The word Aveda (ah-vay-da) means "knowledge of nature" in Sanskrit, and also means "health" in ancient Greek. So says the company web site which I will not link to because I don't want to, and I'm sure you could find it by yourself if you thought really hard about it for about a millisecond.
To continue... they neglect to mention that in Latin the word "aveda" means "expensive shampoo," or at least it should.
I went to the Aveda store at the Mall of America to pick up some of their "All Sensitive" shampoo & conditioner. The theory being that since they claim the shampoo is hypo allergenic and aroma free that it would be, ahem, hypo allergenic and aroma free.
This is not the case. Not by a long shot. At least as far as the aroma is concerned.
But why do I need an aroma free shampoo? Because some days, depending, apparently, on planetary alignment, local dust mite populations, prevailing winds and perhaps even mold, my shampoo causes varying degrees of allergic reactions, i.e. sneezing and runny nose. I tend to get that from toothpaste too, but not as severely, which I why I have 9 kinds of toothpaste in my bathroom.
(BTW, if it is mold it shouldn't be a problem tomorrow 'cuz I just nuked the shit out of the bathroom with diluted bleach and Lysol.)
So, anyway, this "aroma free" shampoo smells like a flower shop exploded because of all the damn natural floral extracts. This is worse than most of the other shampoos I've tried.
But what does it cost to have a flower shop explode in your own home? It ain't cheap.
The interesting bit is that the shampoo display rack at Aveda is loaded with two sizes of each of the two dozen (or more) kinds of shampoo and conditioners. Little bottle, big bottle. Underneath all of these are two prices: little price, big price. The two prices are $3.50 and $9.50. Looking at the big bottle you'd think that $9.50 is a lot for that much shampoo, but hey, this is a fancy hair care establishment.
I decided to live on the edge and get the big bottle of shampoo and big bottle of conditioner, since the MOA is not very convenient for future shampoo purchases (rumor has it that a local "spa" has Aveda products as well, I couldn't find 'em last time I looked).
So, one (1) bottle of shampoo and one (1) bottle of conditioner: $72 says the lady behind the counter, as if it were a perfectly normal thing to say. Yeah, maybe not. For $72 I can hire people to wash my hair for me.
Turns out that the big bottles cost $34. Each. No, really. It's a 1 liter bottle. $34.
I decided that maybe it'd be better to try a little bottle first and see if that improved the whole allergic reaction thing. So, only $22 for the two little bottles, which are actually the medium sized bottles. The little bottles ($3.50) are nowhere to be seen, as is the price tag for the big bottles. Some might call that deceptive on their part... :(
Suffice it to say that Aveda won't be seeing any more money from me anytime soon unless I win the lottery -- and then I'd just swing by the store and flash a wad of hundred dollar bills and shout "I won't be buying any of your lame ass shampoo with this money, you Sanskrit-spouting bastards!"
That'll show 'em.
You are so right! Aveda Sucks!!!!
~ Salon owner in South Dakota
Posted by: SD on November 28, 2002 10:41 PMI went to the aveda hair school .
They do suck.
One thing they claim to be all natural and that the do no animal testing.
They are owned by este laiter (not sure how to spell)
A huge compnay who does bad thing.
In school they have classes on how to make people buy aveda. The school is a year of aveda brainwashing.
I hate them and am proud to be a hairdresser not using there shit
Posted by: secret on May 11, 2003 09:57 PMIf you can't spell or use correct grammar, then I hardly doubt I will take your Aveda criticism seriously. It appears you are a very foolish and ignorant individual, "Secret," and if your words were written with such confidence then why should it be such a secret. Exalt thy truth in your name!...or do you fear you may not have strong facts to back your opinion if confronted.
Posted by: sarah b on September 21, 2003 03:38 PMi have used aveda compared to other shampoos and actually find that I love their stuff. It's helped my hair out a lot actually, being that it's overworked and thick. I don't mind paying the money for good things in life. That's all part of life. Sorry to hear that you all dislike Aveda and hope that you do find shampoos that you like. Everyone has different opinions and different reactions to different things.
Posted by: cookie on November 26, 2003 06:18 PMI find dat duh gurls dat works at dah salon are babe-a-lisious.. and I don't care boutd dah aveda prob'lems as I'm getting mine.
Posted by: yah mon on December 24, 2003 01:17 PMI was considering attending hair school and Aveda is the only one I am a bit familiar with (I have an appointment with their students Wednesday for a hair cut and foil). Any advice?
Posted by: Heather on January 12, 2004 01:19 PMI don't know about their shampoo but the girls that work their are hot!!!
Posted by: alex on April 25, 2005 08:40 PMHey "SECRET"! You are exactly the type of ignorant person that gives hairdressers a bad rep! You know, the stupid beautician that can't spell and should have finished high school. Sorry that you feel that way about Aveda. Didn't you know that Aveda merged with Estee Lauder years ago so that they could join forces and DO REALLY BAD THINGS? Aveda is an unparalleld network in the salon/spa industry. Let me guess, you are probably one of those hairdressers who sit in the back room representing the 3B's...BORED,BROKE,and BITCHING.As for the rest of you Aveda haters, learn something about the company and get a better job! Then maybe you can afford some real shampoo which seems to be the true problem here!
Posted by: URUKU on August 10, 2005 01:38 AMI was a dedicated aveda user for 13 years. I truly believed in aveda and loved the product. I will not say negative things about their products because I would be lying. I will say negative things about them as a company though. After 13 years of dedication to them they told me I was done selling aveda because I didn't have a 4 chair salon.
After 13 years of being a dedicated aveda user and seller they gave me the boot. Aveda said I had to have a 4 chair salon to carry their product. I loved aveda and believed in it. They believe in protecting our environment by using their product but only if you have 4 chairs in your salon. I guess it is not important to protect th environment if you have a one chair salon. It doesn't make sense to me. I have a beautiful salon over-looking a lake. I'm all about nature here. I miss the products. My customers miss the products. Aveda is missing the out on doing what Horst set out to do. It's a shame. It's not about the envoronment anymore. It's about big business. That is sad.
ALLERGIC REACTION to Aveda's "All Sensitive - moisturizing lotion" 10 days of itching,intense scratching...Am now on two drugs after having to see a dr....What's in that stuff, anyway,...poison ivy???
Posted by: B on February 20, 2006 10:36 AM