Flower Power in 2013

BzzAgent Campaign Garnier Olia

   I am not afraid to admit it, I am not ashamed to say it…I color my hair!  And I have been coloring it for a few years now to hide a couple of pesky grays.   Eventually I will get to the point where I do not mind the grays, but for now, I plan to continue to color. 

  
   Like many of us, I do not want to spend the money it takes to regularly have my hair professionally colored, so I do it myself in the comfort of my own home.  Because of this, I have had plenty of experience with a variety of hair color brands, and I have found that for the most part, they are all quite similar in the way they work.  Although some last longer and provide more vibrant color, I have also found that they all have the same overpowering chemical smell.  And because of those chemicals, my hair, which tends to be on the dry side anyway, always winds up even more dried out and much less shiny than usual at least for the first couple of days after I color it.

   Recently, as a BzzAgent, I had the opportunity to try the new Garnier Olia for free as part of a BzzCampaign.  I had already seen commercials advertising the fact that this hair color uses natural flower oils as opposed to ammonia and other chemicals, so I was excited at having the chance to give it a try!
    As soon as my BzzKit arrived, I was out the door and to headed to the store with my coupon good for one free kit.  Although I knew the exact shade I wanted, I was still surprised by the wide variety of the 24 vibrant shades offered.  Despite all of the choices, I stuck with my original choice of the Dark Intense Auburn.

    The kit came complete with everything I needed including the developer, colorant, color care conditioner, applicator, instructions and a pair of gloves.  The entire process was easy and took about 30 minutes for an all over color. I want to go ahead and say here that my husband actually did the entire process so I was able to take photos, and he did a fantastic job!

  First you pour the developer into the applicator bottle, then you add the colorant and shake well until it is completely mixed.  Mine went from a white color to a pale reddish-orange. The first thing I noticed as soon as we began mixing the developer and the colorant was the amazing lack of smell! There was absolutely not even a hint of ammonia!


   Once mixed, you add it to your hair using the tip of the applicator to separate sections, then apply the color working it from the roots outward towards the tips.  At this point I was able to smell a light floral scent that made the entire experience much more pleasant! In fact, I was so surprised by the lack of a chemical smell, that at one point I actually wondered aloud if it was even working!

   Once my hair was completely saturated, I let it sit for approximately 30 minutes.  I then massaged it through my hair a bit more right before rinsing with warm water until the water ran clear.  I next added the color care conditioner, let it sit for 2 minutes, then once again rinsed my hair.  After that, I was finished!  Simple and quick!

  I did notice that the color was much more vibrant than others when it was completely worked into my hair.  And the texture of the dye was different as well, the more you worked it in, the more thick and sticky or tacky it became. It was definitely a lot different feeling than the thin liquid-type texture I was used to using.

  Once I rinsed the dye, I could immediately tell a difference in the dryness of my hair even before I added the conditioner.  It was no where near as dry as it is with other coloring kits I have used!  It did, however, take a bit longer to rinse than usual until the water ran clear. After adding the conditioner, I was able to easily run a comb through it, and then once the conditioner was rinsed and my hair dried with a towel, I was impressed with how soft and smooth it felt.
  Finally the moment of truth.  I looked in the mirror and was amazed!  Not only was the color rich, vibrant and even distributed, but my hair was actually very shiny – shiny to an extent I have never before experienced with hair color!

So my verdict ?  I love this hair color!  I am amazed at the lack of harsh chemical smell, the pleasant floral scent and the vibrancy of the final result.  Garnier Olia is my new at-home hair color brand! 
   Experience the flower power yourself!  You can find Garnier Olia at many grocery stores, drug stores and mass merchandisers, as well as at plenty of online stores!




****As a member of BzzAgent, I received this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion.   All opinions are my own.