Let’s talk about motherhood. The part no one likes to admit to.
Wrinkles. Gray hair. Hormone dysfunction. All that jazz. I must admit I’ve been having awesome results wrinkle wise with this Vitamin C serum and this night cream. My Teami detox tea has also helped clear up my skin so I don’t look like I’m going through puberty again. So yay! The hormone stuff? I’m still seeing my wonderful thyroid doc and we are much closer to having me back on track. But the hair?
Y’all. My boys, bless their hearts, have given me white hair. That’s right! No silver/gray for this girl. I mean glistening like fresh snow white, too. They sparkle. And at the ripe young age of not-quite-35, I am not ready to go natural. I tried to capture the sparkles in the picture below but the lighting wasn’t cooperating. Suffice it to say it was past the point of plucking.
I detest chemicals in personal care products and most hair color is filled with icky things like parabens, phthalates, ammonia, and even gluten. Believe me, I used to dye my hair whatever color struck my fancy as often as I decided to. This was in my late teens and early 20’s but I can still remember the smell. And how it fried my hair.
So after much deliberation, I decided to try Madison-Reed. Partially because when you have waist length hair, it gets really expensive to go to the salon.
5 Reasons to Love Madison-Reed Hair Color
Let me preface this by telling you how excited I was to find a hair color that didn’t contain all the junky chemicals that many home hair color products have. BUT those chemicals are how they “work” according to most colorists. So I was leery but took a chance anyway. The snow white tresses look isn’t for me.
- Madison-Reed hair color is packed with ingredients that are good for your hair! Argan oil, Keratin, and Ginseng. They even have honey in their shampoos and moisturizing oils in their styling products. This stuff is really good for your hair!
- There is NO PPD, Ammonia, Parabens, Resorcinol, Phthalates, Gluten, Cruelty, SLS, or Titanium Dioxide. If you are familiar with EU standards, they are much more protective than American standards and Madison-Reed meets EU safety standards with their ingredients. This is a huge benefit!
- You get a full kit of do-your-own-hair awesomeness. The barrier cream keeps you from accidentally dying your forehead and ears and neck (if you’re a messy home colorist like myself, anyway). You get two sets of gloves. No having to reuse a dye covered pair. The bottle of developer and the color cream are neatly packaged and easy to mix. The shower cap stays on beautifully. There is a wipe to get off any “oops” spots the barrier cream missed. It also works on surfaces like linoleum flooring, just in case you ever need to know that. Ahem. And you get a sample size of the Madison-Reed super delightful shampoo and conditioner.
- It smells amazing. It’s like 35 minutes of aromatherapy with a hair mask on. The ginseng makes the dye warm your scalp just a bit, too, but in a warm blanket way. It’s not uncomfortable at all.
- The results. I seriously can’t get over how shiny my hair is, how healthy it is, and how there is no white anywhere! The highlight color is beautiful and looks so natural! I even had some small split ends on the bottom that seem to be resealed. That is the kind of home hair coloring experience I’m excited about!
And here I am, all freshly colored! I went a shade darker for winter and used the Catania Brown color. The soft waves are a favorite style because it adds body to my fine hair and I use this deep waver. The top is Stitch Fix, because most of my clothes are.
Other great things about Madison-Reed:
- They have a system that allows you to email a photo and get a color recommendation from an expert colorist. You can even connect by phone.
- These stunning hair colors are crafted just outside of Milan, Italy, to European standards.
- They allow you to purchase additional color tubes without the rest of the kit if you have long hair. (I definitely needed the extra tube, I would say if your hair is past shoulder length, get the extra)
- They have a subscription service you can opt to use where you get a fresh box of your color every 4 to 8 weeks depending on your preferences.
- It’s less than half the price of going to a salon. Yes, you have to do it yourself, but it’s such an easy to use system and such a helpful company that there’s almost no way you could mess it up. And with 35 minutes for the color to set, you can do a mask, paint your nails, and still have time to read a few pages of Poldark.
- The additional products they offer are just as wonderful as the hair color system. Their shampoo, conditioner, styling products, root cover powders, and color reviving glosses are all available on their site in shades to compliment your hair color.
- They have a great referral program. So when you find your color and fall in love, you can share with your friends and you’ll both get a deal!
So, are you ready to give Madison-Reed a try? Hop on over and check out their beautiful color selection and then report back with your choice! And we can all be sparkly-hair free together! 😉
Thank you for doing this review. I have been looking for a at home hair color I could do but without all the chemicals and I honestly thought it was gonna be one of those things I had to give into because there wasn’t such a thing. So I am oober excited to order and do my hair in the color “Bolzano Brown”.