Garnier Releases Study Unveiling New Hair Color Habits of Women During Quarantine

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey conducted by OnePoll, on behalf of Garnier, revealed that the average woman reached for at-home hair color to dye her hair at home four to five weeks into quarantine. 85% said they colored their hair to cover up their grays, and over half of the women polled said they decided to dye their hair a bold color because it seemed like a good opportunity while home. 

"There was a lot of DIY fun colors happing in 2020 since everyone was pretty much stuck at home. Silver-blonde, teal, and a lot of pink were a few of my top favorites," shared Garnier Celebrity Hair Colorist. Nikki Lee. "When trying new colors at home, it's important to make sure you're caring for your hair a bit extra. I like Garnier's Color Reviver Mask because it keeps your color fresh while also conditioning."

The survey, which delves into the hair color habits of 2,000 American women aged 18 and older, pinpointed that one in three women have dyed their hair for the first time at home during quarantine, and most commonly, and unsurprisingly, turned to Instagram (30%) or the internet (29%) to learn how.  

"With so many people turning to at-home hair color during the shutdown, we wanted to ensure they had somewhere to turn for help. We utilized our social channels to share tutorial content as well as details of Garnier's various educational tools, such as our Virtual Shade Selector. We want to continue to be a resource and provide info wherever someone may be searching for it," says Greg Hui, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Garnier USA.

Garnier's study heralds the rise in at-home hair color sales from their collections, including Nutrisse and Olia. As 2020 closes, here is a breakdown of the trends in at-home hair color.

According to research, the average American woman feels that she has aged almost four years over the course of 2020 due to stress from the pandemic. This added stress manifested itself in many ways, including the appearance of new gray hair.  

• Nearly half of the women polled (42%) reported discovering new gray hair during quarantine
• With more than half of women (52.32%) agreeing that they have gone gray faster during quarantine than they would have otherwise
• Half of the women surveyed (50.37%) reported that they dyed their hair during quarantine to cover up grays

Why and how women chose to color their hair at home during quarantine varied. With women trying to keep up some sense of normalcy with their looks during the uncertain times, women did what they had to do to keep their hair color looking fresh.

• Respondents reported various reasons for coloring their hair at home during quarantine, including grown out roots (17.86%) and color fade (15.36%), One in five women also reported that they colored their hair during quarantine for some needed change.
• Four out of five women dyed their hair themselves for the first-time during quarantine (80%)
• Women turned to various sources to learn how to color their hair at home for the first time, including Instagram (30.49%), online websites (29.2%), and YouTube (23.5%)

With quarantine lasting longer than many expected, women had to do their best to determine when and how often to color their hair at home.

• Since the start of quarantine, more than half (88%) of women say they have dyed their hair at home multiple times (more than once)
• Women were eager to maintain their color early into quarantine, with one in three women (31%) first dying their hair at home between 3 and 4 weeks at home, about a quarter (25.04%) first dying at 5 to 6 weeks in, and one-fifth (19.08%) of women holding out until 7 and 8 weeks.

Oftentimes, the most difficult part of coloring hair at home is determining the right product.

• Women used their time at home to try new products and shades they might not have otherwise. Nearly half of respondents (42.7%) reported trying a new brand of at-home hair dye than they have used before, and about a third of women (37.2%) reported that they tried a color that they might not have otherwise because they were at home.
• Various factors are considered when deciding on what brand of hair color to use at home. First and foremost, nearly half of women considered the price and value of the brand (48.9%) followed by how long the color would last (44.5%). Next, about a third of women looked for brands, such as Garnier Nutrisse and Garnier Olia, with a large range in color options (39.5%), brands that would not damage their hair (36.4%), how available and easy it would be to get the product (34.6%) and the level of chemicals found in the formula (33.7%).
• Women shared concerns about coloring hair at home for the first time. Nearly half of women shared concerns about if the end results would be as desired (47.8%) and if they were selecting the right shade (42.7%), while a third of women (33.6%) were concerned about damaging their hair. Garnier aims to help ease the shade selection process for women with their Shade Selector to allow users to try hair color shades on virtually in store or online.

Quarantine has proven to be a time for experimentation among women as well, especially when it came to their hair color.

• During quarantine, a quarter of women (25.54%) reported using a color care mask, such as Garnier's Nutrisse Color Reviver 5-Min Mask, and another quarter of women (24.44%) tried at-home hair color for the first time. About one-third of women reported dying their hair with bleach or going blonde.
• Some experimented a bit more with daring shades, like shades in the Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color. More than half (54.55%) of women who dyed their hair during quarantine decided to try a new, bold shade for the first time.
• Respondents found inspiration from a number of people and places, including social media (30.4%) and celebrities (40.83%), while others (42.18%) reported utilizing the opportunity to try something new since they did not need to leave the house.
• This unexpected opportunity to go bold may have even inspired some women to stick to their new, bold shades, with two-thirds (62.45%) of respondents reporting they would be likely to turn to a bold color again next year.

With many women coloring their hair for the first time or reaching for shades outside of their typical choices during quarantine, it will be interesting to see how hair color behavior continues to shift once life returns to "normal" after quarantine.

• Most respondents plan to keep their hair color more traditional shades found in the Garnier Nutrisse or Olia lineup, such as brown (25.27%), black (20.65%), blonde (10.98%), and red (8.76%).
• More than two-thirds (66.75%) of women plan to continue to dye their hair at home, with one in three (31.99%) planning to exclusively color their hair at home.

About Garnier USA 
Garnier, a L'Oréal USA brand, was developed in 1904 in France by hair care expert Alfred Amour Garnier and is now present in more than 65 countries worldwide. Following the launch of Garnier in the United States in 1999 with Nutrisse hair color, the brand has continued to develop beauty products with a keen awareness of its responsibility to you and the planet. The entire collection of Garnier brands available in the U.S. includes Nutrisse, Fructis hair care and Fructis Style, Olia hair color, Color Sensation hair color, SkinActive and Whole Blends hair care.

For more information visit www.garnierusa.com or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Snapchat @GarnierUSA.

For Press Inquiries Please Contact
Danielle Macaluso
Garnier, AVP Brand Communications
212.984.4799
[email protected] 

Lauren Larkin or Donna Valle
Alison Brod Marketing Communications
212.230.1800
[email protected] 

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SOURCE Garnier