Aveda Cherry Almond Review

by Rosy Day Blog

Aveda Natural Hair Products, Shampoos & Conditioners

You’ve probably heard of Aveda (pronounced ah-vay-da). They’re a pretty well-known American salon brand. On a trip to India in 1970, Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher was first introduced to the science of Ayurveda (Hindu holistic system of medicine & surgery in India). The Aveda brand was based off the power of wellness to help promote balance not only in body, but also mind and spirit (what are considered requirements for achieving the guest/customer’s beauty goals).

Believe it or not, Aveda was one of the first beauty brands to have a set of principles for encouraging better environmental responsibility in business (The Ceres Principles). The name “Aveda” itself is Sanskrit for “All knowledge”. Taken straight from the Aveda website: “Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.” Browsing through the Aveda website, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a beauty brand (let alone a hair care one) so into the environment and giving back to the community/people as this one. I’m especially happy to be able to present to you this brand (if you haven’t heard of them already) and review these products for you guys (the readers).

Aveda is cruelty-free. A lot of their products may use organic ingredients, but they are not necessarily a “green” brand and only some of their products are vegan (Cherry Almond is vegan - yay!) However they are a very environmentally-conscious brand.

Disclosure:

I received these products from Aveda through Influenster in exchange for my honest review. I was not given any money to do this review. I enjoy doing product reviews to share my own experiences with the product and hope someone finds it useful. I do not work for Aveda.

Table of Contents

- Product Description & How-To
- Benefits of Silicone-Free
- Ingredients
- Packaging, Scent & Texture
- Performance
- Final Thoughts & Shop This Post

Softening & Sweet Smelling Hair Care

Product Description:

The Aveda Cherry Almond Shampoo and Conditioner claim “Touchably soft hair with a naturally sweet aroma.” They are 98% naturally derived. The scent alone has been carefully crafted by what Aveda calls their “pure-fume masters” from 38 different types of flower and plant essences which include tonka bean, orange, and ylang ylang to name a few. The scents are completely natural whereas many other brands use synthetic scents.

According to the Aveda website, the Cherry Almond Shampoo “Deeply yet gently cleanses with babassu & coconut-derived ingredients.” while the conditioner “Instantly detangles and deeply conditions with certified organic coconut oil & shea butter, not silicones. A little bit of a background on the Cherry Almond line was that this “Cherry Almond” scent has actually been around since the early days of Aveda. It used to be called Cherry Almond Bark and was a deep conditioning treatment. It was discontinued sometime in the mid-2000s but has made a surprise return in mid-2018! The new Cherry Almond line is of course upgraded from the previous Cherry Almond Bark, as this new line is vegan, cruelty-free, and manufactured entirely using wind power and renewable energy.

Get Soft, Not Silicone.

The Cherry Almond Shampoo & Conditioner is 98% naturally derived.

How to Use:

The instructions for usage are no different than any other shampoo and conditioner. For the shampoo, you massage onto wet hair. If you have dry hair/scalp, I would focus on those areas to make sure they’re properly nourished. For the conditioner, I only apply it mid-length of my hair down to the tips. I don’t apply to the hair closest to my scalp (or top half of my head). Natural oil is most concentrated here, so you don’t want to weigh your hair down by unnecessarily conditioning it here (this is how you’re more likely to have greasy hair). Rinse your hair with water after each step.

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Silicone Free Shampoo/Conditioner

Scalp Benefits:

Finding a good shampoo and conditioner that works for you is just like skincare. Some people might rave about some product, but what works for them may not necessarily work for you. I’ve always struggled off and on with a dry scalp. Often I would think my head looks ok before I leave the house (and I’ve just showered) and then mid-day when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror I see flakes forming like I just shook some salt on my head. I first tried using your typical dandruff shampoos but those only seemed to work temporarily and didn’t really tackle my issue. I eventually developed an itchy scalp. Then I figured I’d try shampoos directed towards a dry, itchy scalp, but the problem still persisted. I felt like I needed the hair care equivalent of an exfoliating scrub and hydrating mask. If my story sounds similar to yours or you have a similar problem, you might want to consider going silicone-free due to the benefits below.

• Healthier hair - Silicones coat your hair shaft giving it synthetic shine and potentially damaging your hair in the long run.
• Hair is more moisturized - Silicone is hard to remove and prevents moisture and essential oils from getting to your hair shaft.
• Less itchy/irritated scalp (which can lead to hair shedding) - Ever wondered why your scalp is so itchy, even after you regularly shampoo? Check to see if it contains silicone in the ingredients. Itching/irritation in general doesn’t do anyone any good. Hair will require less washing - While I do enjoy shampooing and conditioning every time I shower (it makes me feel clean & refreshed from head to toe), I do understand if you’re not able to wash your hair all the time. With silicone-free products, you can get by not washing your hair as much and not worrying about having greasy hair the very next day.
• More volume - Especially if your hair is typically fine/flat, ditching the silicone will keep your hair cleaner, possibly giving it a more lifted look/volume.
• Healthier curls - If you have curly hair, silicone is especially bad for it as it can’t slide off your strands as easily as someone with straighter hair. You can potentially have even greater product build up than someone with straight hair using silicones.

