Review: Madison Reed. I Hate Grey Hair.
Alert: Here is $15 off your first box of Madison Reed permanent hair color.
I’m not a girly girl. There I said it. I don’t know how to properly put on makeup, nor how to do anything fancy with my hair. Now, mind you, I have fabulous hair. The one exception is that I have been graying since I was 16. Yep, 16. Up until I was 30 though I used to pluck all my gray hairs out with tweezers! Then it was like overnight I grew a Silver Forest on my head. :/ I was NOT amused. This is my review of my first time coloring my hair at home: Madison Reed. I Hate Grey Hair!
Here is me before – Although I try everything I can NOT to get a good pic of my gray hairs :/
A few of my blogging friends had been telling me about this new at-home hair color company, Madison Reed. I have never once attempted to color my own hair. I have always gone to a salon and had my roots or have my whole hair colored for over $100 a pop. Traveling though meant I didn’t always have access to a colorist that I knew and trusted. I had a horrible experience in Alabama when I finally couldn’t take the grays anymore. Absolutely horrible!
So I ordered a box of Madison Reed and it was sent to Seattle where I was staying. I was hanging out with a guy friend and either he nor I knew anything about hair, but we read the directions on the box and followed along. The instructions seemed simple enough and between the two of us, we put the Portofino Red all over my hair.
Portofino Red was the color I was trying to achieve.
We even managed a little on the walls too (sorry about that!). I should have asked if there was a difference when you were trying to cover gray hairs. Sadly, I didn’t leave it on as long as I could have. I should have read this guide to covering gray hairs. 🙁
My roots were still gray. The rest of my hair was a beautiful reddish-brown color. I reached out to Madison Reed and showed them these pictures. They sent another box to be to try again in Alaska following the gray hair instructions. I’m fully aware that this could have been user error especially with how stubborn my gray hairs were. I’ve seen many of my friends hair after they tried Madison Reed and it worked like a charm. I’m ready for Round 2, gray hairs!
Here is the After Pic. I hate you gray hairs. HATE YOU. Sigh.
UPDATE
I tried it again with much better success!!! What do you think? I love it!!
Here’s a little bonus for you if you want to try Madison Reed:
50% off your first box of Madison Reed permanent hair color.
Update #2 Madison Reed’s Root Touch Up aka My New BFF
Yes, yes it is.
New Product: Root Touch Up
So you are running late for a date or appointment and you notice those roots, again. With no time to do an at home color or head to the salon, what do you do? You could try a messy bun to see if you can cover the dreaded gray, or you could check out the new Root Touch Up from Madison Reed. This stuff looks so easy to use and looks like it could be a great alternative to that bun (that likely won’t work anyway). I have this in two different shades as I go from black to red with the seasons.
Join the Madison Reed Affiliate Program
Madison Reed created a lightweight powder in eight shades – from platinum blonde to rich black – that brushes on dry, blends seamlessly with your hair color, and stays put until your next shampoo… even if you’re leaving the gym or caught in the rain.
Update #2
I wrote a new post where I did a video of me applying the Madison Reed hair color. You can clearly see that I have no idea what I’m doing, yet the grays went away. Bye, bye grays, I never liked you anyways!
New Product Update
I’m placing an order for this Root Reboot as I would love anything that will give me a bit more time in between colorings. Right now I can barely make it to 3 weeks before it is time to cover my gray hairs again. SIGH.
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Disclosure: Madison Reed sent me this box so I could review their at-home hair care. Links within this post may contain affiliate links that I earn commissions from. Example, if you click on the above link and purchase anything from that site I make a small commission, no matter what you purchase. This is how I pay for my travels and this blog. Thank you for supporting me!
I’d like to try this hair color but I have not been able to determine if it is effective when going from darker shades to lighter shades. I have medium to dark brown hair with some grey and have been coloring my hair for ages with the store bought colors to make myself a warm blonde and I like it. Went back to brown once and didn’t like it at all. I’ve tried some “natural” hair colors in the past and they were not up to the task. Have you heard anything about MadisonReed being able to do this? By the way, you look great! Glad you hung in there for a 2nd try.
I will be honest, I know nothing about hair. But what I do know, is that when I called Madison Reed they were so helpful. They sent me the video on how to cover grey hairs and gave me a few tips and tricks to try. I’ve had a few friends go lighter with Madison Reed and it looked amazing. So, try it! What do you have to lose? I had to keep telling myself that it will grow out if I didn’t like it. 🙂
Your first “after” pic was me. I just colored with Madison Reed for the first time and that’s how mine turned out. I’m literally sitting here right now trying to re-color the top part with the little bit that was left over from the bottle. This has never happened to me before with any other hair color product. I’m hoping it works! Will let you know. 🙂
It is SO frustrating, right? The 2nd time I did it, I left it on for close to an hour and it worked. I’m ordering that root touchup today to see how it does. Let me know if you get rid of all those pesky greys!
I haven’t had the confidence yet to try to the hair color but I got the root touch up and its fabulous! I love the option for those times when I didn’t have time to color I can reach for the cover up and boom I’m good to go.
Did you see my latest Madison Reed post where I did the video? I still suck at doing my own hair, but sometimes I have to. Going to the salon costs me well over $100 and as often as my grays come out to play, I can’t afford that.
