Guest Post – Garnier Olia Hair Color Gets a Gold Medal

Hi! I’m Teri B Clark, a friend of Meg’s. I have been following Meg’s blog for the past year and following Meg in general for the past 10! She asked me if I’d like to be a guest blogger on This Big Happy, and I was thrilled to do so! A few words about me: I’m the mother of 4, I’ve been homeschooling for the past 18 years, I’m a professional writer, I love to pinch pennies, thrift shopping makes me excited, I’m learning to play the piano, I love to read, and I love to take photographs.

As my first post, I am going to review a new product: Garnier Olia Hair Color. As a disclosure, I was given a free coupon for the product and asked to review it. I am not being paid to have a certain opinion, so what I write is entirely my own doing.

I typically color my hair every 6 to 8 weeks. However, with an early December illness, Christmas and guests, the busyness of a new year and homeschooling, driver’s ed, a new volunteer position, and general life, I haven’t colored my hair in 4 months. The color didn’t look so bad because I also hadn’t cut my hair and all the blond was still at the ends. Since I wear my hair “messy”, it was tolerable. However, that all changed when I got my hair drastically cut on Thursday. By the time my hair was shaped up, there was no blond to be found. What was left was some dark brown and a lot of gray. I felt VERY old, to say the least.

Typically, I get my hair color from a beauty supply store. I buy L’Oreal #10, a 20 weight developer, and then my gloves and dispenser. This costs me about $7. This time, however, I used my free coupon for Garnier Olia. It came with everything I needed: color, developer, gloves, dispenser, AND a conditioner specifically for colored hair. If I didn’t have a coupon, the price of this kit would have been $8.97 at Walmart. The price was very comparable.

There are 24 different shades to choose from, although Walmart only carried 12 of them. I figured I would use the 10 blonde, but it looked too platinum. I always try for a more natural look. So, I went with the 9. I used the photos on the back of the box which show you your current color and then what you can expect from the color treatment. I can tell you that I loved the color I got and it was remarkably close to the photo representation on the box.

My two biggest complaints with hair color treatments is the smell and the harshness. I hate the smell of hair treatments. It is such an ugly chemical smell that usually lingers for 2 to 3 days. Garnier Olia does not have that smell! It is oil based instead of ammonia based. It smells like shampoo. And there is no lingering smell. I finished coloring my hair only 9 hours ago, and you would never know it by smelling my hair. My daughter, who gets headaches from chemical smells, and typically complains loudly when I color my hair, was very pleasantly surprised. Additionally, the treatment didn’t leave my head stinging. Instead of the chemical burn feeling, my head felt pampered.

My final complaint is that no matter what the color treatment claims, my gray hair always shows
through. Garnier Olia claims 100% gray coverage and they were absolutely right. I’ve looked with a fine tooth comb and cannot find one gray hair.

If I could make any changes to the kit, I would make the developer container smaller so that it was easier to squeeze out. I would also go back to a regular applicator bottle instead of the pretty shaped one they provided. Although pretty, it was harder to hold, especially with gloves.

All in all, I give it a perfect 10 and a gold medal award. I will be using this color treatment in 6 weeks as I prepare for my son’s wedding. I am certain that my hair will look as good as it can!

Please visit Teri at her website, http://www.teribclark.com/