Are you considering dyeing your hair a fun new color? Purple should definitely be on your list.
Colorful hair looks have been very trendy recently. (See our posts on red hair ideas, pink hair ideas, and blue hair ideas for more on this.) This means there’s never been a better time to get creative with your color and experiment a little!
Among the many colors that you have to choose from, purple has to be one of my favorites.
There are so many ways that you can add purple to your hair to create a gorgeous look. And there are so many shades of purple to choose from — it’s a really versatile color that pairs well with everything from red to pink.
So, if you want to give purple hair a shot, I have collected some of the best purple hair looks to get your inspiration going.
And don’t worry because this includes all different hair lengths and types, so you will be able to find the perfect purple hair look for your hair!
Interested in dyeing your hair purple? Check out this list of 17 gorgeous purple hair ideas that you will be obsessed with.
Table of Contents
Purple Hair Ideas for Short Hair
1. Pastel Purple
If you have short hair and are looking to dye your hair purple, pastel purple is an amazing choice. (Think Katy Perry a few years back.)
Pastel purple is a gorgeous light purple shade that looks absolutely adorable on shorter hair. It’s also great if you’re already bleach blonde, as you can put it in for a few weeks, and it will eventually wash out if you get tired of it.
So, if you are considering trying out this color, check out this video tutorial to see exactly how to do it.
2. Galaxy Melt
If you have short hair or even a pixie cut, you should also consider a galaxy-inspired color melt when dyeing your hair purple.
If you have never seen a galaxy color melt before, it is essentially a hair look that combines beautiful shades of blue and purple that seem to “melt” into each other for a seamless effect.
So, if you are interested in trying out this hair look the next time you dye your hair, I recommend watching this video tutorial to see how the galaxy color melt is done.
3. Bright Purple
Ready for something nice and bold? Bright purple is an amazing choice for short hair that will really turn heads!
One of my favorite shades of bright purple is this magenta hue seen above. I don’t see it as much as more cool-toned purples, and that’s a shame. It’s so pretty and a little bit girly too.
Tip: When trying out this look, I recommend dyeing all of your hair this color to be able to show off your gorgeous new hair. It will also be easy to maintain at home if your color is the same all over!
Purple Hair Ideas for Long Hair
4. Purple Ombre
If you have long hair, you might be wondering which purple hair looks you should be considering.
And don’t worry because there are plenty of different ones for you to choose from! There are so many looks you can try with long hair to really show off your length. For example, one of my favorites is purple ombre.
Purple ombre looks so gorgeous on longer hair, especially if you use different shades of light and dark purple to get the full ombre effect. I think the bolder, the better with this look!
5. Midnight Blue Violet
Another gorgeous purple hair idea that you can try on long hair is midnight purple violet hair.
This hair look combines beautiful shades of midnight blue with violet to give you a unique, daring, and bewitching look.
To get this look at the salon, you will want to ask for an all-over midnight blue shade with some chunky violet highlights toward the front. (And screenshot this post to show your stylist.)
Just check out this video tutorial to see exactly how to get midnight blue-violet hair!
6. Ombre Roots
Ombre roots are another great option if you have longer hair or if you love the ombre look.
For this kind of hair look, you will want to dye the roots of your hair a darker shade of purple and make your hair lighter as you get to your ends. It’s such a cool vibe that makes it look like purple is your natural hair color.
Also, you don’t have to just stick to purple shades. You could totally switch up some of the colors to make an even more colorful hair look with purple roots!
If you have never tried this kind of hair look before, this tutorial will show you all the details on how it’s done.
7. Purple Face Frame
Magenta and purple shades look amazing together, especially on longer hair. So, if you are considering adding the two colors together for your new hair look, I recommend going for this magenta and purple face frame look.
For this look, you will want to add a bright magenta shade to the front of your hair to frame your face and color the rest of your hair a beautiful bright purple.
If you are curious about this hair look, this tutorial will show you exactly how it’s achieved.
