Matrix • Biolage - Hydrating Shampoo • Shampoo

Where To Buy?

slidingdoors on 5/5/2013 12:13:00 PM more reviews by slidingdoors

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Quick summary: It was terrible for my hair, not moisturizing at all.

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I am in the search for a new shampoo after Redken All Soft's formula was dramatically altered in 2012, and I have tried many shampoo/conditioner pairs - with no luck so far.

As this is a pretty expensive process, I research things online before buying them. I have only done a moderate amount of looking into Biolage so far, but I am somewhat confused by the information I've found about the Matrix Biolage hydrating range.

There seem to be two ranges that Matrix calls "hydrating": plain "hydrating" and "ultra-hydrating". Online commenters have said that the ultra-hydrating line has silicones, while the hydrating one does not.

Matrix products seem to be sold both in hair salons and regular retailers (such as Walmart), but I'm not sure if they are the exact same formulas or not. Some reviewers on Amazon (on several different listings for these products - I've read all the reviews on at least 20 listings there) have noted that there are several different ingredients lists on the Matrix Biolage Hydrating products (even though the exact same product name is on the front of the bottle) that they have bought there, and some speculated that either Matrix is changing their formulas over time, producing different formulas simultaneously for different market segments/supply chains, or that some Amazon third-party sellers are selling counterfeit goods.

Therefore I don't know whether the Matrix Biolage line that I see in my local supermarket is trustworthy, is authentic, and is the same stuff that I could find in a salon, or not.

[I know that I could ask for help about this range at a salon, but I've been to so many salons in my town for help in my product quest, and I have bought their expensive, recommended products which turned out terrible for my hair, and I just hesitate to continue bothering them when I'm not a customer of their stylists. (Besides, in all honesty, most of the product advice I've received in my town from salon employees has been inaccurate, and many of the staffpeople I've asked for help don't really know much about hair product ingredients, or about what can cause distress to different hair textures and skin types.)]

Other reviewers on Amazon and this site have said that the Matrix Biolage Hydrating formulas have changed over time, but I am not sure how (what exactly was added and subtracted), so I don't know what to look for on the ingredients lists of bottles that I see for sale.

I learned that Sally Beauty Supply sells a generic version of this line, and I went to a store yesterday to get their duplicate and try it out first. I have read somewhere on the internet that Biolage had changed their formula in 2011 or 2012, and that Sally had followed suit with their generic version, but the bottles in my local Sally store state that they have the "2010" ingredients list on them. I don't know if these are old products at my local Sally, or if they are freshly-made bottles and actually Sally has simply not changed their "dupe" formula of this line since 2010. I also don't know whether, because some reviewers have complained about reformulations of the offical product in 2011 and 2012, if the Sally 2010 version is better than the Matrix-branded 2013 version that I'd find now in a salon.

I would not be surprised if the lines have been reformulated over the years, since Matrix is now owned by Loreal.

The ingredients information given on the Matrix website about their products is entirely inadequate. For example, under the ingredients tab for Ultra-Hydrating shampoo are "aloe" and "algae". Under the ingredients tab for Hydrating shampoo it states: "Formulas with algae, sage, botanical aloe vera products or wheat germ helps to nourish and restore the health of the hair ". This is not only confusing (and ungrammatical!), it's insulting to the customer. This gives me no help in understanding their product lines and differentiation. It also makes me suspect that maybe they really do have different versions out there under the same product name (they way they say "algae, sage, aloe, OR wheat germ" is bizarre.)

When I do their website's product finder, no matter what answers I enter in many of the questions, I get the same product recommendation each time, the volumizing formula, which is not what my hair needs right now. It seems that the product finder stops listening to me after it hears that I have fine-textured hair. Therefore, I am unimpressed with their website.

I am desperate, however, to find something to replace my old-formula Redken All Soft, so I will venture onward into the Matrix Biolage muddle....

My impressions of the Sally Beauty Supply / GVP duplicates of the 2010 Matrix Biolage Hydrating shampoo and conditioner:

-I strongly dislike the scent. Yet most reviewers seem to adore it - ? It smells medicinal, woodsy, herbal. The scent is very strong and tenacious, so even 2 hours after I washed my hair, the odor was irritating my nose and throat. I am pretty sensitive to odors, so my experience won't be the norm, I'm sure.

-The conditioner was doing 85% of the moisturizing effect of the pair. The shampoo didn't seem very good.

-After my 2nd wash with these products, my hair was extra frizzy, breaking off mid-strand, really curling up (which in my naturally straight hair is a sign of protein overload and imminent breakage), and kinking up terribly in the last inch of the ends (again, an indication in my hair of too much protein). This was not AT ALL moisturizing for my hair.

-Even Suave Apple 97-cents shampoo, which I had tried 3 times, 2 weeks prior to this, left my hair in better condition than the Sally dupes of Matrix Biolage Hydrating.

-Maybe the "real" Matrix 2013 products would have a different effect. However, I won't be trying them because the Sally dupe formulas were so destructive to my hair after only 2 uses.

