My review in a nutshell: Two thumbs up!
Color: accurate, Condition: Great!
Now the details for anyone with a longer attention span: I was really excited to try the new Garnier Olia Haircolor. I have been coloring my hair off and on for quite a while (alternating with highlights or doing both) and I have come to think that most haircolor brands are pretty interchangeable. I am partial to Revlon Colorsilk - dependable, inexpensive & predictable. (Also, it is one of the few brands that do not test on animals.) I learned through an introduction from BzzAgent for a free product trial that Garnier Olia uses an oil based formula, which logically seemed like it would provide greater conditioning during the hair coloring process. But would oil allow for good color penetration?
The answer is a glorious “YES”! I have to admit I was high fiving myself in the bathroom while my hair was still WET since I could see that the tone of the color was much less red than haircolor products I have used in the past. Once dry, I could see that the color came out very true to the swatch on the box ( which admittedly can be skewed by the lighting in the store). In my years of past experience, I find that the word “golden” usually means “red” in haircolor parlance, so I try to avoid warm shades so I don’t look orangey in two weeks. I use either “natural” or “cool” shades, all the while secretly longing for a color which is truly “golden” in the strictest sense of the word. Not brassy, not reddish, but GOLD. Well, I think I may have found it!
I used Dark Blonde (7), which I selected after live chatting with an on-line Garnier Consultant. I let her know my concerns about brassiness/redness and she recommended the Dark Blonde. I may get gutsy and try a little bit lighter shade next time as she shared that the Olia products 8 and above use 30 volume developer rather than the 20 volume, but I was happy with the results of the color I chose. It is a little darker than what I had on my hair already (Medium Blonde, which had admittedly gone brassy plus my light brown roots mixed with a little gray and some lighter blonde ends, as I have been playing with ombre trend.) Overall, a great choice and it will undoubtedly lose some saturation with shampooing. It came out very close to the shade shown on the packaging.
On to the process. Directions are simple and straightforward. The whole process was standard operating procedure for anyone who is a haircolor veteran. The only differences were the stylish black plastic gloves provided and a shorter wait time than I am used to. (A plus when the husband may be arriving home at any moment!) Some of the haircolors I have used in the past have a 45-55 minute processing time. The Garnier Olia takes 30 minutes all together. The bottle is nice - I liked it not for the round shape, but the wide mouth, since the first thing I did was dispense the color instead of the developer as instructed. The color has a thicker consistency and would be more likely to stick to the container, possibly preventing a good mix with the developer. The wide mouth let me have better access with a spatula, which I used to really stir up the mixture instead of just shaking it and hoping for the best. The roundness of the container did not add anything for me - it got slippery as I applied the color, and the shape did not make it easier to hold on to. It looked cool, though!
Tick tock, wait for it to be done. The mixture has a nice consistency. It’s thin enough to be able to expel it easily form the applicator, but not so runny it was dripping everywhere. It has a nice scent as advertised. Floral and not a harsh chemical smell. The conditioner is great - sometimes they are hard to rinse out completely, but this one smells wonderful and rinses with a clean feeling. Overall, a good experience!
Very happy with the color as it came out.. Very easy, very good results! Just a last word about the animal testing, though. I can’t help but feel that creation of a new beauty products is not a justifiable excuse to hurt animals. It’s not like this stuff is going to cure cancer or anything. So I am not sure if my vanity or morality will win out over this one for making a permanent switch.
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