Madison Reed Hair Color Subscription Service + Discount | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

12 May, 2014

Madison Reed Hair Color Subscription Service + Discount

Affiliate Links Press Sample

Before I start this review, I guess I should tell you that I have a long and storied history with home hair dye kits. I have been dyeing my hair at home by myself since I was twelve years old (that's eighteen years ago, for those of you who are bad at math and/or haven't read my "about me" section). I've tried temporary dyes, permanent dyes, kits, self-mixed colors, bleaching, you name it. If there's a thing you can put on your head to make your hair change color, I've probably tried it at some point.

Madison Reed hair color kit

With all that said, I'm thrilled to introduce Madison Reed, an at-home hair color subscription service. Why so thrilled? Because I had an excellent (I mean it!) experience with it. Keep reading to learn more...


Now obviously Madison Reed sells hair color and related products, but here are the particulars:
  • Madison Reed costs $24.95 (plus shipping) per kit if you sign up for a subscription, or $29.95 for a one-time kit. Delivery frequency can be set anywhere between three and ten weeks.
  • Each Madison Reed kit contains everything you need to dye your hair: Color, developer, shampoo/conditioner, gloves, cap and more. Each kit has enough dye for short to medium-length hair - if you have extremely long or thick hair you can add an extra tube of color onto your order for $10.
  • Not sure what shade will work for you? Madison Reed has phone and web consultants to help you choose.
  • Madison Reed products are gluten-free and not tested on animals.

Each kit arrives in a large, sturdy box (pictured above). The kit components are safely nestled into little compartments inside so they arrive undamaged:

Madison Reed hair color kit

The box flaps have detailed instructions printed on them. If you've ever used a home hair dye kit before then the procedure is basically the same, but it's very handy for beginners or if you just need a refresher.


One of the things I love about the Madison Reed kit is how it comes with all the extras you might nee whilst dyeing your hair - for example, there are TWO sets of gloves. I can't tell you how annoying it is to be dyeing your hair and then realize you only have one set - like it's really practical to try and put the dirty set back on once it's time to rinse your hair? The kit also comes with a little packet of barrier cream (to keep your ears and forehead from getting stained), which is a nice touch. Most kits don't include that. There's also a little cleansing wipe in there for sopping up drips.

Madison Reed hair color kit

OK, back to my head. While I have a ton of past hair coloring experience, I actually hadn't dyed it at all in the past two years. I used to bleach my hair crazy platinum blonde, and after a while that took its toll (helloooooo fried hair) so I let it grow out and revert to its natural state. Much to my surprise, my hair was actually much darker than it had been previously - I guess that's what happens when you start coloring your hair as a kid.

Anyway, I'd describe my current natural color as something like medium ash brown. I knew this time I wanted to go a bit darker but still have something that "popped" a bit, so I chose Palermo Black (shade # 3NVV), which was described as "Rich dark brown with hints of aubergine." Here's the before and after:

Madison Reed Palermo Black Brown 3NVV
Left: Before - Right: After

Ooh, purpley.

Madison Reed Palermo Black Brown 3NVV
Left: Before - Right: After

Sorry the pictures are so awkward - I wanted the focus to be on my hair, not my face. But awkward pictures or not, I'm quite pleased with the results - I wanted something a little bit colorful, but not a true red because I did various shades of red for a number of years, and this fits the bill nicely. There's a definite tinge of purple there, but it's not so cartoonish that one couldn't sport in in a workplace with a dress code or something.

Also, do you see how shiny my hair is in the "after" picture? Not sure if that's a result of the included shampoo and conditioner or what, but it's nice to have my hair looking sleek and healthy afterwards rather than being a brittle, dried-out mess.


Other observations:
Madison Reed hair color is not as stinky and chemical-smelling as some other dyes I've used. It also didn't give my scalp tingly or itchy feelings at all. I honestly can't think of a single thing to complain about with this kit - the price is higher than drugstore kits, but I think that's reflected in the quality of the product and the various extras that come with it. And let's not forget the convenience of auto-delivery. Yes.


Bottom line:
I would recommend Madison Reed to anyone thinking of dyeing their hair at home. The instructions are easy to follow, the kit includes pretty much everything you'll need, and the color is gorgeous (plus it left my hair feeling nice and shiny). Plus if you're not sure which color to go for, you can contact their Color Crew for support.


How to sign up + 20% off code:
Visit this link, fill out the brief survey about your hair type, and select your color (or consult with the Color Crew) from there. Enter code POPCOLOR at checkout to get the discount.


Disclosure: The hair color kit featured in this post was provided to me for review, however the opinions expressed above are honest and my own. I did not receive any other form of compensation. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy.
 

24 comments:

  1. The results look sweeeet! When you were 12, did you start out with Clairol Glints or L'oreal Exuberance? Exuberence was my first foray into red hair, circa 1995. Nowadays I use henna to color it but I have a good 3 or 4 inches of blonde roots showing, resulting in a weird reverse-ombre look. I get many curious glances but part of me wants to grow out my natural color.

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  2. Palermo Black looks fabulous on you! Great choice!


    ~snickers~ You couldn't remember your real hair color. That happened to my mom.

