To make it easier to reach the roots, part the hair down the middle.
- Mix the dye with a 10 to 20 volume developer in a plastic bowl. If you wish to darken the roots, use a 10 volume developer or a 20 volume developer if you need a lighter color. Then, stir till the dye is thoroughly combined.
- Apply to your hair with a tinting brush, concentrating on the roots. Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the color to stay on your hair or the time noted on the packaging.
- Rinse your hair with cool water, then use your regular shampoo and conditioner.
- Towel-dry your hair gently. To lock in color and enhance evenness, you can blow-dry hair on such a medium heat setting.
Make use of a semi-permanent hair dye
Once you are hesitant to use a permanent dye to resolve your hot roots, semi-permanent dye is a great alternative. Semi-permanent dye, unlike permanent dye, fades over time.
- Rinse your hair with your regular shampoo, or else hair strands can be prevented from being absorbed with your preferred hair color by oil and dirt.
- Wear gloves to cover your hands and clothes that you may throw away afterward.
- With a dye brush, apply dye to the roots.
- Allow the dye to sit for the time specified on the label, which should only take about 30 minutes.
- Use cool water to rinse the hair.
- Lastly, you can style your hair as usual.
Can Hot Roots Disappear On Their Own?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Without the help of toning or color treatments, hot roots will not disappear on their own. Either the roots must be colored once more, or they must grow out and be trimmed off.
Though hot roots will not disappear completely themselves, they may become less evident over time. On the other hand, no one wants to go out with their hair in a brassy shade at the roots.
As a result, we recommend that you fix the hot roots as soon as possible so that you can enjoy your appearance right now.
Which purple shampoo should you use to fix hot roots?
Our first recommendation for you is the Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo.
It is produced with a tone-correcting and peptide complex to avoid future damage.
Also, thanks to great ingredients like Rosehip Oil, Keratin, and Arginine, it quickly neutralizes undesired yellow and warm shades in blonde hair, enhancing your hair’s brightness and smoothness.
Amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Shampoo is also a good product worth your purchase.
This product removes brass and consists of sea buckthorn, a hair-care component with a variety of benefits.
Even though several purple shampoos can cause hair to dry, this key ingredient is known for nourishing, enhancing, fixing, and protecting strands.
You can watch this video if you want to know more about how to fix hot roots: