Somewhat unsurprising, stylist Fatima Rahman of New York’s Broome Street Society salon doesn’t exactly recommend this method as a way to tone hair. Aside from the kind of obvious fact that putting food coloring in your hair is a very easy way to ruin an expensive dye job (watered down or not, you never know), soaking your locks in vinegar is a less practical (and much smellier) method of diminishing brassiness than using a product that’s specifically formulated to do so.
How to Mix a Deep Purple Color?
How do I get a deep (blue) purple color? I’ve tried buying purple from more than one company, but they are all pale grey lavender, not purple. When I add dark blue, the grey in the original still affects the color. I end up with a dark grey with a purplish tinge. Very pretty, but not purple. Thanks for your help!
1/25/20 6:11 AM
Last edited by Julia M. Usher 1/25/20 9:13 AM
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Julia M. Usher Founder and Host, Cookie Connection; Owner, Recipes for a Sweet Life
Hi, AmyDesigns, Congrats on making your first post. I look forward to many more to come!
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Julia M. Usher Founder and Host, Cookie Connection; Owner, Recipes for a Sweet Life
Add red or pink to purple if you want it less blue/gray and brighter. Or start by mixing your own custom purple from blue and red, adding coloring gradually until you get the precise hue you want. Though, honestly, it’s hard to say exactly which way to take you on the color wheel, as your concept of “deep” purple may be different than mine. Do you have a Pantone or other color code you could share to give us a better idea of the color you have in mind?
Last edited by Julia M. Usher 1/25/20 9:16 AM
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Try adding powder food coloring. Sometimes they are more pigmented than gel food coloring. You do have to hydrate it first before adding to your royal icing. Hope this helps.
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Thanks Julie. I did try adding red/pink, but that gave me a red-purple, more like a magenta. I’m looking for a deep blue-purple. I wish I could be more specific, but I don’t have Pantone numbers here. It’s frustrating because I’ve mixed paint colors for years. I know how to mix color, but I can’t seem to find the icing colors that will let me easily do it.
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Thanks Laura. I’ll try going that route. I rarely decorate with pale colors, so powdered might be the right answer.
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Julia M. Usher Founder and Host, Cookie Connection; Owner, Recipes for a Sweet Life
AmyDesigns posted:
Thanks Julie. I did try adding red/pink, but that gave me a red-purple, more like a magenta. I’m looking for a deep blue-purple. I wish I could be more specific, but I don’t have Pantone numbers here. It’s frustrating because I’ve mixed paint colors for years. I know how to mix color, but I can’t seem to find the icing colors that will let me easily do it.
What about adding a touch of black? I would think that would work to “deepen”, but, again, it’s a bit hard to guide without seeing the color you have in mind. Concentrated liqua-gels, like AmeriColor and Chefmaster, can definitely give a deep purple though (I’ve done what I think is deep purple using Chefmaster colors straight out of the container), so you needn’t go to powders and the added step of pre-dissolving them, IMO.
Last edited by Julia M. Usher 1/26/20 9:36 AM
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Econlady Cookie Queen in Training
Lila Loa has color guides in her book or you can just buy the guides. They look like paint swatches, but with directions of how many drops of each color to achieve the desired color. She uses americolor.
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Tutorial: Food Colouring Mixing Chart
Create a rainbow of icing and cake colours from soft pastels to vivid brights with Queen Food Colour Gels and Liquids. Here are the ratios for our favourite shades along with our tips for achieving perfect results. Happy mixing!
Home > Learn > Tutorial: Food Colouring Mixing Chart
The shades on our Food Colour Mixing Chart are made with Queen Food Colour Gels in our go-to Basic Buttercream recipe. For recipes that have larger ratios, you may find it easier to measure with a spoon.
Approx. ¼ tsp Queen Gel Colour = 40 drops Queen Gel Colour = 1 tsp Queen Liquid Colour
Squeezing Drops
When dropping Queen Food Colour Gels from the tube, gently touch gel onto icing to help the drop break off.
Achieving the Perfect Colour
After preparing icing, divide between two bowls and set one bowl aside. Add Food Colour Gel to one bowl to create coloured icing. If you add too much colour, add some spare icing to lighten the icing to your desired shade.
Liquid or Gel? What’s the difference?
The liquid and gel colours give different levels of colour intensity. Queen Food Colour Gels are concentrated, so you need to less to achieve vibrant colours and won’t thin your icing or batter with unnecessary liquid.
Colour Intensity
The intensity of food colours is influenced by many things. Colours will deepen in buttercream icing as it dries, while it will lighten in royal icing as it dries. Some acidic ingredients, such as lemon juice and cream of tartar will cause colours to change as well. Black Food Colour Gel develops over time so it’s best to let your icing sit for a few minutes to allow it to reach full intensity. If you’d like to make jet black icing, we recommend making buttercream or cream cheese icing, not swiss meringue buttercream or royal icing. Because the icing base is stark white from the egg whites in swiss meringue buttercream or pure icing sugar base, it requires a significant amount of colour gel which could interfere with the structure of the icing. Visit our Black Recipe Collection for jet black icing recipes.
Handling
Queen Food Colours are water-soluble, so if colour stains your hands, it will come off with a few round of washing in warm, soapy water.
Important Information: The above colour chart has been prepared to help you select a suitable colour shade for your baking creation. You should always read the product packaging and label prior use and never rely solely on the information presented here. Colour gels dosage specified on product packaging should not be exceeded.
Neutralizing Warmth on Medium Brown to Light Brown Hair
- 4 drops of blue food coloring
- 1 drop of red food coloring
- 1 oz. of product (shampoo or conditioner)
- 3 drops of blue food coloring
- 1 drop of red food coloring
- 1 oz. of product (shampoo or conditioner)
Neutralizing Warmth on Dark Blonde to Blonde Hair
- 2 drops of blue food coloring
- 1 drop of red food coloring
- 1 oz. of product (shampoo or conditioner)
Or the fact that this method only uses two ingredients? Rahman can actually do you one better: Her go-to method for preserving her own highlights is just plain coconut oil. “One of the little-known benefits is that it’s antibacterial, which will help with balancing my scalp health as well as keeping the ends soft,” she says.
SheaMoisture 100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil $14.00
Coconut oil can be difficult to rinse out of your hair. We suggest applying it gradually and brushing it through your strands as you progress to avoid too much product in your strands.
The Final Takeaway
In short, if you want to give the Pinterest food coloring hack a try, skip the vinegar and mix a few drops in with your shampoo or conditioner. DIY hacks aren’t for everyone, so here are a few of our go-to products for maintaining and preventing brassy blonde hair.
Amika Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Conditioner $24.00
Made with shea butter and hydrolyzed keratin, this conditioner helps your hair retain moisture while keeping your color looking its best.
Christophe Robin Baby Blonde Shade Variation Care $53.00
This moisturizing mask is blended with almond butter and buriti oil, so your locks will feel (and look) extra hydrated. It’s made specifically to enhance blondes with natural color.
Oribe Bright Blonde Radiance & Repair Treatment $58.00
We love a treatment that replenishes the nutrients in our hair quickly. This three-minute treatment does just that while brightening and toning your hair to keep the brassiness at bay.
John Frieda Violet Crush Purple Shampoo $10.00
Budget buys that work are always a win, and this one guarantees results in just one wash.
Aveda Blue Malva Color Depositing Conditioner $24.00
If you’re looking for a deep conditioner that is lightweight enough for fine hair that neutralizing brassy-looking locks, we think you’ve met your match.