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debbieg252 on 1/16/2013 6:42:00 PM more reviews by debbieg252

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I used to buy Biolage for dry hair and loved it!!!! I loved the shampoo and the conditioner, but it is no longer the same. The price has gone up while the quality goes down. My hair is so dry and frizzy from that stuff. I will just buy drug store shampoo and conditioner from now on. It really just burns me up to pay so much for a product that does the opposite of what it says! I WILL NEVER BUY BIOLAGE PRODUCTS AGAIN!!!!!!

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AUSSIEMUMMA on 1/3/2013 4:17:00 AM more reviews by AUSSIEMUMMA

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Been using for 10 years. Tried and tested many other professional brands but always come back to this. Does everything it says on the bottle and I love the smell

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velvetgirl on 12/29/2012 12:06:00 AM more reviews by velvetgirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I just bought this shampoo today at Ulta, it's quite the commitment being a jumbo liter. After reading some of these reviews I'm a little nervous, it seems longterm use with this shampoo dries hair out. But we'll see....for now I really like it. It smells pretty and clean. I don't see how it could be too overpowering to some...but to each his own.
It has a nice lather and rinses clean. My hair is noticeably softer. However I didn't use the matching hydrating conditioner. I used another Matrix Conditioner...Deep... something (I forget). Anyway it worked well too. Although it didn't detangle right away like my normal drugstore conditioners do. But it did eventually detangle my hair. But then that's another review altogether, isn't it? Will update if I find this is drying my hair like others had mentioned.

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brooke2010 on 11/19/2012 11:22:00 PM more reviews by brooke2010

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Ok, so I am actually reviewing the generic version of this product I got at Sally's (5 dollars a bottle and the exact same ingredients, scent, and everything!) and I am thoroughly impressed. I wasn't expecting to like this because it has sulfates in it and I've been trying to avoid them. However, I've always loved the smell of Biolage and wanted to get it since it was so cheap. My hair is SO soft and silky. Normally when I get out of the shower, I immediately feel like I need a leave-in conditioner because my ends are so dry. Not the case here. The conditioner is extremely thick and moisturizing, as well as the shampoo. I highly recommend this if you buy it at Sally's for cheap. Now I can see why people rave about this line!

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*TOP REVIEWER* kyl77 on 10/29/2012 7:07:00 PM more reviews by kyl77

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Other, Medium   Eyes: Green    

This is a good shampoo. Unfortunately, I found the scent too overpowering. It smells really chemical. I wouldn't buy this again.

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decoded on 10/15/2012 5:40:00 PM more reviews by decoded

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I don't mind paying more for a good shampoo, but honestly this wasn't a good shampoo for me. I've had way better and some for a third the price. I used this for 15 days, and honestly I'd say that's a good test run. I used it with the biolage conditioning balm and honestly it felt like it did nothing. The smell was ok, but it was sickening to me after awhile.

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KatieEyler on 10/7/2012 8:16:00 PM more reviews by KatieEyler

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

When I first used this shampoo, I thought it was a God-send! My waist length hair was dry and fried from using tea tree shampoo for months and I used this shampoo (along with the conditioning balm) after a recommendation from a hairstylist friend.

At first my hair was smooth, silky and gorgeous. Then my hair started shedding - then eventually falling out in clumps. (It got so bad I made my husband start cleaning out the shower plug so I wouldn't have to panic after seeing the amount of hair in there!)

It took me a while to realize the hair loss started coincided with the use of this product. I immediately stopped using it and switched back to cheap, but reliable, Aussie Moist. My hair has slowly stopped falling out and just for good measure, I used the Biolage once again yesterday just to see what would happen and wouldn't you know, I had plenty of hair detaching from my scalp immediately after shampooing.

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MissLeviathan on 7/24/2012 6:30:00 PM more reviews by MissLeviathan

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I see a lot of mixed reviews on this product. The first few times I used it (along with the hydrating conditioner) it left my hair soft, silky and shiney. However, after using it for a few weeks, it left my hair feeling rather rough and dry. Since I paid a lot of money for this product, I didn't want to throw it away. I decided to alternate it with Aveeno shampoo and conditioner, and since doing so have seen an improvement using this method, but nothing amazing (Aveeno on the other hand treats my hair well). I will keep on using this shampoo until it runs out, but will not repurchase.

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lipstickjunkky on 7/2/2012 9:37:00 AM more reviews by lipstickjunkky

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I tried matrix products years ago. My hairdresser recommended it to me at the time. My colour treated hair had been damaged as I did a lot of home colouring. I was in my teens at the time. The next appointment I had with her she told me to bring it back as it was doing nothing for my hair. Several of years later, I thought I would try it again as my hair was in great condition and I loved the smell. The smell is all I love about it. My hair became way too dry and only after a few uses. I returned this to my beauty supply store and vowed to write this one off forever.

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Purplegal on 6/21/2012 5:14:00 PM more reviews by Purplegal

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I used to love this, but I guess my hair changed or the formula did. After using it for years my hair began to feel dry and looked dull. I think hilighted hair needs more moisture than this & there ate better shampoos out there.

