Madison ReedPrime for Perfection, Hair Color Primer, Preps Hair & Creates Smooth Base for Flawless Color, Gentle & Nourishing Formula, 4 Fl Oz (118 mL)

I have been using Madison Reed to color my hair since 2019. I have been so pleased with the quality of not only the permanent dye (it is made in Italy), but the whole kit. No resorcinol is very important to me as users of darker hair colors have higher ratios of cancer than our lighter haired sisters. My hair was looking darker than it should have as I always use MR Tuscany brown which is medium brown with gold. I purchase Prime for Perfection and did my first application yesterday. Yes, it was watery I had a towel draped on my neck and was over a wash basin as I applied the. Mixture mid length to ends that I divided into two sections. I actually liked how it saturated my hair easily. I used my hands and a wide tooth comb to make sure every strain was saturated leaving the roots alone. Simple, no smell, I pinned hair air up under the cap that was provided. Waited, then shampooed and rinsed. My hair was smooth shiny and I shade lighter. Very pleased and will continue to buy.

The product I got was totally watery; as in: it poured, LITERALLY, out of the tube as soon as I tilted it towards my hair…like water coming out of a hose. It looked nothing like the creamy blob on the box picture. Shaking it didn’t improve its consistency. Even though it had the foil seal under the cap when I opened it, I was sure it must have been adulterated or just a bad batch, so I called Madison Reed and talked to a customer service person and then a colorist there. They both reassured me that “sometimes it’s watery, but it is safe to use and will still work as intended”. So I tried it. Applying it was a mess…forget their instructions to apply only to mid and end sections of the hair…it’s so watery that your whole head ends up soaked and dripping. That issue aside, it did NOTHING to remove excess accumulation of old hair color. Some reviewers mentioned a strong smell; this one had no smell (normally a plus, but in this case it just makes it even more suspicious). I’ve used Madison Reed color kits for 6 years and never had an issue with those, but this thing is a disaster. I wish I’d read the reviews before purchasing. My guess is that their product quality is very inconsistent, leading to some happy users and many very unhappy ones. They need to fix their manufacturing process and/or quality control for this particular product. I would like my money back.

I have naturally brown-black/dark brown hair. Over the pandemic I decided to bleach my hair, as one does, and was blonde for a while. I slowly starting working in low lights to bring my hair back to my natural color as it grew out.I eventually got impatient and dyed my hair allover with a mix of 4NN and 4G dye. (I had been using 4NN to cover up grays at my roots and it was matching my natural hair color. I mixed in a little 4G as well for the ends, as my hair gets a little warm tint in the sun. I was expecting the result to be dark, but it was so inky/black looking. I lived with it for a few months to see if it would wash out/fade over time but it didn't change too much.I stumbled on this product, and thought it would be good to try before dyeing my ends again. This product is meant to be used immediately before dyeing your hair, but I decided to see the results before moving forward with the dye, and am super happy with it! I'm not going to dye my ends further at this point.Note: this product is essentially a liquid. I was expecting it to be more creamy based on the type of container and the illustrations in the instructions. There was definitely a little spillage, but ultimately I didn't need too much product to fully saturate my hair. I think I should be able to get 2 more uses out of it, which is great (my hair is fairly thick, layered, and mid-length -- about 2" past my collar bones at its longest point).As for impact on hair textured -- I just used it last night, but I don't feel like it dried out my hair at all. I shampooed twice per the instructions but then moved forward with my regular conditioner and leave-in products as I wasn't going to be dyeing my hair further at that time. If there's a notable change in the dryness of my hair that I think is attributable to this product, I'll post an update.Overall, this product delivers exactly as advertised. If you feel like your hair color is too intense or inky or dull, I'd suggest giving this a try!!

This was a good idea for those wanting to start off with fresh hair to really make most of changing to new hair color

This is the perfect pre-color treatment to prep for touch ups or fresh all-over color. Use as directed and keep it on for the full amount of time, or it won’t work. Use a cap to keep things warm enough to process properly. The texture is quite thin, so it’s not super easy to apply, but you can just slop it on and comb it through. It does tend to drip, so keep a towel handy to prevent it from running into your eyes and down your neck.I use this every other root touch up to keep my hair from becoming oversaturated with layers that will make it darker. It’s also a good brightening treatment and can take you half a shade lighter if you use it right.

Messy application since the product was unexpectedly watery. There was a strong smell, but after a good rinse, washing my hair twice as recommended and using conditioner (I use Kitsch’s rice water & protein), I didn’t smell anything sulfuric that other reviewers had experienced. This was a huge concern since my husband is sensitive to chemical smells. Product helped strip previous color and my hair felt normal after air drying. Not sure if I would use it again.