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  3. Was Clairol Glints a 28 day color? If so, maybe that was my first? I can't remember what the shade name was but it wasn't much different from my natural color (which was like a dirty blonde at the time - weird how it changed). My older sister did it for me when I went to visit her once and probably didn't want to choose something that would piss off our mom too much. I did various blondes and highlights (which were horrible but true to the style of the late 90s) until I was about 16 or so, when I finally went red. I can't remember which red I used first though. Long time ago + broken brain.

    Henna is one of the few things I've actually never tried - any tips? Growing out my natural hair color has been interesting, especially since it's apparently a completely different color than it was years and years ago. I'm quite surprised there were no greys, actually.

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  4. It's not that I didn't remember it, it actually CHANGED! I was dirty blonde when I started dyeing my hair.

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  5. I think Glints was temporary, like maybe a week?
    Henna's complicated! You may be able to get similar results to Madison Reed using henna with indigo. Henna is permanent and the color really varies depending on what brand you choose, how you prepare it, and what your natural shade is. I read a lot about it on Long hair Community...it's a great resource for anything hair-related. I'd think a few subreddits could have some decent info, too.
    I was really surprised how light my hair still is and I'm incredibly lazy (henna is a 4 hour process for me) so I don't think I'll miss the process too much. I've been thinking of eventually doing strawberry blonde as a compromise.

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  6. love the color you chose! the auburn undertone is so pretty. i miss having dark hair (I dyed it dark in high school) but the upkeep was a nightmare because it always faded to a orange-red, even when i used ash/blue based dye.

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  7. Wow! That is so weird. Did you grow special powers with your mutation?

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  8. Ohhhh your hair turned out so pretty and shiny and beautiful! I've been coloring my hair at home for years, and, while I love the color and the results, I hate doing it (the rinsing that takes forever annoys me greatly for some reason). Unfortunately, now it is a necessity because I have some serious greying going on. The presentation of this is so lovely compared to the box of Garnier I use.

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  9. Wow, you are on a roll with the press samples!! Go you!!

    I actually heard about this place several months ago, because we were looking at their web site as an example while redesigning ours, ha. My greys come back so fast, that I have to do my roots at home, or I'd never be able to afford to keep them at bay. This sounds like a great kit and a great deal, I've just started moving away from at-home dyes, and instead learned about the level system and started buying the professional dyes to mix up and use at home. Luckily, I've found colorists who understand my plight and help me with the formula they've used. But if I decide to go back, I'll definitely try them out!

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  10. Hmm, OK, not glints then. I've read up a bit on henna but never done it because it seemed sort of time-consuming. That, and I went through a phase where I was dyeing my hair crazy/non-henna-able colors. I think it might be nice if I ever go red again though.

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  11. Well I've grown a lot of things in the last 18 years, including boobs, so maybe?

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  12. Thanks! And yeah, keeping dyed dark hair looking nice can kind of be a pain in the ass. Mine didn't quite go orange (probably because my hair was secretly darkening under all the dye) but it would get slightly brassy after a while. Blah.

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  13. Thanks! Yeah, rinsing is not my favorite part. Back when I used to dye my hair bright (unnatural) red on top of bleached hair, it would drive me EXTRA insane because the color basically never stops coming out. Every time you wash your hair, in fact. I had to sleep with a towel on my pillow so I didn't get Kool-Aid red stains everywhere.

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  14. I used to use professional dyes too - it's much more economical to just have some dyes and developer hanging around if you need to touch up often. That certainly was the case when I was bleaching my hair, because the roots would grow in fast and look ridiculous. But I think pro dyes might be intimidating to some people since there's more room for error. In this case I was actually glad to have a kit because I hadn't dyed my hair for a while and wasn't sure if I'd be keeping the color long-term.

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  15. I know what you mean about the red (I dye my hair red). I remember one time after working in the garden a couple days after coloring my hair, I started sweating red sweat from my head. My husband pointed it out to me AFTER I had a nice, long conversation with some neighbors.

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  16. Hahaha yes! I had a similar thing happen once - I was walking around on a hot day and my hair left a big red stain on my neck and some residue around the collar of my shirt. Classy stuff. And of course you don't notice these things until after you've engaged with a bunch of people in public.

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  17. Agreed, and I think these kits look great. They almost make me wish I hadn't graduated to pro-level. ;)

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  18. Thank you! I would say this kit is pretty foolproof, so it would be a good choice if you ever decide to DIY. I've had my hair colored in a salon a few times, but it can get expensive... honestly, the only bad thing that has ever happened to my hair from DIY dyeing is that it got really brittle from repeated bleaching. But you wouldn't be bleaching if you're doing reddish-brown. Just make sure to do a test patch first in case of allergic reactions (if you ever decide to do it!)

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  19. when paying an arm and a leg to get my hair done becomes just too much I will be ordering this! Prob soon since I want to have a baby soon and wont be able to spend $120.00 on a cut and color!

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  20. thats a pretty color, i find that my hair is always softer and more shiny after dying it...just me?

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  21. Booooobs. They can be pretty epic when properly employed. So I guess that's a special power. Although telepathy could be cool too.

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  22. Wow the next time I dye my hair I am going to really need to try this out!

    http://sociallyawkwardfashionista.com/

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  23. Hmm, I hadn't noticed but it seems possible. Maybe the chemicals in the dye soften the hair cuticle somehow?

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  24. I hope you love it! Don't forget to use a coupon code. :)

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