For as long as Aveda has been Aveda my mother has either been shampooing with Shampure or coveting that basic Aveda shampoo. Funny thing is, well, not really, she is my mom, but the number one best thing she has to say about Shampure and why she uses it is the smell. Hehe. But it has the best smell, really, this licoricey-rich mix of strong plant oils. "Infused with the aroma of 25 pure flower and plant essences" the bottle's description boasts. (Since when were flowers not plants?) Alas, the smell, it is rather something to close your eyes to. It's a smell like none other. Or, none other than Aveda.
But I have recently been briefed by my hairdresser -let's call him "Andrew" because, well, that's his name- on the nature of Aveda products and he told me some shocking information. He said that his first job was in an Aveda concept salon, which is a special designation that Aveda bestows upon certain salons which use only Aveda products and Aveda-approved products when they cannot make every product necessary in a hair salon. Andrew told me that he was curious about the Madder Root Shampoo, which is marketed for redheads who desire more red highlights, and he called Aveda to ask about some of its ingredients, most notably the madder root itself. He was told that the batch for the bottle he was asking about did not actually have any madder root in it. He was astonished and grabbed a bottle from another stylist's station, read that batch number, and the Aveda employee confessed that this batch didn't have any madder root in it either! She then told him that this product hadn't had madder root as its active ingredient for years. So, um. . . Andrew left his Aveda concept salon for moral reasons against their semi-illegal marketing campaign, but wishes he has stayed there longer to spread the word.
And I trust Andrew.
But I also trust my mom, who is a die-hard Shampure user. And whether Shampure has morikue in it or not, if she feels it's the same product batch-to-batch, well, I am not going to doubt her continual use of the product. It's just that it really sucks about Aveda, and I don't personally want to support them.
But on with the show.
My mom has dry hair, and any shampoo that's moisture-sucking will leave her locks so limp and sad, but Shampure, which is actually a very mild shampoo, brings body and life to her normally thin and dry hair. Without Shampure and other Aveda products (her one luxury besides fresh Massachussetts chevre)(and being my and Lirra's mother), her hair would not be the big lion hair that it is, it would instead be domicile and smooth, and those hair qualities that people with curly hair (me) wish for.
But so it goes.
Mom always buys the bulk containers of Shampure, I think it takes the edge off the exorbitant price (well, it is cheaper than perfume) when you buy it less frequently. Plus, you get the pump, which is so much more convenient with wet hands in the shower, to pump and not fumble with bottle caps. Especially those damn Aveda caps which really are little with little spouts and get clogged easily. I'm not kidding, it's true! Aveda caps are one step away from being the old Dr. Bronner's caps in the line-up of difficult caps.
I myself have used this product (on and off, of course) for more than ten years, but. . . I have nothing raving to say about it, nothing seriously plus or minus. Perhaps I never wanted to use up her good shampoo because we never had that much disposable income and I knew she really liked it best. (That's why I'm giving you her feelings; they are much stronger than mine.) [Is that a sufficient overexplanation, chrisceb?]
Aveda's Shampure boasts of "Morikue (tm) protein" but this seems to be a recent addition, I don't remember this fuss about Morikue protein "from the Peruvian rainforest." Perhaps it's a new rainforest exploit. What really cracks me up about the label is how it has almost a legend, rather, since Aveda sold out, their label has keys to understanding and seeing exactly where these rainforest ingredients are, for instance Morikue turns out to correspond to. . . let's see. . . "wheat amino acids." For those who are interested, there are also parts of Coconut milk, Sugar Beet, Avocado, Guar Bean, and Silica in Shampure.
Now it hasn't been proven that these special plant extracts are really better for your hair, but they do seem more comforting than plain old factory made chemicals, and it is Aveda's appeal, besides their good product smells, which I think is really at the root of the whole Aveda thing. Even if, as some say, it's not true. So you should watch out about that.
Shampure is easy to scrub one's scalp with, lathers very well, and leaves your hair feeling supple, not raped, like many strong shampoos do. With Shampure, you can go without a conditioner and not have the most brittle, tangly hair to have ever seen a towel.
Shampure has many fans. If you are one of them you should be sure exactly why you are a fan, but if you are an Aveda neophyte, or virgin, try some products if you desire. See for yourself.
But I think Aveda is being a little light on the truth and hard on the pocketbook just because it's so easy on the olfactory.
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