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Get Sweet Smelling & Soft Hair

Let’s take a look at the ingredients that the Aveda Cherry Blossom Shampoo & Conditioner contain to see how they give you sweet smelling and soft hair. The products are 98% naturally derived.

Notable Ingredients:

• Sweet Almond Oil - For hair, this is a sealant and protector. The fatty acids in sweet almond oil moisturize hair. It contains vitamin E which helps keep your shiny, smooth, and silky looking. It is also rich in vitamin A which helps promote hair growth. Cherry Extract - Cherries contain contain potassium, flavanoids, fiber, and vitamins A, B, C, and D. All are great for promoting healthy hair. Shea Butter - This ingredient has anti-inflammatory properties which may help reduce scalp irritation and redness without actually clogging your scalp.
• Coconut Oil - Goes deep into hair follicles, helping to stimulate hair growth, as well as preventing hair breakage and split ends. It also helps with dandruff and adds shine and softness to your hair.
• Lactic Acid - For dry, flaky hair, lactic acid can help smooth it and restore strength and elasticity. I usually associate lactic acid with exfoliating your face, so I feel like (to maybe a lesser extent), this should do something similar for your scalp and hair. Even if you’re dry, you should still gently clarify as it helps release some of that dry, flakiness.

Shampoo Full Ingredients:

Water\Aqua\Eau , Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate , Propanediol , Decyl Glucoside , Sodium Hydroxypropylsulfonate Laurylglucoside Crosspolymer , Babassuamidopropyl Betaine , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil , Prunus Serrulata Flower (Cherry) Extract , Glycerin , Glycol Distearate , Acrylates Copolymer , Polyquaternium-10 , Butylene Glycol , Sodium Chloride , Citric Acid , Sodium Hydroxide , Fragrance (Parfum) , Linalool , Geraniol , Limonene , Sodium Phytate , Benzoic Acid , Phenoxyethanol , Potassium Sorbate , Sodium Benzoate

Conditioner Full Ingredients:

Water\Aqua\Eau , Cetearyl Alcohol , Propanediol , Behentrimonium Methosulfate , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil , Prunus Serrulata Flower (Cherry) Extract , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil , Lactic Acid , Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine , Butylene Glycol , Caprylyl Glycol , Fragrance (Parfum) , Linalool , Geraniol , Amyl Cinnamal , Citronellol , Limonene , Phenoxyethanol , Potassium Sorbate

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Packaging, Scent & Texture

Packaging:

The shampoo and conditioner both come in a “down-to-earth” brown color (almost to signify that they’re almost all naturally derived) with magenta-like accents to signify the “cherry” part. A simple illustration of cherry blossoms are on the front. I personally like the packaging. You can tell from looking at it that it’s a higher quality shampoo and conditioner (compared to most drugstore brands), yet it’s still simple-looking enough. There are some more expensive hair care products out there, but sometimes I feel like you’re paying more for the more luxe packaging than the actual quality of the product itself. Then again, you can say that for a lot of different kinds of products (not necessarily just hair care).

Scent & Texture:

“It’s like the (traditional) cherry blossom scent but more grown up.”

A Nordstrom worker that I’ve talked to has said it best.

The scent isn’t super floral like your usual cherry blossom scent, but you definitely smell the cherries in this. I would say that it smells like cherries with some sweet almond butter type of scent and some floral hints. If you ever thought the cherry blossom scent was a tad too strong/floral for your liking, the almond in this scent combination definitely tones is down. I don’t know why, but the cherries part reminds me of some granola/protein bar (like a cherry nut flavor combination, LOL).

The texture is like your typical shampoo and conditioner texture. Please note that while the products are silicone free, they are not sulfate free. However I will say that even with the sulfates, I did not experience any dryness with this shampoo and conditioner combo. In fact, since using these two, they have definitely made my hair more healthier than the previous shampoo that I was using that was not silicone free, but was supposed to “moisturize my scalp and relieve itching” but it did not. With that said, do keep in mind that sulfates are not necessarily bad. They’re actually often added in cleansing-type of products to produce that bubbly/foaming lather that a lot of people seem to like. However if your skin/scalp still reacts badly to a product and it contains sulfates, then it might be time to switch to something sulfate free and see if it helps.

