Monday, November 3, 2014

Product Review: Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo and Conditioner

We have always loved Aveda. 
The company has consistently been at the forefront of ethically-produced animal-friendly products, and in the 1980's they introduced "aromatherapy" to the masses (mumbo-jumbo for "products that smell good"). Even though Aveda has lost a bit of the home-grown Minnesota charm since founder Horst Rechelbacher sold the line to Estée Lauder in 1997, the company has continued to churn out some of the best hair care products available.

Aveda's Blue Malva Shampoo and Conditioner is no exception.
Made from an extraction of the malva flower, coneflower, and other botanicals, they enhances hair brightness and bring out the silver while toning down brassiness and yellowing. They're also a great for blonde hair as well. The price may look steep but the bottle is huge and it's actually quite economical. 



Whereas some grey-hair shampoos and conditioners have an off-putting odor, Aveda's Blue Malva has a delightful, intoxicating fragrance. The scent of the shampoo has a hint of almond, while the conditioner has more of that classic Aveda smell. It's almost like the aroma is therapeutic... hmm, someone should coin a phrase for that!




Truth be told, Blue Malva is no great new discovery, it has been on the market for decades. But while trendy new products come and go, this classic is a winner. Although be warned that like many gray-hair shampoos these are purple and will stain, so use caution to rinse your hair thoroughly as well as the tub.

P.S. Don't buy Aveda's BLACK Malva like this article in the Guardian mistakenly advises, that product actually makes your gray hair darker!

11 comments:

Angelina said...

I've used Blue Malva for years to boost my gray hair and love it, alternating it with the occasional Shampure to reduce buildup. The smell of Aveda takes me to my happy place!

Denise Gorra said...

Saw that Guardian article and bought the Black Malva instead of the Blue. What a mistake! Thank you for correcting it, too late for me though.

Unknown said...

A precautionary tale.I am growing out my gray and had silver highlights added to help the transition. I waited 3 days before washing and conditioning with Blue Malva. After washing my hair the silver highlights were completely gone. I can't know for certain what happened, but my stylist thought it was the shampoo (which contains sulfates.)

Bruce the Gray said...

Carrie thank you for sharing! If you're looking for a sulfate-free shampoo for gray hair check out our latest review of Pravana's Pure Light. That might work better for chemically colored gray hair...
Love The Gray Product Review: Pravana Pure Light Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner

Unknown said...

Thank you, Bruce. To update my comments from May, it seems the Blue Malva shampoo was not the cause of my highlights lifting, as the same thing occurred again when I was using a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner exclusively. In fact, the Blue Malva conditioner(sulfate-free)has been very helpful in correcting yellow tones and bringing cool tones back to my hair. Now my hair is farther along in the growing in process and I no longer need to have highlights or rinses put in. Going forward I plan to use the Blue Malva shampoo and conditioner,alternating with my regular sulfate-free products.

Bruce the Gray said...

Carrie thank you so much for your follow-up! Glad the Blue Malva conditioner worked well for you and thanks so much for coming back to share your story! A lot of people have questions about sulphates in their shampoo and your information helps. CHEERS!

Unknown said...

I've only used the Bue Malva shampoo on highlights (11 shade) and roots 6 ash plus grey to blend and I have been VERY happy with this product as other advertised products have added horrible purple/grey/lavender to my blond highlights and dried out my hair. So ugly, and unreal.... This shampoo is very subtle and natural...I realize it is NOT a solution to anyone with bad brassy/orange highlights (as nothing DYI is, ) but it's a lovely safe product to use to tweak your color at home, IMHO, without worrying about untoward results. I have thrown all other "fight brass" type products in the garbage as they are described as "violet" and thus contain RED, which is the very color we all are fighting...Yes?

Cass said...

I love the smell of this. Whenever I use Aveda products I feel like i'm in a spa!

Christian K. said...

Still my fave gray hair shampoo even after all these years!

Mary said...

I bought a huge container of Blue Malva some months ago and have been using it faithfully. I don't notice any change in my hair, and the scent is really repulsive to me. It almost makes me nauseated. I'm going to use up the shampoo, because it was expensive, but I'll never buy it again, because of the smell.

Bruce the Gray said...

Sorry you're stuck with it, Mary! We have always loved the smell of all Aveda products but perhaps it's an acquired taste! Regift it to your favorite salt and pepper friend!