Purple Hair from Spoke and Weal – an Aveda Salon

I’m beyond excited to learn that Aveda is officially cruelty free! For a while they had a confusing animal testing statement, but their team has now confirmed that they are against animal testing and not selling in any foreign markets where testing is required (they are also PETA certified). Hooray! Aveda has been a long time favorite of mine and a brand I purchased quite frequently back in the day. Smelling that signature Aveda spa-like scent is like meeting up with an old friend. I love that even though Aveda is a natural brand, it has a sexy, edgy vibe – with lots of runway inspiration. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Aveda products with you soon!

But today, I’m very excited about my new purple hair and haircut courtesy of Aveda salon, Spoke and Weal, on 3rd street in Los Angeles (right next to Toast Bakery Cafe). Spoke & Weal also has San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Jose locations. A big thanks to Julia, Charlie and the team for the amazing plant-based color and precision cut. I have to share several pics with you guys because it looks different depending on the lighting. It’s not full-fairy/mermaid/goth/emo/punk/fill-in-the-blank purple, because I’m not quite ready for that. For now, this is exactly what I wanted!

Aveda hair color is plant based, and although definitely on the natural side (96% natural – and it’s actually higher than that because for some reason green tea is not legally categorized as “natural”), it does have some peroxide in it. I am fine with that, because otherwise it wouldn’t be strong enough to change my hair color. I don’t have any greys yet (knock on wood!) but for grey coverage, I think you would need some type of ingredient to open the cuticle (please correct me if I’m wrong here). If you are looking for a completely natural look, I recommend trying henna.

I thought Aveda color would only be available in tame, run of the mill colors, but I was so wrong! One of the girls at Spoke and Weal had bright green Aveda hair! And my color artist, Julia, told me they could make almost any color – they just had to create a recipe using the pigments. Julia gave me a purple that I felt was a bit too bright the first time around (guess I’m just not ready for that yet!). I sent pics to my fiance and friends while I was at the salon, and they all said “Nooooo keep it!” But, I wanted a cooler toned purple with more blue in it, so Julia was nice enough to tone it again to make sure I was 100% happy with the result. The result is a gorgeous dark purple tint, that makes my green eyes pop!

My hair is fragile, fine and porous, and doesn’t usually play well with too much developer, but Julia told me that she has seen better results using Aveda hair color and developer mixed with their protein additive than using dye with an Olaplex blend. That’s pretty impressive. So far my hair feels healthy, so I think she may be right. What’s even more amazing, is that I didn’t get a headache after my color – which almost always happens with other hair dyes! Seriously a HUGE win!

Charlie gave me a precision hair cut, and I could instantly see the results when she was done. She saw that one area of my front layers had grown out and was looking a little too heavy (it has been a while since I got it cut), so she lightened up the ends, and thinned it out, and it made a huge difference. She was also a very stylish dresser, and had a positive, sweet attitude that I appreciated.

The Spoke and Weal salon itself was gorgeous – very modern, with an industrial vibe. Nice lighting at each station, and I felt comfortable there – which is not always the case at some of the higher end salons. When I walked in, I was immediately greeted with the signature Aveda spa-like scent, which is like music to my nose! They also give you a complimentary mini shoulder massage with Aveda aromatherapy, which is so nice!

There were only a couple of things I didn’t love about my experience at Spoke and Weal. One was that they dried my hair bone-straight and then used a flat iron before they cut it. I wear my hair curly, and they said that didn’t matter, and that they wanted to see it straight in order to give the best possible cut. I’m sure they are right, but I felt like that was a little unnecessary – and more heat damage, and more time than I wanted to spend on a hair cut. Charlie did mention that they don’t do that for every client, and they mainly do it for first-timers, since they don’t know my hair yet. Okay – that’s fair enough. They also had me stand up to do the bulk of the cutting. Again – this isn’t unusual, and possibly results in a better cut, but it’s not my preference. And, I was there for a long time – about four hours and 45 minutes or so. This is partly my fault – because I wanted to change up the purple color, so they had to re-do the toner and then blow dry me a second time, but it still seemed long. (Note: I just found out a friend of mine, Desiree, goes there for a cut and is in and out in 45 minutes – so it must have been a fluke!)

The prices were on par with Los Angeles hair cut and color prices – $150 for the color and $100 for the cut (which of course, will vary depending on which stylists you see when you visit). Overall, I was very happy with the experience, and the stylists were very accommodating, as well as creative and skilled. If you go, tell them My Beauty Bunny sent ya!