Purple Highlights
8. Lavender Highlights in Light Hair
If you want to add some purple to your hair but you don’t want to dye your entire head purple, don’t worry because you can still create some amazing purple hair looks with highlights!
What’s great about purple hair dye is it looks great with any type of hair color.
For example, if you have blonde hair, I recommend lavender highlights. Lavender highlights, when added to blonde hair, will give you a subtle look that’s still colorful.
So, if you are looking to get these subtle but beautiful purple highlights to look on lighter hair, watch this tutorial to see exactly how to do it!
9. Peekaboo Highlights
Want something bolder? You could also try out peekaboo purple highlights. Peekaboo highlights will look great on any hair color since your main hair color won’t change — you’re simply adding bright purple underneath. So, I definitely recommend trying out these kinds of highlights!
To see how to get peekaboo highlights using purple, watch this video tutorial on how it’s done.
10. Violet Highlights in Black Hair
If you have black hair or a very dark shade of brown, I recommend trying out violet-purple highlights. To create this look, you should add thin purple highlights to your entire head to get the full effect.
This is a great purple hair idea to try if you want to add some purple to your hair but don’t want to dye your entire head purple.
This look will add just the right amount of dimension to your hair — everyone will be obsessed with your hair, guaranteed.
11. Purple Highlights in Brown Hair
For those of us who have a lighter shade of brown, you can totally do some purple highlights. For lighter shades of brown, I recommend using a lighter shade of purple as shown in this video tutorial.
This kind of shade of purple will look great with light brown colors and will add some colorful dimension to your hair.
Related reading: A Panic Experiment: Purple Hair Streak
Light Purple Hair Ideas
12. Pink & Purple
If you love the look of lighter shades of purple, I recommend trying out this pink and purple hair look. It’s so pretty!
Combining shades of light purple and light pink looks amazing — it’s one part girly, one part edgy.
To get this kind of look, watch this video tutorial for an example of how to dye your hair with these colors.
13. Lavender Balayage
Another great option if you want to go for a light purple hair look is lavender balayage. Lavender is a gorgeous shade of light purple that will look amazing as part of a balayage.
So, if you love the way that balayage looks on your hair or if you want to try out this kind of hair look for the first time, I recommend trying it with purple! It might just give you your best hair ever.
(Note: This should go without saying but do not attempt to DIY balayage! Always get this look done at a salon for best results.)
Dark Purple Hair Ideas
14. Amethyst Purple Balayage
If you want a dark purple hair look that blends like a dream into your natural color, I highly recommend trying out this amethyst purple balayage look.
Amethyst purple is a beautiful shade of violet purple that you will be obsessed with when you add it to your hair look!
The best part about doing a purple balayage look is that it will grow out seamlessly, so it’s much lower maintenance than most of the other purple hair ideas on this page.
15. Ash Purple
Ash purple is another beautiful option if you want to go for more dark purple vibes when coloring your hair.
Ash purple is a more greyish purple shade that will give you a gorgeous hair look, especially if you dye your entire head using this shade, as shown in this video tutorial.
Related reading: Purple vs Blue Shampoo: Which one is best for you?
16. Deep Purple
Hello, Descendants vibes. Deep purple is another dark-hair look that I absolutely love — it’s so edgy and cool.
This is perfect for those of us who want to go all in and really change up our look with purple. If you are interested in trying out this hair color, check out this video tutorial to see how you can make your hair a deep purple shade at home.
17. Blue/Purple Hair
Combining blue and purple looks amazing when adding these colors to hair looks. However, if you want to try something different than the galaxy-inspired hair look that adds both of these shades to the hair, you could also try out this look, which will give you bluish-purple hair all over.
If you love this color, check out this video tutorial to see how to create this shade of purple on your hair!
Which purple hair idea from this list is your favorite?
Have you ever had purple hair before? Which purple hairstyle are you going to try?
If you like these purple hair ideas, you might also want our related post on hair ideas below —