Madison reed reviews for blonde hair
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For several years now, Eluxe Magazine has been listing Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color permanent hair dye among 10 best “organic and natural” hair dyes. While a permanent hair color may contain organic ingredients of natural origin, such as plant extracts and oils, it cannot be “natural” or “organic” as an entire product. I address this subject in my specially dedicated post called Organic Hair Color: Buyer Beware!. While we can debate the definition of “organic” and “natural,” the question on your mind is most likely, “Is Madison Reed safe, especially during pregnancy?” In this Madison Reed hair color review, you will learn how to know if Madison Reed ingredients are safe or if they may cause hair loss and other health issues. You will also get a glimpse into Madison Reed Color Reviving Gloss ingredients, so keep reading! Today, I applaud Madison Reed for listening to consumers and removing confusing information about their hair color being “natural” or “organic.” Their marketing is more transparent now, which also means that they provide full lists of product ingredients on their website. And this is a big deal! In almost a decade of permanent hair color research, I have come across companies that refuse to disclose their ingredients. This alone tells me enough to stay away from their products. Anyway, regarding Madison Reed ingredients, they state that their hair color is free of:
What does it really mean? Is Madison Reed hair color safe? Does Madison Reed cause hair loss? Or is it the safest dye for thinning hair? Well, the first step in assessing the safety of any product is to look at its ingredients. Madison Reed IngredientsAs of September 2023, the Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color permanent hair dye ingredients on their website are as follows: Specifically, pay attention to the presence of the following ingredients:
These ingredients are used to replace ammonia, resorcinol, and PPD. That’s right! If a product claims to be “free” of some ingredients, it usually must contain other ingredients instead to be able to perform its function. Read on to see if the substitute ingredients in this permanent hair color are safer than the conventional ones. Does Madison Reed Have PPD?No, Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color does not contain p-phenylenediamine (PPD). But! It contains the following two ingredients instead of PPD:
All three chemicals – PPD, PTDS, and NPPPD – are colorants, or hair dyes, that do the actual job of coloring. For your information, the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has classified 110 hair colorant chemicals as extreme, strong, and moderate sensitizers. A “sensitizer” is a chemical that causes users to develop an allergic reaction to it after repeated use of a product containing this chemical (source). Hence, the FDA emphasizes the importance of hair dye patch testing before every use. Consider the following Madison Reed hair dye review: Compare the p-phenylenediamine (PPD), toluene-2,5-diamine sulfate (PTDS), and n-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine sulfate (NPPPD) hair colorants in the table below: PPDPTDSNPPPDSensitizer (SCCS)ExtremeExtremeExtremeHealth concernsAllergic reactionAllergic reactionAllergic reactionToxicity ranking– 10 out of 10 (EWG) – 18 out of 18 (IRLFY)– 8 out of 10 (EWG) – 14 out of 18 (IRLFY)– 6 out of 10 (EWG) – 14 out of 18 (IRLFY) In most patch tests conducted in Europe, PPD caused on average twice as many cases of allergic reactions as PTDS (source). Consistent with the European findings, this patch test study showed that 57.1% of the people normally allergic to PPD were not allergic to PTDS. In sum, the fact that Madison Reed ingredients have no PPD is great. However, its substitutes – PTDS and NPPPD – are still extreme sensitizers with the potential to cause an allergic reaction. Hence, it is hard for me to say unequivocally that Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color hair color is safe. Also, know that an allergic reaction to hair dye can be more severe than just skin irritation and itching. Sometimes it may even result in hair loss or require a trip to the ER for immediate medical treatment. Be sure to check the ingredients of your color shade and, if possible, select the shade without PTDS and NPPPD. Is Madison Reed A Resorcinol-Free Hair Dye?Yes, according to its list of ingredients, Madison Reed hair dye is resorcinol-free, but it uses 2-methylresorcinol instead to help impart color to hair. Let’s compare them. RESORCINOL2-METHYLRESORCINOLSensitizerModerate (changed from “strong” in 2020) (SCCS)Moderate (SCCS)Health concerns– May suppress thyroid function in case of dermal exposure to ulcerized skin at high doses (SCCS) – Under assessment as endocrine disrupting (ECHA) Toxicity ranking– 7 out of 10 (EWG) – 8 out of 18 (IRLFY)– 5 out of 10 (EWG) – 5 out of 18 (IRLFY) For the sake of full disclosure