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- Cheap drugstore hair color products often contain harsh or harmful ingredients like ammonia, parabens, and phthalates.
- Madison Reed saves you an expensive trip to the salon and also focuses on ingredients that are actually good for your hair.
- The website gives you the confidence to color your own hair at home, even if you've never done it before.
- See also: The best at-home hair color kit
I've gone through my fair share of at-home hair treatments, from the blonde highlights trend of my elementary school years to my most recent foray into purple ombré. That's the fun of hair. You can manipulate and alter it in many ways and if you don't like it you can chop it off, let it grow out, or dye it back to its original color. Because of this fleeting nature, I preferred to drop as little money as possible on my hair color changes.
My glib attitude was always betrayed by a nagging feeling that I wasn't doing my hair health any favors. Anyone who has taken a whiff of the harsh, ammonia-filled dyes is probably also having second thoughts. "But I am cheap," I remind myself as I reach for a $10 box at the drugstore. My rationale is that I'm saving hundreds of dollars and hours spent in a salon chair.
The happy medium between these two extremes is Madison Reed, an online hair color brand that offers hair dye, root touch up, and other hair treatment products that are affordable and won't fry your hair.
Shop Madison Reed hair products here or keep scrolling to find out how Madison Reed is different from other hair color brands.
It has removed many harsh ingredients found in other products.
Its products do not contain the following ingredients:
- Ammonia
- PPD, or para-phenylenediamine
- Parabens
- Resorcinol
- Phthlates
- Gluten
- Sodium laurel sulfate
- Titanium dioxide
They do include these ingredients:
- Argan oil
- Keratin
- Ginseng root extract
- Honey
- Baobab oil
- Mongogo oil
- Maracuja oil
Its prices are reasonable.
All of its hair color and care products cost between $20 to $30. Accessories like bowls, brushes, and hair clips all cost $20 or less. You can save a few dollars by opting for a membership that includes auto-delivery at a schedule you select.
The color quiz guides you to the right shade for your hair.
You may not know how to actually achieve your desired look, but taking the color quiz before browsing through your options can help. You'll be asked questions about your natural hair color and what tones you'd like to add (e.g. hints of gold, ash, mahogany).
You can make side-by-side comparisons of colors you are considering.
Since the color quiz will give you multiple matches, this feature makes it easy to compare your choices. Feel free to compare your color with shades from all levels of the spectrum, but the site does warn you if a color could be too light or dark for your hair.
The how-to section offers guidance on what to do before, during, and after you color.
If you're new to at-home coloring, this section should clear up any confusion or hesitation.
If you still have questions, you can call or chat with a colorist.
No one expects you to be an expert. You can also email photos of your hair to show the colorist your roots and ends.
If you care about both your hair health and your wallet, try Madison Reed's solutions.
Because dyeing your hair requires frequent touch-ups, you'll avoid damaging it and you can treat it from the comfort of your own home.
Shop Madison Reed products here.
Connie Chen Connie Chen is a former senior reporter on the Insider Reviews team, where she led coverage of home textiles, home entertaining, and food and drink. While at Insider, she specialized in all the things that enhance life at home, from the most comfortable bed sheets and fluffy pillows to cool online wine clubs and bartender-approved cocktail shakers. She combined rigorous testing methods, conversations with professionals, and active knowledge of the home and kitchen space to help readers get the most out of their money. When she's not changing duvet covers or washing towels twice a day for articles, she loves talking about and trying the newest snacks, drinks, and food gifts. You can see more of her testing process and other behind-the-scenes of being a product journalist on her Instagram @connayreviews. Connie joined Insider Reviews as an early member in 2017 and has also reported on products and services in the style, tech, fitness, travel, and e-learning spaces, with a particular interest and expertise in emerging startups. She has represented the team at CES and moderated panels on media business and the future of retail. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in media studies and business administration, which help inform her perspective on and coverage of industry trends, as well as the competitive e-commerce landscape at large. Read some of her work: The 4 best cocktail shakers in 2021 The 7 best women's bathrobes in 2021 The 5 best wine openers and corkscrews we tested in 2021 The 5 best bed sheets we tested in 2021 The 5 best cordless vacuums we tested in 2021 12 direct-to-consumer kitchen startups that are changing the way we shop for cookware and knives 8 tableware startups changing the way we shop for dishes Even chefs experience cooking burnout — here's how they get re-inspired in the kitchen How businesses create successful virtual experiences 50 cookbooks from famous restaurants across the US that will help you recreate their best dishes at home Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Read more Read lessYou can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
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