Let’s talk hair for a second here.

For many people, their hairstylist is one of their best friends. They are psychiatrists, they are friends, they are people who you can share your deepest secrets with. Considering how much I’m into beauty, I can honestly say in the past 10 years I haven’t had a steady stylist. I’m one of those people who when I notice I need a haircut, I need to get into the salon right now. I don’t like waiting for an opening, get me in, get me out.

It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge advocate of the Aveda Institute here in Winnipeg for along time.  The institute opened up a few years back and I’ve been going there since they’ve basically opened their doors. With institutes in five cities across Canada (Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Victoria), these salons are actually hair schools. Yes, my friends, I go to a hair school to get my hair done. That ombre that I had that would get compliments from some of the most renowned hairstylists and brand ambassadors in Canada? That was done by a student at The Aveda Institute.

The school is comprised of both the Institute program, which is a nine-month course learning the fundamentals of hairstyling, and the Academy program, which is for advanced learning.  The Institute is for those who are just getting into hairstyling, whereas the Academy program is designed for those who already have their hairstyling license and want to get additional, advanced training. Aside from the awesome prices, it’s also a very controlled environment.  On the Institute side, the students cannot do anything to your hair until they consult with an educator, who is a seasoned stylist. The Academy side is similar, but the stylists on that side have already worked/are working in the field and are back for advanced learning. Since the school is part of the Aveda brand, you get all the perks that you would get at an Aveda salon, such as the hand massage for colour treatments and a scalp massage for haircuts. The Aveda Institute is also home to a giant Aveda store, which has all the Aveda products that people know and love.

About a month back, the Aveda Institute got in touch with me and asked if I wanted to become a blogger ambassador for the Winnipeg location. I couldn’t say YASSSSSSS fast enough. As I mentioned, I’ve been a long-time supporter of the institute, so I obviously jumped on that opportunity right away. This leads me to yesterday.

I arrived at the Aveda Institute (located at 80 Rorie Street in the Winnipeg’s Exchange District) and met with the Amy, who works on the Academy side and currently training to become an educator at the institute. Amy has worked in Aveda salons for a number of years and only had amazing things to say about the brand (she said that the second day she was on the Academy side, it felt like home). I came in with highlights in mind, and although I absolutely loved my ombre, it was time to change it up. I decided to go Khloe Kardashian blonde, but a subtle blonde ombre towards the end. Amy said she couldn’t quite make me that light, but we would work on getting there.

I ended up getting a full head of highlights, and after about two hours of putting all the foils in, letting them process, washing out the colour and toning my hair, it was time to blow it all out (I also snapped the whole thing, follow me on Snapchat –> apopofcolour)

Once it was all blown out, I fell in love. It’s a lot blonder than what I’m certainly used to, but it just turned out so gorgeous, I probably couldn’t stop smiling by the time my hair was dry and I could see the colour until the time I left the salon.

To style my hair, Amy used an abundance of Aveda products, including Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair for repairs and to protect against heat styling; Smooth Infusion, a nourishing styling cream; and Confixor, a liquid gel. As someone who doesn’t use gel in their hair I was quite surprised Amy chose that product for my blow out, but she said that gel is great for keeping style, and this particular product gives a medium hold and definition while fortifying fine to medium hair. Definitely a tip I’m going to use while doing my own at-home blowout.

After my styling session was done, Amy and I snapped a few photos, then Bianca, the social media ambassador and makeup artist, whisked me away to show me the products, let me know the benefits and the goodwill that Aveda pursues (all their makeup, except for the lipsticks, are vegan; Aveda surprisingly invented the paddle brush; and they give back to the community both locally and around the world, among many other things), as well as give me a tour of the building.  After all that, she gifted me the products that Amy used on my hair, plus their new Shampure Dry Shampoo (you squeeze the bottle to distribute the product instead of it being in an aerosol can, and it’s in their signature Aveda scent) and my favourite hairspray, Air Control.

With the amazing Amy 😉

If you have an Aveda Institute in your city, I highly recommend checking them out. Regardless of this post, I cannot recommend them enough (don’t believe me? I blogged about them for the first time back in 2012 and have been going back ever since). If you want to give them a try and haven’t been yet, they are offering $15 off for new guests, and haircuts start at just $14, AKA you can get a haircut for free. Offer is on until the end of November.

And, that’s not all. I teamed up with the Aveda Institute to host a giveaway for my Winnipeg, Toronto and Vancouver readers.  Enter the Rafflecopter below to enter to win a complimentary cut, colour, and makeup application at the Aveda Institute in either Winnipeg, Toronto, or Vancouver, plus the new Shampure Dry Shampoo. Giveaway runs until November 30 and the winner will be chosen on December 1.

Have you been to the Aveda Institute yet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note, the Aveda Institute Winnipeg comped my services and products in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. They really are awesome!!.