in this Madison Reed hair color review, I am letting you know that the Endocrine Disruption Exchange database () lists 2-methylresorcinol for potential endocrine disruption. It seems to me that it does so due to this study. The latter indicates that both resorcinol and 2-methylresorcinol are nearly equally harmful for thyroid function in humans via exposure through drinking water. However, I discounted this study because, first, it is from 1991. I have not seen its findings borne out in any recent medical literature. Second, it is inconsistent with the information provided by the Scientific Committee Consumer Safety report (SCCS) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). All in all, as one of the Madison Reed ingredients, 2-methylresorcinol seems to be somewhat safer than resorcinol. But, in my opinion, it does not make Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color hair color safe. Does Madison Reed Have Ammonia?No, Madison Reed is ammonia-free, but it uses ethanolamine instead. Can ethanolamine cause hair loss? Keep reading this Madison Reed hair dye review to find out! As alkaline chemicals, both ammonia and ethanolamine open hair cuticles for the hair dye to penetrate and adhere to the hair. In other words, they are a must for a permanent hair color. Contrary to popular opinion, ammonia-free color brands are not necessarily better. Consider the following facts about ethanolamine to form your own opinion regarding its safety. ETHANOLAMINE– smells less strong than ammonia – made through a chemical reaction of carcinogenic ethylene oxide with ammonia (source)Contaminants– diethanolamine (DEA) linked to cancer in lab animalsHealth concerns– may interfere with fetus development in animals and possibly humans (source) – may cause respiratory irritation, allergic skin reaction, asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled (ECHA) – may damage hair more than ammonia (as much as 85% more in extreme cases) – hair colors with ethanolamine versus ammonia are more likely to cause hair loss (animal study)Toxicity ranking – 6 out of 10 (EWG) versus 2-7 out of 10 for ammonia (EWG) – 5 out of 10 (IRLFY) versus 4 out of 10 for ammonia (IRLFY) In my opinion, as one of Madison Reed ingredients, ethanolamine is a potentially more toxic chemical than ammonia. Therefore, I cannot call Madison Reed hair color “safe.” Madison Reed EWGTo begin, I respect the EWG and have used their ratings of individual ingredients in this Madison Reed hair color review. However, I do not use them as the sole source for forming an opinion on the safety of hair colors. First off, I do not see many hair color products in the EWG Skin Deep database, including Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color. Therefore, for hair dye ingredient ratings, I prefer to rely on the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) reports. I consider their classification of hair colorants (aka “dyes”) as “extreme,” “strong,” “moderate,” ”weak,” and “non-sensitizers” very helpful in understanding ingredient safety. To reiterate, hair dyes can cause allergic reactions that may result in skin irritation and even hair loss (FDA). At the same time, some extreme and strong sensitizers receive relatively low scores from the EWG. Check out these examples of the difference between the SCCS and EWG ratings of some sensitizers (not among the Madison Reed ingredients, except 4-amino-2-hydroxytoluene). INGREDIENT SCCS EWG 4-amino-3-nitrophenol extreme 2 / limited data 3-nitro-p-hydroxyethylaminophenol extreme 4 / limited data 2,6-diaminopyridine strong 1 / limited data 4-amino-2-hydroxytoluene strong 4 / limited data Also, when the EWG has no or limited safety data about an ingredient, they may rate it 1 or 2 on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the safest. When you see the rating of 1, you might conclude that the ingredient is safe, right? Well, this may not be the case. Please, read my blogpost if you want to learn how to use Skin Deep database the right way. Is Madison Reed Hair Color Safe?Note that this Madison Reed hair dye review presents my opinions on the safety of Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color ingredients based on my research using credible sources of information. You may come to a different opinion. That said, I do not consider Madison Reed hair color “safe” for the reasons below. First, like any permanent hair color, it contains hair colorants (or “dyes”) that actually change the color of your hair or cover gray. They may make Madison Reed a quality hair color, but to my way of thinking, none of those chemical dyes is safe for you. As we’ve seen above, many of them are considered potential allergens and sensitizers, for example:
