As a brunette with color-treated hair, I can speak for all of us—toning is a never-ending maintenance issue. Whether our stylists work upon requests of “cool toned highlights,” the “bronde baby lights,” or the “I want an ashy balayage,” one thing’s for certain: brass will take over the ash within a few weeks.

I’ve been color-treating my hair for around four years now, and let me just say, my haircare routine has been switched and switched and switched. Naturally, I’m definitely a darker brunette, and so when I began highlighting, the cool-toned brightness just never stayed. My skin tone can’t really handle yellow highlights—warm-toned blondeness just doesn’t go with my overall complexion; so all in all, toning has become quite a constant battle—that is until I got my hands on Eva NYC Hair Care.

Let’s start from the beginning.

In eighth grade, like any bored middle schooler, a hair switch up was at the top of my list. After viewing many “hairspo” Pinterest images, I showed my stylist a photo, and within a couple hours, I had a beautiful, blended, ashy balayage. My hair looked better than it ever had, and then I washed it a couple times.

Anyone who has experienced dark to light tone managing knows my pain. The cool-tones go warm, and there lies yellow highlights. For the next three years, my hairdresser regularly toned, glazed, and melted my hair. I went from blonde to dark brown to brunette with babylights to heavier highlights to where I am today. Eventually, the time consumption of toning became too much, and I resorted to purple, toning shampoos—and let me say, I’ve tried them all.

From Pureology to Amika to Kristin Ess to Briogeo, Matrix, Oribe, R+Co, Kérastase, dpHUE, and back again, until I finally found Eva NYC at Ulta Beauty.

When conducting my monthly waltz through the aisles of Ulta Beauty, Eva NYC Hair Care’s “Tone It Down Blonde Shampoo” and “Tone It Down Blonde Conditioner” caught my eye. I purchased the 33.8 oz bottles which retail for $24.99 each—and looking from a product to price ratio, 25 bucks is a steal.

Off the bat, I loved the actual packaging of the product; pump bottles, honestly, are so much better from a utility standpoint. Plus, the bottles are a nice lilac shade which is aesthetically pleasing in my bathroom. The packaging is also made from 100% recyclable aluminum, meaning it can continue to be recycled forever. 

Collide phenomenal hair care with environmentally friendly packaging and leave me never parting with this line.

The formula, and I can’t emphasize this enough, is a cure to brass. I was so impressed upon even my first use. My hair is decently dry, so I wash my hair maybe every third day, and this shampoo and conditioner duo definitely works well with that schedule; even by day three, my hair is not greasy. 

I have to touch on the scent of this hair care duo because I love, love, love it. Eva NYC names this their “blue ginger fragrance,” including notes of white rose, fig, mandarin, coconut, ginger, and more. The best way I can describe it is warm, sweet, and citrusy. Not only is the scent addicting, but it also lasts. Haircare lines often lack a long-lasting scent, but this line carries fragrance day and night.

After using this set, my hair was bright, shiny, and soft. The product is gentle with cleansing and does not strip my hair, which is essential for me, with having dry hair. The ultra-violet hue of the products neutralizes yellow, brassy tones, and I’m refreshed with the highlights I left the salon with.

Color-treating is definitely not something I plan to quit anytime soon, and in turn, I certainly won’t be parting with Eva NYC. Earning more than my stamp of approval, I can’t wait to begin sampling other items from this innovative and planet-kind brand.