Oh Fudge! A review of Fudge Professional Purple Toning Shampoo

Product Review: Fudge Professional Purple Toning Shampoo

Oh, Fudge!

Could this be the most hydrating purple shampoo we've ever used?

Years ago we all gave up on looking for a purple shampoo that didn't dry the heck of our hair. It was just a given. The trade off for the unstoppable brightening power of purple on our brassy tones. Purple shampoo makes our hair dry, so we only use it as often as we need to and make sure to condition and add moisture in every other product we rely on.

But then along came a Violet Toning Shampoo from the funky and fun professional brand Fudge. It does a great job with the whitening and brightening of brassy yellow hair, which is what we would expect from how deeply purple it is. But we didn't expect it to be so rich and hydrating. Fudge claims it's the guarana extract that helps nourish the hair as well as tone, but whatever it is our hair has never felt quite so soft and shiny after a purple shampoo. That's saying a LOT!

They also have a new Fudge Clean Blonde Damage-Rewind Violet Toning Shampoo we will be trying next.

Sulfate free, no animal testing, great for blondes as well, of course. 

Our list of the 5 Best Gray Hair Shampoos.  

5 Best Gray Hair Shampoos for Men

Tips on Going Gray in a Pandemic

Going Gray During the Coronavirus Lockdown of 2020

So you'd always thought that maybe one day you'd let your roots grow out and seeing what all that gray you'd been hiding actually looks like. And now, in spite of you not being ready to see how much gray you actually have, that day has arrived and you're fully going gray! 

You're trapped in lockdown because of the horrid COVID-19 and can't get to the salon. What to do?

Don't color it yourself!   

(All this home dyeing is rather tragic, isn't it?)

Why not let this be your time to see how if you're secretly a silver fox!

This is a stressful time for all, consider letting you gray hair naturally grow out as an act of self care. As we re-prioritize our lives now, some of the lengths we've put ourselves through for beauty don't seem to be as important anymore. Give yourself a break and give your hair the break it's been needing for too long. (Plus, you can always let your hairdresser dye it back if the doesn't work for you!)

But let's not confuse "going gray" with "letting yourself go"! 

You're not going stir-crazy in lockdown or giving up on how you look, you're taking extra care of your hair by re-finding its natural beauty. You're going to make yourself look gorgeous while you go gray. Vibrant gray hair is stunning. 

Your colleagues, friends, and lovers better watch out! 

The transition can be the tricky part. Waiting for the gray to grow out to a decent length to cut off the colored ends requires patience. (Something that lockdown may have depleted you of!) So you might want to wear a headband some days when you don't want the whole office chatting about how gray your roots are on your office Zoom call. Make sure your headband coordinates with your face mask, of course.

If you want to hide your transition so you can do a big "ta-da!" when you finally get back to the office, get a product like hair mascara or a colored hair pencil to color in your roots temporarily. They wash out with shampoo. It's all about making you feel good about yourself, and if that's what you need in the short term then that's what you need. Try a product such as Color Wow Root Cover Up, Roux Hair Crayon, or Bumble and Bumble's Tint Powder.

For men, skip waiting for the roots to grow out and just give yourself a buzz cut. They're the easiest type of home hair-cut, and it's a proven fact that silver foxes with buzz cuts are 75% more attractive. For women, a buzzed head is a striking look that can be both stunning and liberating, but you need a lot of mental fortitude to pull it off and as we're in a time of crisis it might be a little too much for you and the people around you to handle right now. Or, it might be just the right choice for you? We support loving your hair as well as yourself at all times... especially now! 

And even though we are living in unprecedented times, there's one thing we know for sure:

USE A GRAY HAIR BRIGHTENING SHAMPOO!

Special gray hair shampoos and conditioners have been discussed extensively on this site. Get used to adding one to your shower routine. Not every day, just as part of the rotation to keep any yellowy dinge at bay. Start with our list of the Best Gray Hair Shampoos and Best Gray Hair Shampoos for Men.  And don't forget a good conditioner! Gray hair tends to be courser and more wirey, so make sure to condition regularly. 

Enjoy seeing the progress as you grow into your new look. Take lots of pictures. Let this be one of your positive memories from this period of our lives, that you used it to become the grey haired goddess you were always meant to become! 

Stay home. Stay healthy. And LOVE THE GRAY!

5 Best Gray Hair Shampoos For Men

The Five Best Gray Hair Shampoos For Men

Congrats, you've just realized you're a Silver Fox! 

Now what? 
Let's start with your shampoo. Even if you only have a little bit of gray on the sides or a bit in the beard, you would benefit from an occasional "brightening" shampoo specifically designed to whiten grey hair and remove the yellow brassiness it can sometimes get. Don't use it every day, but often enough until you notice your gray start to sparkle. 

Warning: you will start receiving compliments on how Silver Foxy you are after only a few shampooings!

5. American Crew Gray Hair Shampoo for Men

If any of you men have ever used anything made by American Crew, you know they're always a solid, no-fuss, well formulated grooming product. Their Shampoo for Gray Hair is no exception. It's a bit on the drying side as many purple shampoos are, but used occasionally it's a decent option. 

4. JOICO Color Balance Purple Shampoo

This is the stylist's choice to keep gray and blonde hair from getting brassy. JOICO has been a salon staple for ages, and they are finally embracing those going gorgeously gray by coming out with a quality purple shampoo. Their formula is very moisturizing unlike many purple shampoos, but still packs powerful whitening power. This XXL pump size is perfect for the man who doesn't want to have to think about when it's time to buy more shampoo! 

3. Pantene for Gray Hair

You want an everyday shampoo that's simple yet effective. Removes the yellow tones and has a nice fresh scent. Pantene has been around long enough to deliver the goods at the price you want. Gentle cleansing action that is free of paragons and silicones, although a bit drying if not used along with a conditioner.  

2. United Male Bright White Shampoo

We'll admit it. We fell for the masculine packaging. (But hey, this list is about "male hair products" which really are just "hair products" being sold to men.) So we went for the race car red bottle with the military inspired logo and now we can tell you fellas, it ain't bad! It's a whitening shampoo that successfully brightens, thoroughly cleans, and is a little bit unexpected. Oh, and United Male is a company with a conscious because they don't do animal testing. (They make a great beard oil too!)

#1 Phyto Phytoargent No Yellow Shampoo

It's not a secret that we love Phyto products, their previous Phytoargent was #3 on our all-time Top 5 Gray Hair Shampoos list. This new incarnation has a great masculine medicinal scent, and the botanical formula is incredibly hydrating and nourishing for a gray hair shampoo. Use once or twice a week for a brighter white mane. But don't overuse or you'll be in blue hair territory!

Honorable mentions:

Jhirmack Silver Brightening Ageless Purple Shampoo Set is a winner. Everyone loves it.

Klorane Anti- Yellowing. Our #1 alternative to purple.

Shimmer Lights. Your grandmother's gray hair shampoo.



Need advice on a conditioner? Here are our 5 Best Conditioners for Gray Hair. 

Of course, here's our famous Top 5 Gray Hair Shampoos post that started it all.

The Guardian's Best Men's Shampoo for Gray Hair List

GQ Has a Gray Hair List too now. Everybody is learning to...

LOVE THE GRAY!