So, please, always check the ingredients of individual shades to avoid those with potentially sensitizing ingredients. Second, Madison Reed ingredients must include a hair shaft opener to let the colorants penetrate the hair. Madison Reed uses ethanolamine instead of ammonia, but, in my opinion, ethanolamine is potentially more harmful than ammonia. On the bright side, Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color has no “fragrance.” This is consistent with their “phthalate-free” claim because, normally, phthalates are used as fragrance fixatives in beauty products. As for the “paraben-free” claim, it seems of low value to me. Generally, parabens function as preservatives, and I don’t think a permanent hair color needs any preservatives in the first place. Due to its corrosive and alkaline environment, it’ll hardly let any bacteria survive anyway. Is Madison Reed Better Than Drugstore Hair Dyes?Not in my opinion. The rule to remember here is that there is no permanent hair color that is safe in absolute terms. Personally, I would not call any permanent hair color, including Madison Reed, safe. As we discussed in this Madison Reed hair color review, all permanent hair colors contain potentially harmful chemicals. Madison Reed ingredients include such chemicals, too: ethanolamine, toluene-2,5-diamine sulfate, n-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine sulfate, and 2-methylresorsinol. Due to these chemicals – hair shaft openers and color imparting agents – hair colors actually do the job of coloring. Some chemicals are less harsh than others. Hence, hair coloring products that contain such ingredients tend to be safer than those that contain stronger chemicals. My Permanent Hair Color Rating List e-book will help you make an informed decision about choosing a hair color. In my opinion, based on the choice of ingredients, some are potentially less damaging than others. The e-book presents the results of my survey of dozens of popular hair color lines. Among other things, you will learn which hair color brands use ammonia or ethanolamine, resorcinol or 2-methylresorcinol, PPD or toluene-2,5-diamine sulfate (PTDS). Madison Reed Hair Color Hair LossDoes Madison Reed hair color cause hair loss? The short answer is I do not know whether Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color causes hair loss. But there is a long answer, too. First, this animal study concluded that a combination of hydrogen peroxide and ethanolamine in a hair dye may cause hair dye-associated dermatitis and hair loss. Second, I am publishing screenshots of some comments from an earlier version of this post so you can form your own opinion. Keep in mind that other factors may have contributed to the hair loss these people experienced. For example, several times in my life I have experienced excessive hair loss. After a diligent investigation, I discovered that in my case the causes were not the hair products I was using. Rather, they were hormone changes and hard water. If you want to know more about hair loss, jump to my post The Most Overlooked Hair Loss Causes. Again, without an expert to investigate each of the cases above, we cannot rule out other causes of hair loss. But seeing comments about hair loss on my blog, I have made the lifestyle choice to not color my hair. And my husband still thinks I’m beautiful! Is Madison Reed Safe For Pregnancy?In my opinion, it is not. While it is a good idea to make health decisions with your doctor, few, if any, doctors are trained to read and understand product ingredients. There is simply no class for that in medical school. In addition, as previously indicated, there is limited evidence that ethanolamine, listed among Madison Reed ingredients, may interfere with fetus development in animals and quite possibly in humans, too (source). Hence, I would stay away from hair coloring products before and during pregnancy. I base my opinion on the information discussed in this Madison Reed hair color review and knowledge of potential risks. If you are pregnant or are planning to be, you’ll benefit from this Helpful List Of Chemicals To Avoid During Pregnancy as well as Pregnancy Belly Creams And Oils. Is Madison Reed Permanent Hair Color?Yes, it is. That is why, in my opinion, Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color is not that safe. Due to the coloring process, permanent hair colors can cover gray hair 100%. This happens because, first, hydrogen peroxide (3-4.5%) removes the hair’s natural color by dissolving it through oxidation. (Hydrogen peroxide is listed among Madison Reed Color Activator ingredients.) Then, ammonia or ethanolamine opens the outer layer of the hair and helps the hair dye penetrate the hair. Finally, in a quality hair color, the dye bonds with the hair and develops a desired lasting color. In addition to permanent, there are demi-permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary hair colors. But, probably, none of them will work for making your hair color shade lighter. Demi-permanent hair colors use the same coloring process but a smaller amount of hydrogen peroxide (1-2%). Additionally, they use minimum amounts of ammonia and ethanolamine or even skip them altogether. Hence, hair dyes do not penetrate the hair deeply, which makes demi-permanent hair colors not as damaging. As