uglybugg's Full Review: Aveda Madder Root Color Conditioner
Before his hair turned completely white at the age of 40, my dad had the most beautiful red hair. It was glorious; shiny, wavy thick, and exactly the color of an Irish setter. It was so striking that for most of his life most people called him Red or Big Red because of his size. I wish I can say that I was blessed with my father's hair. I did inherit his bad skin and my skin coloring but not the glorious mane. Instead I got my mom’s fine mousy brown hair. Over the years I’ve dyed my hair all manner of colors. You name a color and I’ve tried it; even green, purple, and blue (some on purpose, some by accident) but I keep coming back to red. I once heard Andrea McArdle (the chick who played Annie wayyyyy back in the 70s) say that redheads are hot and sexy and I guess it kind of stuck with me. I mean, the world is full of blondes and brunettes, but not so much with the redheads. From shocking Cyndi Lauper orange to dark brown with burgundy tones, I’ve run the gamut of the red color spectrum. Now that I’m way closer to 40 than to 30, my hair has started to turn white as well and I find myself fighting hiding those whites rather than playing with hair coloring for the sheer fun of it and I’ve stuck to auburn shades with a little brown in them, trying to find one that will give me the shade I want while still completely covering the white.
Easier said than done. Why is that? Because red dyes are the most susceptible to fading and washing out. Doesn’t that just figure? Just my luck. I can dye my hair a reddish brown shade that looks terrific for about 2 weeks but the red starts to fade soon thereafter and I’m left with just the brown and I have to re-dye my whole head instead of just the roots to get the red back. Not only is this a big pain in the rear, but it gets expensive and it takes a terrible toll on the condition of my hair to dye all of it every 3 weeks or so.
Then one day I was browsing around in the Aveda store at my local mall and stumbled upon Aveda Madder Root Conditioner which is a conditioner that refreshes hair color by depositing additional color onto the hair while it conditions. It enriches warm tones in dark and red shades of hair and is the best solution I’ve found to lessen the pain of my fading red tones. Madder Root Color Conditioner comes in a tan colored tube that contains 8.5 fluid ounces of conditioner that retails for $16. The tube rests on its brown, fliptop lid so that the product is easy to squeeze out as it settles at the cap end.
From the back of the tube: Intensive conditioning formula rejuvenates and refreshes color, leaving hair shiny, silky and manageable. Madder root helps purify scalp and hair; henna and other natural colors help addd and intensify red hues. Deep conditions, leaves hair lightweight and manageable, for brunettes and redheads.
After shampooing, work conditioner evenly into hair. Comb thru. Leave on 2-5 minutes. Rinse. For deeper color deposit and conditioning, leave on longer. Please note: Chemically treated hair will take color more intensely. Consult your stylist. Not recommended for blonde or grey shades of hair. Product should be promptly rinsed to avoid staining to hands, clothing or bathroom fixtures. Use every 2-3 shampoos for consistent, lasting color enhancement.
My experience
I’ve been using Aveda Madder Root Color Conditioner for several months and like it a lot, although it’s a bit tricky to use. After shampooing, I squeeze a small amount of any other conditioner into my hand and top it with a quarter sized blob of Madder Root conditioner. I mix both of them in my palms and then apply evenly to all of my hair and then follow up with another quarter sized blob of Madder Root. The reason I do it this way is that it thins out the Aveda a bit. The color is quite intense and powerful so if I don’t thin it a bit with another conditioner, it’s harder to distribute evenly throughout my shoulder length hair and I end up with spots that are redder than others which can look pretty freaky. This method also helps reduce any red stains on the hands.
Now it may sound like this product is a total pain in the butt to use but it really isn’t once you get the hang of it. You just have to use it a few times to get the coverage right and make sure to rinse it off of your hands right away. The conditioner is red – really red. I’d say it’s a cross between ketchup and a cherry Slurpee. The scent is harder to describe. It’s definitely minty. Maybe a bit of a lavender scent as well. But mostly minty. It smells really nice and the mint is very awakening and refreshing in the morning. I use Madder Root about twice a week to keep the red in my hair as well as keep it conditioned. It conditions surprisingly well and doesn’t weigh down my hair or make it dull in any way. It shines like crazy and when I'm out in the sun, it looks amazing. It wears much like a semi-permanent hair color in that a little of it washes out every day. When I wash my hair the suds are somewhat pink and when I rinse the water is somewhat pink. It does not, however, stain my towels or anything. If the full strength conditioner gets on towels or clothes it will stain but the residue from hair washing does not come off on towels so that’s a good thing.
So while I wish I was blessed with the gorgeous red hair of my dreams, I’m not, so I use Aveda Madder Root Color Conditioner to touch up between colorings. It’s helping to save the sanity of my hair and it works really well. I recently ran into some friends of my parents who hadn’t seen me in many years and they commented that my hair is just like my dad’s and I just smiled and said thank you. To me, that’s a great compliment and proves that this conditioner has helped me attain this goal. It takes a bit of work but it’s worth it to me to be able to achieve the look I want. My friends are starting to call me Red now and I’m loving it.
250ml/8.5oz Enriches warm tones in dark and red shades of hair Helps purify scalp & hair; henna & other natural colors Gives deep conditioning Lea...More at eBay
Enriches warm tones in dark and red shades of hair Helps purify scalp & hair; henna & other natural colors Gives deep conditioning Leaves hair lig...More at Amazon Marketplace
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