Purple Tips Short Hair 2025: How To Rock this Beautiful Color

Purple tips short hair has become a striking way to add personality and edge to any haircut.

By dyeing just the ends of your hair in shades of violet, lavender, or deep plum, you get a pop of color that’s playful yet easy to maintain.

This look takes inspiration from dip-dye and ombré styles but adapts beautifully to shorter cuts, offering a bold accent without the full commitment of all-over color.

Whether you prefer something subtle or statement-making, purple tips bring fresh energy to short hair while keeping your style modern and fun.

Why Purple Tips Short Hair Work Well

High-impact contrast: On short hair, colored ends become more visible and striking, since there’s less length to “hide” the color. The contrast between your natural hair and the purple tips can be bold and eye-catching.

Less commitment than full dye: Because only the tips are colored, it’s less of a commitment. As your hair grows or fades, it’s less obvious and easier to trim off than if your entire hair was purple.
Customizable styles: You can choose subtle purples (lavender, muted violet) or vivid ones (electric purple, deep indigo). You can also mix tones or use a gradient, depending on your base color and desired effect.

Easier maintenance than full color: While it still needs upkeep, caring for colored tips is somewhat simpler because the rest of your hair is uncolored and less prone to fading or damage from frequent dyeing.

How to Achieve Purple Tips on Short Hair

Lightening / bleaching (if needed)
To get a vibrant purple, especially on darker hair, you’ll often need to lighten or bleach the tips first. This lets the purple show more vividly and avoids muddy or dark results.
Choosing the purple shade
- For those with cooler undertones, shades like lavender, violet, or ash purple may suit nicely.
- For warmer undertones, grape or reddish-purple shades can complement well.
- Deep or jewel purples look great on darker bases because they show up while still offering dimension.

Application techniques
- Dip-dye: Direct application of purple dye to the very ends, with a somewhat abrupt transition.
- Ombré / gradient: A more blended effect where the purple gradually transitions from natural hair color to the tips.
- Balayage / hand-painting: For a softer, more natural transition, some stylists will hand-paint the purple into the ends rather than strictly block-dyeing them.
Processing and timing
The stylist will monitor how the hair lightens (if bleaching) to avoid over-processing and damage. Then the purple dye is applied for a set period, rinsed, and toned if needed to get the shade just right.

Maintenance & Care Tips

Use a color-safe, sulfate-free shampoo and cool water
Hot water and harsh shampoos cause color to fade faster, especially on vivid shades like purple.