opposed to the permanent and demi-permanent hair colors, semi-permanent hair color coats the hair instead of penetrating it. Since there is no bleaching, there is normally no need for hydrogen peroxide. Neither is there a need for hair shaft openers, such as ammonia or ethanolamine. Thus, semi-permanent hair color is much less damaging to the hair. Like semi-permanent hair colors, temporary hair colors coat the hair and do not contain hydrogen peroxide, ammonia or ethanolamine. Madison Reed Color Reviving GlossA variation of semi-permanent hair color is Color Reviving Gloss by Madison Reed, except it’s colorless. Although it will not change your hair color or cover gray, it’s designed to enhance the shine of your colored hair. According to the website, Color Reviving Gloss is free of ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, gluten, SLS, and titanium dioxide. But please know that it does contain some ingredients of concern, namely:
You can learn more about ethoxylated ingredients in my post Hidden Ingredients In Cosmetics. And about phenoxyethanol and fragrance – in Phenoxyethanol In Skin Care and Is Natural Fragrance Safe?, respectively. How Long Does Madison Reed Last?“Forever” is the short answer. Personally, I have not tried it and cannot say for sure how long it lasts. Yet, based on the information conveyed in this Madison Reed hair color review, the following logic seems applicable. Judging by Madison Reed ingredients, it is a permanent hair color, which means it should last longer than the other kinds (i.e., demi-, semi-, and temporary). Besides, the very concept of a permanent hair dye indicates that the hair, stripped of its natural color, bonds with the artificially imposed color, which remains in it for good. With time, as your hair grows, you would want to reapply the color to the roots. And, possibly, the shine and color intensity may wash off a little, but it will not come off completely. Unless you cut the length off, the permanent hair color will stay with you for good. And your shine may be enhanced with a colorless Color Reviving Gloss, that potentially lasts for 6-8 shampoos. For comparison, this is how long the other kinds typically last: Demi-permanent 12-24 shampoo washes Semi-permanent 6-12 shampoo washes Temporary 2 shampoo washes And how long does Madison Reed hair color last on your hair? If you have used it, please, let us know in the comments how long it lasted. Now, let’s see how safe Madison Reed hair color is in comparison to other popular brands, such as L’Oréal, Aveda, Color & Co, and Esalon. Madison Reed Vs. L’OréalHere are L’Oréal Excellence Crème and Madison Reed ingredients (as available on their websites as of September 2023) that we discussed in this Madison Reed hair dye review. MADISON REED L’ORÉAL EXCELLENCE CRÈME P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE (PPD) No Yes (in some shades) TOLUENE-2,5-DIAMINE SULFATE (PTDS) Yes Yes (in some shades)N-PHENYL-P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE SULFATE (NPPPD)YesNo RESORCINOL No Yes 2-METHYLRESORCINOL Yes No AMMONIA No Ammonium Thiolactate and Ammonium Hydroxide (ammonia solution with water) ETHANOLAMINE Yes Yes PARABENS No No FRAGRANCE No Yes As you can see, L’Oréal Excellence Crème uses both PPD and toluene-2,5-diamine as well as resorcinol, ethanolamine, ammonia solution, fragrance, and ethoxylated ingredients. On the other hand, Madison Reed contains n-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine sulfate in addition to toluene-2,5-diamine. By the way, in my Permanent Hair Color e-book, I also give a breakdown of the ingredients for L’Oréal Superior Preference and L’Oréal INOA. Madison Reed Vs. AvedaUsing the same pattern of comparative analysis as above, let’s compare Madison Reed ingredients with Aveda Nat Series ingredients (as emailed to me by the company in September 2023). MADISON REED AVEDA NAT SERIES P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE (PPD) No No TOLUENE-2,5-DIAMINE SULFATE (PTDS) Yes Yes N-PHENYL-P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE SULFATE (NPPPD)YesNo RESORCINOL No Yes 2-METHYLRESORCINOL Yes Yes AMMONIA No Ammonium Hydroxide (ammonia solution with water) ETHANOLAMINE Yes No PARABENS No No FRAGRANCE No No While Aveda Nat Series has no PPD and NPPPD, it has PTDS and both resorcinol and 2-methylresorcinol. The good news is that it does not contain ethanolamine and uses a water solution of ammonia (making it less harsh on the hair). In my Permanent Hair Color Rating List E-Book, you can also see how Aveda Nat Series compares to Aveda Pure Tones and Aveda NN Bases. Color And Co Vs. Madison ReedI wish I could provide you with a more accurate Madison Reed vs. Color & Co ingredient analysis in this Madison Reed hair color review. While we have discussed Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color safety, we cannot do so for Color & Co because we have no access to their ingredients. Indeed, as opposed to Madison Reed ingredients posted on their website, Color & Co