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Aveda Cherry Almond Shampoo/Conditioner Review

Performance:

Did this smell good? Yes, in fact you can definitely smell both cherry and almond scents. Did this give me touchable soft hair? Yes, I don’t normally touch my hair that much, but admittedly I got a sense of satisfaction from checking to see that this set gave me soft hair. I never really had hair that felt dry or damaged to the touch, but I did notice that it was a bit softer than usual since switching to this shampoo and conditioner. My hair in general also seemed to “behave” better if that makes sense. Did it give me some weightless bounce? Yes, normally I would use some kind of volumizing product all over my hair, but I didn’t need to this time. Both air drying and using a blow dryer, I always came out with thick, shiny hair. Now, my hair was never like super thin to begin with, but I always felt my hair could be a bit lifeless at times and lacked a bit of oomph. This shampoo and conditioner cured that. I suspect that the lack of silicones has allowed the hair on top of my head (closest to my scalp) to not be weighted down, thus producing a more voluminous appearance overall.

I was just expecting something really good smelling but what I got was something a lot better…

For once in what seemed like forever, I was able to tackle my dry scalp without the use of an actual dandruff shampoo/conditioner.

Pros:

• Pleasant smelling shampoo & conditioner makes it a better (if I dare say therapeutic) experience when taking a shower. If you ever felt like shampooing & conditioning were a bit of a chore, you won’t with this winning combo.
• Silicone-free making it a great choice for those who have dry and/or an itchy scalp like me. And even if you don’t, it overall makes your hair feel healthier.
• Really does make your hair feel so soft. The effects even last the next day.
• Really does detangle your hair. Even if I don’t take the time to comb/detangle my hair before taking a shower, it’s still not very difficult to come through my wet hair. As a result, I shed/lose less hair since it’s so easy to detangle.

Cons:

• At $17 USD each for a standard size of the shampoo and conditioner, it’s not cheap especially compared to your typical drugstore brands (think Dove, Suave, and more). However it is cheaper than some other higher end hair care brands like Sachajuan, Bumble and Bumble, and Christophe Robin to name a few (you may or may not have heard of these brands). On the bright side, my bf who usually thinks girl stuff is expensive says that $17 USD actually isn’t bad for a good shampoo/conditioner that will probably last you awhile anyway.
• Not really a con, but obviously if you prefer your products to be more neutral or just plain unscented, this is not the product for you.
• Not that easy to find. Sure you can buy it online but for a physical store, not everyone is near a Nordstrom and I don’t think Nordstrom Racks carry this (you probably have to go to a regular Nordstrom as the “Rack” versions are like Ross and Marshall’s to me).
• Does still contain sulfates (if this is a deal breaker for you). However this did not dry out my hair. Again, it’s like how some facial cleansers have sulfates and some people use them without any issues. It’s not necessarily “bad” per se.

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Aveda Cherry Almond Shampoo and Conditioner Are Back in Stock

Final Impressions:

I’ve always heard of Aveda before but didn’t really know anything about their products. In the holiday set of products that I received for review through Influenster, I was probably the least interested in the Cherry Almond Shampoo & Conditioner as I had assumed it was just a good smelling shampoo that didn’t do much of anything. I mean I had issues with a dry/itchy scalp and occasionally the greasy limp hair/roots. I am happy to announce that this has completely exceeded my expectations to the point where I have already bought a full-sized bottle of both the shampoo and conditioner. I now have a hard time finishing off my previous shampoo (which was designed for dry scalp but doesn’t work most of the time) and my previous conditioner (which was designed for volume but I wasn’t sure it was actually doing anything).

I’ve mentioned this earlier in my review, but If you are like me and still struggle with a dry and/or itchy scalp despite using products designed for your dryness/itchiness, do give the silicone-free Aveda Cherry Almond Shampoo & Conditioner a try. They do sell travel sizes on the Aveda website so if you end up not liking them, then not too much harm is done to your wallet. For some reason I was really into hair care starting from when I was in middle school, but that interest vanished over-time as there weren’t too many products that I felt like I couldn’t live without. This is absolutely the best shampoo and conditioner combo I’ve used so far and it might be too soon but I’m calling these my holy grail. The only thing that can further improve the set is, you know how sometimes in shampoo commercials, the model’s hair is like ridiculously shiny? Well I’m sure part of it is just lighting/effects and some kind of silicone-based serum rubbed all over the model’s hair. However it would be nice if there was a shampoo and conditioner that truly delivered shine of that level without the use of added products. When I was younger, I would use certain shampoos and then wonder why my hair was never even half as shiny as the models’. Oh well, a girl can still dream...Thank you so much for bringing Cherry Almond back, Aveda! I’m sure you have a bunch of new fans now in addition to those that actually grew up using Cherry Almond.

Final Rating = 4.5/5

Any questions and/or comments about this product review? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please let me know in the comments below!

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Aveda Cherry Almond
Shampoo & Conditioner

Photo Credit: Aveda

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