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bectee on 6/9/2012 10:30:00 AM more reviews by bectee

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Best shampoo and conditioner I've ever come across! I love this more than Joico Kpak (and this is a lot more affordable). I was recommended this after bleaching my hair from black to platinum blonde and Matrix really helped in the healing process of my hair. OF COURSE my hair was still damaged from all the bleach but it went from feeling like hay to something closer to normal hair and it kept the split ends AWAY. Overall LOVE this product and recommend it for dry, damaged hair!!

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YellowLantern on 3/25/2012 2:58:00 AM more reviews by YellowLantern

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Sigh. Here we have a classic case of "they changed it, now it sucks".


This is the only shampoo I've ever repurchased. The name hydrating shampoo is sort of a misnomer in my opinion as I think people with really dry hair probably would not find this very moisturizing, but for my fine, yet dry hair (a sort of frustrating conundrum since most moisturizing hair products are too heavy for my hair type) it works quite well. The old formula seemed to just hit that sweet spot for my hair, not drying like volumizing formulas meant for fine hair and not too heavy either.


Now all I can find in salons/stores is this new paraben free version. I figured the performance would be the same so I just bought it without thinking about it. Unfortunately that didn't turn out to be the case. This new formula makes my hair feel like it's coated in buildup and junk that makes it harder to brush my hair and makes my hair less shiny. Now for the phrase I never thought I'd say: I want my parabens back!

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LoveLoveEM on 3/18/2012 1:57:00 AM more reviews by LoveLoveEM

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

This is the absolute best shampoo I've probably ever used! The smell is great, not too strong. It makes my hair feel soo nice and silky after. With other shampoo's I find that it makes your hair kind of limp and frizzy right after blow drying, but since I've started using this and their conditioner my hair looks really great even after blow-drying and I sometimes don't even need to apply other products or straighten to tame the frizz. It's a bit pricey compared to other drug store shampoo's, but it's worth it because the quality of it is way beyond cheapy drug store shampoo's!

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moosie4154 on 2/16/2012 8:47:00 PM more reviews by moosie4154

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I absolutely love this conditioner. If you're on the fence about price, they have great deals around xmas or shortly after, and I can pick up enough to last me the whole year for about $20. No joke. I have tried the $5 shampoo and conditioners all the way up to the $75+ ones and this, coupled with the conditioning balm keeps my hair soft and smooth. I work in an extremely dry and dirty environment and this brings my hair back to life. Love love love.

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Flossie2 on 2/14/2012 2:06:00 PM more reviews by Flossie2

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have dry color treated hair with very dry ends. I decided to try this shampoo based on all the rave reviews it gets. I used it only a couple of times and hated it. The only thing it moisturizes is the bottle it came in. It's not hydrating at all and it's nothing special as a shampoo. I also tried the Biolage Moisture Balm in the jar and didn't like it either. My hair came out dry. I actually had to put some shine serum on my hair after using these products because it was so fly away. I will go back to my cheapie Aussie Moist Shampoo and Nexxus Conditioner which worked way better.

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ariaxxx on 2/13/2012 1:46:00 AM more reviews by ariaxxx

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Sensitive, Olive   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Other    

This is the BEST shampoo I have ever used and have been using it for years! My hairdresses recommended me this as I had really frizzy and dry hair. Since I started using this I ALWAYS get compliments on my hair!
Biolage also smells amazing too :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* italiana800 on 2/10/2012 10:45:00 PM more reviews by italiana800

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I work in a salon, so I got this for free (thank goodness). I would've probably flipped out if I would have bought this on my own. There's a trick to test out if a shampoo is going to be overly drying to your hair, before actually using it on your hair (to save your hair the damage). What I do is simply wash my hands with it. The way a shampoo/conditioner leaves your hands feeling, is the exact same way it will leave your hair feeling. As soon as I washed my hands with this shampoo, they became very tight & dry. No moisture whatsoever in this. I'm so thankful that I never put this stuff on my hair. I also, can't stand the smell of this for some reason. Overall, my little experiment worked out well in the long run. This is a very drying shampoo. There's nothing "hydrating" about it. I'm not sure if the matching conditioner has the same effect, but the regular deep conditioner from Matrix Biolage is very moisturizing. I do not reccommend this shampoo. It will dry out your hair.

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Anika on 2/10/2012 9:29:00 PM more reviews by Anika

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I had used this shampoo years ago on my short, colour-treated hair. I liked it at the time, but eventually started using Tresemme Moisture Rich shampoo and conditioner to save money. I recently bought the Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Hydrating shampoo and Conditioning balm again as it was on sale as a holiday set.
I cannot for the life of me remember why I ever like this because it is the worst shampoo for fine colour-treated (lightened) hair - it does everything else but hydrate! It is very drying and makes my (now long) hair a tangled, frizzy mess.
I will never repurchase this again, as I have combed out clumps of hair after each wash, struggling to detangle each strand.
I also don’t find the smell overly fresh. It’s a heavy botanical smell with a note of funkiness which is even worse on the second day after a wash.

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BrigittaNicole on 1/27/2012 2:40:00 AM more reviews by BrigittaNicole

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

OBSESSED. After the first use my hair literally felt significantly better! The product smells great & feels great. I have extremely long, blonde, color-treated hair, & I would not want to use any other shampoo but this. Great!

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