does not display their ingredients publicly. They use a customized system to create personalized color kits. Consequently, the color ingredients come listed on the personalized instructions that you gain access to only after buying the product. Since I am not interested in buying a permanent hair color, I cannot know the ingredients. If you have used Color & Co permanent hair color and can share its ingredients with us, please do so in the comments! Madison Reed Vs. EsalonFinally, here is Esalon (as presented on their website September 2023) vs. Madison Reed ingredient safety analysis. MADISON REED ESALON P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE (PPD) No Yes TOLUENE-2,5-DIAMINE SULFATE (PTDS) Yes No N-PHENYL-P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE SULFATE (NPPPD)YesNo RESORCINOL No Yes 2-METHYLRESORCINOL Yes Yes AMMONIA No Ammonium Hydroxide ETHANOLAMINE Yes No PARABENS No No FRAGRANCE No Yes Unlike Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color, Esalon permanent hair dye contains PPD, resorcinol, and ammonia solution. Plus, it has fragrance. At the same time, Madison Reed contains both PTDS and NPPPD as well as ethanolamine. Madison Reed Vs. Box ColorIn the process of writing this Madison Reed hair color review, I came across the term “box color.” As far as I understand, “box color” is another way of saying “not professional” or “home color.” In other words, you buy a color kit and apply the product at home using the included instructions. Since this is exactly what Madison Reed offers – a home color kit – it can be considered a “box color.” I emphasize the importance of following the manufacturer’s instructions and doing a patch test before every hair color application. Further, sometimes I see opinions on the Internet that salon hair color formulas are less damaging to the hair. I wouldn’t be so sure. In my Permanent Hair Color E-book, I rated the ingredients of several salon hair dyes, so check it out! One of them is Organic Color Systems, which you can read about in my free comprehensive blogpost. Madison Reed Hair Color Review SummaryWhile Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color Does Not Contain PPD, Resorcinol, And Ammonia, It Uses PTDS, NPPPD, And Ethanolamine Instead. So, is Madison Reed hair color safe? While Madison Reed ingredients do not include PPD, ammonia, and resorcinol, in my opinion, that does not make it safe. In absolute terms, there is no safe permanent hair color because they all must use chemicals to do the job of coloring. Thus, instead of PPD, ammonia, and resorcinol, Madison Reed Radiant Cream Color uses toluene-2,5-diamine sulfate (PTDS), n-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine sulfate (NPPPD), ethanolamine, and 2-methylresorcinol. In my opinion, each of these ingredients can increase the risk of an allergic reaction, including hair loss. I wish more people realized that a permanent hair color can be a source of potentially harmful chemicals. Some believe that if a product is for sale, it must have been approved by the FDA and, hence, safe. However, when it comes to hair dyes, the FDA emphasizes that it is “important to be an informed consumer and understand the risks.” In my Permanent Hair Color Rating List e-book, I rate the ingredients of dozens of hair colors so you can make informed decisions. Even if the color you consider using is not listed in the e-book, you can form an opinion about its safety based on the information provided in the e-book.. Check out the I Read Labels For You blog for the recently discussed topics and the IRLFY shop for non-toxic options of body and household products. Also, consider taking advantage of our services and check out our other e-books. Download The Free Guide! 5 Powerful Steps To A Non-Toxic HomeJoin our informed consumer community and get our free guide the “5 Powerful Steps To A Non-Toxic Home”. Does Madison Reed work for blonde hair?Smart. Blondes. Our incredibly innovative hair analysis and expanded assortment of blonde shades delivers your best blonde ever. We consider all the factors a colorist uses to identify your perfect blonde: percentage of gray, your current color, desired result, and levels of lift & tone. What is the prettiest shade of blonde hair?Some of the most popular and attractive blonde hair colors include platinum blonde, ash blonde, and honey blonde. Platinum blonde is a very light blonde color that can almost look white. Will Madison Reed lighten my hair?If your hair is untreated (“virgin” in hair speak), you can use our Radiant Hair Color at home to apply all-over color and lift your shade up to two levels lighter, (with the exception of the High Lifts shades we mentioned above, which give blonde hair up to three levels of lift). What hair dye suits blonde hair?When it comes to cool tones, it's all about blue and violet hues. Cool blonde hair colour shades include light ash blonde, champagne and platinum. The blue/violet counteracts the yellow tones to produce a flattering and modern cool shade. |
