Product Reviews Rated 4.12 out of 5 stars
282 Reviews
Most Helpful Positive Review Simply amazing. I know this review is lengthy but only because I LOVE this shampoo. Let me tell you, when I received this product, I was nervous. Seeing as it was a color depositing shampoo, and the instructions say to avoid your scalp (because of staining), I was upset. I dance for 2 hours every day and by the end I am a greasy/sweaty MESS. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get my same "clean" feeling as I do with my old shampoo. But I have been using this daily and I can honestly say my hair is so clean after using it but not that dry overly "squeaky" clean like some shampoos. This is a genuine CLEAN that didn't strip my hair of any moisture. The scent is great, very fresh and not overly fragrant or unnatural smelling. On top of that, it WORKS. I am a natural medium-deep brunette and I've got red/copper undertones that are clearly visible in natural lighting, mainly towards to ends of my hair. Not anymore though! I've got beautiful, soft, and shiny deep chocolate hair now and I've been using it for a week now! My only real complaint is that it can be a little tedious to use. Since it can stain, they recommend wearing gloves and keeping it off the scalp as stated previously. I didn't think it would stain that bad, so I put it in my hair one day without gloves and the dye had gotten under my fingernails and it looked like I had dirt under them, as well as product having dripped down the back of my neck and leaving a bit of darkness there. Overall though, this product is great and I truly do recommend it to any brunette who wants to get rid of those red tones and have a nice, rich chocolatey brown color. ***The before and after pictures are attached and this was after just one wash!***
Most Helpful Critical Review Strips the hair completely and primes for the mask. It is a shampoo that uses sulfates (which most people seem to try and avoid nowadays) but is good for clarifying the hair completely. If that's what you want, then it is great for that. If you have curly hair like myself and avoid these types of shampoos, then beware and use sparingly when it's time to clarify. Clarifying is important on occasion though, to make your hair fresh again and products take better - particularly for the purposes for this product line that cools the hair. I'm also a bit unsure why silicone has to be a main ingredient in this - it has the potential to counteract the clarifying since silicones are prone to build-up and blocking out additional moisture for the hair.
Ironically I feel like this shampoo would not be good for the mask in this product line since it would strip out the effects. So if the cooling effect of the Dark Envy line looks good on you and you want it to last + you wash your hair fairly often, I'd recommend a more gentle shampoo.
All in all this shampoo definitely has a purpose especially for this line of products but it wouldn't my go to shampoo.
Reviewed by 282 customers Great Green 4
LMB from Indianapolis
I love this shampoo but it does stain your hands yellow which is so weird. Also, the large 34 oz bottle is a menace. It fell from the side of the tub onto my toe and cut it open.
I will buy this product again 5
Amy H from Dandridge, TN
I don't have a lot of gray, maybe 10%, but what I have shines through my naturally dark hair. This shampoo tones down the gray and makes it less noticeable. Love that!
Con is I think it discolors around my fingernails!
LOVE LOVE LOVE 5
Tre from Orange county
My only complaint is I'm pretty sure they r discontinuing this product and I just found it
Itchy scalp 3
V from Grand Rapids, MI
I tried this after my hair stylist recommended it after dying my hair brown. I caused my scalp to burn and itch and i didnt notice a difference in neutralizing red tones in my hair. Definitely returning!
Smells amazing but didn't work at all 2
kellyc from AZ
I colored my hair a dark ash brown and was hoping this work help preserve my color. Unfortunately it did nothing but stain my nails. My hair color faded in less than a month.
I love it! 5
Netty Spaghetti from Texas
I mix this with a small amount of blue shampoo and some water (to thin out just a bit), and put it in my hair. It's a great toner for when you can't tone. Let it sit for a few minutes, 10-15. Rinse out with coolest water you can handle without hating life, condition, rinse with cool water and bam, toned hair. Putting colored shampoo in dry hair will allow for the color to penetrate the hair better.
Smells great, but didn't neutralize my redness 2
Jmel from State College Pa
I was so excited to try this. My hair is dark brown, but gets very red in tone during the summer months. My natural hair no longer matched my hair extensions , and so I wanted something that would take out the red tone, without having to bleach and color my hair to match the extensions again.
I will admit, that I only bought the shampoo, and not the 3 part system, so maybe that was why it didn't work too well to get rid of the red, but it did nothing to change my tone. Because the shampoo didn't work, I am hesitant to buy the conditioner and mask.
It does smell really nice and left my hair feeling soft, so it wasn't a total waste, it just didn't do anything for my red/brown hair.
Hair saver 5
Mags from San Francisco
So I was playing with Keisteness mauve leave in conditioner which left my hair super red… not at all burgundy. I definitely do not like red hair for myself… so I looked for something to tone down my red according to the color wheel. I tried this shampoo and the mask and was blown away by the results. I now use this for shine and to cool down my red tones.
Kinda? 3
LisaMarie from Chicago
I was worried based on reviews. It definitely helped tone down some red and ash my color out. But it's not as effective as I would have hoped. Hair texture is still super soft, no staining at all on my skin, bathroom, or towels.
Contains sulfates 1
Maven from Tn!USA
Because of the sulfates, I can NOT in good conscience, recommend Matrix.
Nope 1
KitKat from California
Doesn't work. Still see red undertones. Made no difference.
Very Heavy In Silicones & Made My Hair Feel Waxy 2
Bethany from Gastonia, NC
I use products w/ silicones in my hair care regimen, but I should've known better when I saw that a silicone was among this shampoos first four ingredients...