Hi, I am wondering what experience you have had with the Madison Reed Root Touch Up product? After consulting a “Color Crew” member, I ordered the Terra. It seemed to go on smoothly but I noticed when I was in a dressing room at the local department store there was quite a difference in my roots and my darker hair. The touched up roots were quite lighter than I had expected. Not only that, but when I touched the area the touch up came off on my finger tips. I had followed the directions of applying the product to clean dry hair so I’m not sure what is going on here.
I did contact Madison Reed and they are willing to let me try the Ombra – dark brown. But I’m still wondering about the issue I had with the product coming off on my fingertips.
Any suggestions?
I had the same experience with the touch up coming off on my hands. A little disheartening
I’d be interested in knowing why the root touch up came off as well. And how it is working for others. I’m not sure if I should order, if I do, the Terra or Ombra, given what Peggy said. I have medium/darkish brown hair with a bit of burgundy red in it that is done with foils of one process because my hair is SO fine they won’t use bleach for highlights or it could break. But the gray against the red tones (which are more noticeable on top as I’m 63 and almost totally gray from what I can see) is more noticeable now. I was thinking Terra, but if it is lighter than the video, maybe I should try the dark brown, which would just erase the red tones, but I only want to use it for the week or so I can’t get to a hairdresser or to prolong it to save money. Traveling-yes-I’d like to try it for that. I tried to link to the 50 percent off but it doesn’t work. I don’t want to pay 30 dollars plus shipping on a product that I don’t know will work, either with color or the quality (i.e. rubbing off).
tried madison hair dye for the first time today. My hair was a champayne color. Ordered the roma blonde to go a little lighter. So i thought but it went darker than my original color. Now iam a light brown. My hair is very soft and healthy looking. But i did not want to have brown hair. I think what i will do now is add highlights. Madison does make your hair feel in better condition but i wanted to be a blonde not brown hair. Wont use again cause of color being so off. Love that it didnt smell or sting my scalp but i wanted blonde.
Is the root touch up safe for Ethnic hair ? Can this product withstand heat or oil based moisturizers ?
Hello! Kathy from the Madison Reed team here. These are all very good questions!
Peggy: Because Root Touch Up is a dry powder, moisturizing elements can potentially affect its results (i.e. oils from your hands when running your fingers through your hair, certain styling products used in conjunction with the powder, etc). Luckily, it’s compact and easy to take with you while you’re out and about if you do need a touch up but you shouldn’t need to reapply so long as you’re not handling the product too frequently.
Margaret Herndon: Thank you so much for trying our Roma Blonde. We have something in the works that may offer the result you’re looking for. Please contact our Color Crew if you were unhappy with your results; we’ll take care of you!
Michelle Koester: We recommend applying Root Touch Up on dry hair for the best results. Also, try pre-styling hair with heat products before applying and keep any moisturizing products off the roots, if possible.
Hope this offers more insight and help. Please contact our Color Crew if you have more questions! Our experts are here to help: (888) 550-9586 or colorcrew at madison-reed dot com. Hours: M-F 7AM to 8PM or Sa-Su 7AM to 6PM PT. Thank you and be well!
Your color looks beautiful! But I’m a little upset with the marketing tactics used by Madison Reed. They claim that their hair color is PPD-free, but I was skeptical because as someone with a PPD allergy, I’ve read that there’s no way to cover gray and create a permanent hair dye without it. I spoke to someone at Madison Reed and checked the ingredients and it turns out that they use a PPD derivitive called PPD-sulfate. In studies, this version tricked some people’s bodies with the allergy into thinking it was a different substance and they didn’t react. But 43% of the people with a PPD allergy still reacted to PPD-sulfate. When I brought this up to Madison Reed, they urged me to still do a patch test before applying it. So I’m a little concerned that if people with this allergy don’t do their research and use it blindly thinking it’s PPD free, it might be a dangerous situation.
Hi Jenna!
Thank you for contacting our Color Crew to learn more about our hair color. In replacement of PPD, we use Toluene 2,5-Diamine Sulfate, which is a Para Toluene Diamine (PTD) and proven to be a gentler alternative to PPD. If you are allergic to PPD, there is a chance you could also have sensitivities to TDS, which is why we always recommend performing a skin allergy test before using our product. The only way to really know whether you are allergic to PTD or not is to perform the skin test, which involves mixing a little bit of color and activator and applying it to a very small area on your skin. Instructions are included inside every color kit. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee so if you have any reactions, you can send it back for a full refund. I hope this offers more insight and appreciate your question!
Bests,
Kathy
Jenna, as someone with a severe allergy to hair dyes, I appreciate your heads up on Madison Reed. I know enough now to do a patch test – always – and have switched completely from dying to lightening. So instead of brunette, I’m going blonde. I don’t really like it, but with the allergy it’s my only choice. Have you tried MR yet to see if you’re allergic, or do you know anyone with the allergy who has?
I tried it last night and had a bad allergic reaction. It’s the same as if it had PPD. It’s very frustrating.
I’m sorry to hear that you reacted to. Everyone’s allergies are so different. For me, it is one of of the only ones I don’t react to.
I would love to try this brand. I have been using the cheap color in a box and it doesn’t last that long.
Hi
My question is…my hair is grown out now about four inches, thin hair. So that much is gray mixed with blah color(changing). Will this box cover all the gray hair or just about an inch at roots?
It will cover all the gray hair. Keep it on an extra 10-15 minutes so it really soaks in. I then use the gloss that they have and do that 2 weeks in to keep the color.