The Aveda smell...what the heck is in it? Essential oil experts, help!

[Ammaarah]

I know different Aveda products have different stuff but there's definitely the same stuff in most of them (I think!) I am not that crazy for most Aveda products but I do like the smell. My chiro said most have lavender and ylang ylang but there's at least one other smell in most of the products. Any ideas? TIA!

[fek&fuzz]

rosemary?

[Ammaarah]

Hmm, that might be it! You were so quick, thanks!

Curious to see what others say too. Then I will go play chemist.

[nataliachick7]

ftr, my best friend is a hair stylist and she went to the aveda institute in chicago. she says the products are terrible and also filled with chemicals and only masked with herbs and essential oil smells.

[Ammaarah]

Originally Posted by nataliachick7

ftr, my best friend is a hair stylist and she went to the aveda institute in chicago. she says the products are terrible and also filled with chemicals and only masked with herbs and essential oil smells.

That's why I don't use them...they are fakey natural. But the smell is good, if a little strong. My roommate went to the Aveda Institute in Mpls and she said the same thing about the chemicals!

[GreenCrunch]

i asked once when i was at the store -- i think it was for the confixor gel or for the self-control styling product (both smell super good and i miss using them). anyway, i told her i was allergic to something and she basically told me the essential oils were XX, XX and XX. i wrote them down somewhere and have yet to find them... that was 5 years ago! sorry. maybe you could try the same approach to find out what the oils are. good luck!

(I REMEMBER! i do remember that ylang-ylang was one of them. and i think rose was another, which surprised me because i don't usually like the EO rose. if i can think of the other, i will post it.)

[Ammaarah]

D'oh! I should call my old roommate. Gosh, I'm clever sometimes!

Rose, huh, interesting.

I am totally gonna play chemist...with the testers at my co-op because I don't have all these EOs! LOL.

[WaitingForKiddos]

According to Aveda :

lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot, rosemary, peppermint, and orange.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell of their Shampure. It's a candle now...yummy!!

[Spastica]

I walk in there and I smell a lot of natural peppermint and yeah, rosemary smells. It's very fresh smelling.

[maxwill129]

They are full of chemicals? I think there website says they are 98% natural. That sucks, because I, too, love the smell of Aveda stuff!!!

[Spastica]

I'm guessing that the 2% is chemicals that actually do what the product is supposed to do, like clean, tone, be a shampoo etc. I'm guessing Aveda is probably one of the pioneers in the natural products arena, before all the other companies have popped up with their own natural (and often organic) products, and though it's not completely natural, it's good enough for most people and at least it works. Honestly, how many of us can say our all-edible, all-natural stuff we make at home works super duper, smells good, and actually has a shelf life more than a week without getting bacteria in it?

And yes, people can be allergic to anything, especially natural essential oils and botanical chemicals. Some of the reason why commercial products went non-natural to START with is to get rid of some of the allergies and to keep costs down.

[hubris]

Originally Posted by maxwill129

They are full of chemicals? I think there website says they are 98% natural. That sucks, because I, too, love the smell of Aveda stuff!!!

I do love the smell and use some of the products because I like the way they work for my hair, but nope, they're not natural. Their use of the word "natural" annoys me a bit, their ingredients lists are far from the pure earth-derived EO and natural soap that they'd like you to think they are. Their ratings on EWG's database aren't horrible but they're not stellar, either.

[Ammaarah]

Thank you all for the input. I will keep seeking that nice Aveda smell.

I don't have a problem with Aveda per se, but for that price I think there are equally good or better products. I used to use the shampoo and conditioner with color tint and I loved it. I'm just too cheap to spend that much all the time!

[nascarbebe]

I HEART Aveda products. But now that I SAH I can't afford them They do have a distinct smell. I now buy Burt's Bees.

[bburnie2]

I love the smell too but they always dried out my hair big time......

[earthmommy2]

I love Aveda but we are on an uber tight budget, and I have to find something else...perhaps burts bees liek another poster said. My mom use to always wear Aveda and I loved to sneak a sniff b/c I loved the smell!!

[reducereuserecycle]

i like the aveda pure privelidge thing where you can earn points (and sometimes double points) and then get free stuff like Seventh Generation products

[WaitingForKiddos]

For those who love the Aveda smell but not the price, I found that Aura brand shampoo smells JUST JUST JUST like it! It's the one named "Organic". I found it at a local beauty supply store for 10 bucks for a HUGE bottle. The only difference is that it's not as thick as the Aveda.

[rockycrop]

Mmmmm, I love that Aveda smell too. I used to work in the mall, and when the girl that worked in Aveda would walk past me to use the bathroom I would just stand behind her and breathe in her lovely wafting scent.

[maxwill129]

Originally Posted by rockycrop

Mmmmm, I love that Aveda smell too. I used to work in the mall, and when the girl that worked in Aveda would walk past me to use the bathroom I would just stand behind her and breathe in her lovely wafting scent.

That is TOO FUNNY!!!