Review: Garnier Olia Hair Color in 6.65 Light Garnet Red

First of all... WOW. I was super intrigued when I first saw that Garnier had these 3 lovely Garnet hair shades.

Left to Right:

6.65 Light Garnet Red

5.60 Medium Garnet Red

4.62 Dark Garnet Red

What comes in the box

Image was taken with my iPod and have not been colour corrected.

Left (Then): used mostly burgundy/auburn hair dyes from Revlon Colorsilk and then attempted to ombre with L’oreal Feria.

Right (Now): used Garnier Olia in Light Garnet Red. Love it. Have never had such a vibrant result! 

Garnier Olia in Light Garnet Red (6.65)

This is a lovely red wine shade with cool tones. I was debating whether to purchase this shade or Dark Garnet Red (6.65), because the results on that box showed a more violety red which looked just as pretty. Actually, I love how all three of the Garnet Red shades look. I guess the real reason I chose the lightest shade is because I know my hair doesn't lift colour easily (I do have stubborn, dark Asian hair after all!) :/ And as you can see based on my photo, my hair looks more true to the Medium Garnet Red.

• Pros: 
• 60% oil blends translates to better restoration of healthy hair and preservation of hair colour
• Less damaging and contains less fragrance since it is ammonia-free
• Short waiting time; colour develops pretty quickly. Suggested to leave dye on roots for 10 minutes and elsewhere for an additional 20 minutes
• Hair felt pretty soft after applying the conditioning that comes in box
• Easy application, easy to clean up mess
• Cons: 
• Didn't exactly lift my hair to the colour shown on the box, but I still love the results!

Precautions on Red Hair

If you don't know already, red hair fades the easiest so if you do decide to go for this colour, make sure you are committed or you will be disappointed! 

In general, you should always invest in a good shampoo specifically for colour treated hair. I noticed my hair colours fading less quickly when I switched over to one, such as Vidal Sassoon... but with red hair, I recently purchased the John Frieda Radiant Red Shampoo because it's affordable and particularly for red hair. It is also recommended to wash your hair in cold water to ensure the cuticles are closed so the colour doesn't wash out as fast.

I'll try to take pictures weekly so I can post an update in a month or so.

Review: Vidal Sassoon Color Protect Shampoo & Conditioner

Maintaining your "freshly" dyed hair colour is certainly not easy, especially when it's red. However, after discovering VS's Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner, I've noticed my hair colour fading slower.

My hair background

My hair is pretty damaged from the years of dyeing I've done to it. I have only used drugstore dyes. The last two brands of dyes I used were by Revlon Colorsilk (Burgundy, Auburn) and L'oreal Feria's Ombré kit. As Revlon Colorsilk's dyes contain no ammonia, less damage is done to the hair, but this also means more difficulty in lifting the colour.

When washing your red-dyed hair, it's common, yet unfortunate, to see your sink water becoming reddish because it means your dye is being washed out. This was very apparent to me when I would wash my hair with warm or hot water, or with select shampoos I used such as Tsubaki Shining shampoo with Natural Tsubaki Oil (the red bottle). It made me so sad because I felt like I just killed my hair even more for nothing!

Verdict, Comparisons

Vidal Sassoon's products not only kept shine and moisture to my hair, but it in fact helped with colour preservation. A downside to these products is they do contain sulfate. Sulfate helps with easier lathering to hair, but is also known to be harsh for hair. The next downside, the function of a shampoo itself--- to clean. Compared to my favourite shampoo brand Organix, the VS shampoo does not clean as well as Organix, as my hair gets oily faster. I've previously tried L'oreal's EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System (moisture shampoo & conditioner) and I've used it twice only... Because it made my hair extremely dry! Never again :/ Overall, I do enjoy this product because it gets its job done at a reasonable cost for such a big bottle.