After washing and styling my hair as usual, it felt as if I had dipped my hair into some candle wax. Sooo gross. The next day when I used my regular shampoo, it felt fine again. It had to be this shampoo. The color deposit was very rich though.
Unfortunately since many brands haven't came out w/ dark green shampoo yet, I'm stuck using this one. I use it once weekly, letting it sit in my hair for about 5 min, then follow through with a small amount of my usual shampoo (briogeo) to wash out the waxy build up.
It Works ! Really happy with it :) 5
Chels from CA
I was not sure what to expect due to some lower reviews but I'm really surprised at how well this product works . I use a semi permeant hair dye to dye my hair brown and it has strong red undertones . So I bought this to tone my hair and it really does the job to cancel out those red tones . It doesn't stain my hands too which is great. It has a masculine smell but I don't mind it smells good . Also I love how soft my hair feels , its so smooth and I can't stop touching it .
Boy does this stain! 4
Clevemomma from Ohio
Bought the blue bottle of the shampoo previously. My hair turns red when colored. I have a very dark brown base but it picks up orange. Tried the blue shampoo and it didn't really work for me. Switch to this green envy shampoo and it's giving me the ashy look I am looking for. I've only used it once but it feels less harsh as well. The other matrix shampoo felt very stripping and my hair was very course, even with conditioner. My only complaint is that it's extremely staining. I had to put bleach in my shower to get rid of the drops and my hand still had a green tiny after several handwashings. I'm sure it will wear off by the end of the day but beware. Once I was done washing my hair and putting conditioner in, I put my hair up in a plastic hair tie until I rinsed it out. I was concerned it would stain my back or ears based on how my hands looked. As far as I can tell it didn't.
Cannot stop touching my hair! 5
Lexi Lou from PCB, Florida
I recently got this shampoo to use once a week after I had my hair colored. I couldn't stop using it because it makes my hair feel so amazing. You know that clean feeling that some shampoos and conditioners leave you with? That kind of clean! I know every product is different for every type of hair but I will be using this until it no longer works for my hair. I can't stop touching it and running my fingers through it.
**It does stain around my nails but I have a nail brush in my shower and I just scrub my nails after and it helps or most of the time, completely gets rid of the dark stains! So I recommend that method to help.
**Also has not stained my scalp or my skin around my head as I let it sit in the shower.
Works great 4
Gloria from Tampa florida
Definitely makes my dark hair color last longer. However the tips of my fingers are always stained from lathering it into my hair. The stains are mostly in the grooves of my fingerprints and knuckles.
Copper Color 1
DC from FL
Washed it once, no change. Put larger amount in hair and let it set a while, then it turned a burnt orange / coppery color. It's really horrible.
REALLY tones warmth 5
Audrey from San Antonio, TX
I have light/medium dyed brown hair that I previously had vibrant orange. Over time the orange starts peeking through. This shampoo works SO well to bring me back to neutral/beige brunette in a relatively short amount of time. If I leave it longer (15 minutes) I can get my color more cool/ash toned. The shampoo isn't super drying and doesn't make my color fade any faster than normal (I shampoo 2x a week) and the green doesn't stain my skin, shower, or towels despite being so dark and pigmented.
If you have brown hair and battle brass and warmth - Get this. It's wonderful!
Easier than dyeing but way more expensive! 3
Pantsy from Conneautville
To be honest, not worth it.
Will not work on heathy hair. 3
Alexandria from Lubbock, TX
I've used this shampoo on both wet and dry hair, even leaving it on for up to 10 minutes, and it will not stick to healthy hair. It will only stick to porous hair (AKA severely damaged hair). I've tried the Matrix Dark Envy mask, and that stuff works SO good in one use and lasts me 3 or more washes after one application. The mask lasts me many months since I only have to use it once a week. I will definitely be going back to using their mask since it actually works on my healthy hair. This shampoo smells good though. Please be careful when using it because it WILL stain your finger nails dark purple (it has violent hues in there if you read the ingredient list), and stained my bath tub. Haven't had problems with other pigmented shampoos. But it smells decent. Not overpowering.
I would not buy again 2
Ashley from Anoka Minnesota
This product smells really good it is black out of the bottle iv been using it for over a week and see no noticeable difference in my hair besides its dry I got the shampoo and conditioner
Used on natural brunette hair 5
Brookie from Beckley WV
Does the trick! My virgin hair was two completely different colors at the root and ends, I paired this with the toning mask from this line and notice such a huge difference after one use. My hair is darker, has less orange and red in it, and looks healthier and shinier. My ends especially have new life and I couldn't be happier. Used as directed.
Definitely Works! 5
HayhayS from Oregon
The whole Dark Envy set by Matrix works very well if you use all three products (shampoo, conditioner, and especially the mask). The shampoo doesn't stain your hands, but the mask would be more prone to do so, so I would recommend wearing gloves for that part.
Smells great, and doesn't leave your hair feeling dry.
If this stuff can work on me, having hard water and going from blonde back to dark brown with lots of red/orange undertones, I'm sure it will work for anyone!
Love 5
La Pachuquita from Ventura
I definitely noticed a difference in color with my hair.
not so sure 3
sara from florida
I just used this for the first time because I have dyed black hair and I hate when it begins to fade and my natural red undertones in my hair start to show up; the ingredient list is kind of iffy and tbh my scalp feels kind of irritated right now so idk how I feel about it in all honesty. I wish there was something like this without sulfates and all the icky ingredients; I usually use sun bum and that makes my hair feel really soft and doesn't irritate my scalp, might just stick to the sun bum tbh