Thinking of Dyeing Your Hair at Home with Garnier® Nutrisse?

You Might Want to Reconsider

The packaging on the Garnier® Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme was lovely, capitalizing on the color one might call "Garnier® Green" - as it is the same used on the line of shampoos and conditioners Garnier® also produces. The price appeared reasonable, at less than 8 bucks from my local drugstore. The hair color, 76 Rich Auburn Blonde aka "Hot Tamale", appeared to be exactly what I'd had in mind. Once I saw the word "nourishing" on the box and realized there was (in addition to the standard developer, colorant and conditioner) a fruit oil concentrate included, I was sold.

When the time came to dye my hair, all seemed to be in order. All the components were present and accounted for, including form-fitting latex gloves, which I was (I am now ashamed to admit) pleased to see. I learned that the fruit oil concentrate actually went in at the developer stage, and after dutifully reading the directions, my assistant and I prepared to turn me into a "Hot Tamale" redhead.

The first problem I noticed was the gloves. I had been pleased, as I said, because they were form-fitting and not the over-sized paper-thin kind one normally sees. As I quickly discovered, however, latex plus hair dye equals lots of pulled hair. I also noticed issue number 2 which was the far-stronger-than-average chemical odor. When she began applying it, my assistant's eyes began to water. We were in a living room with a ceiling fan at the time, so close quarters/poor ventilation were not to blame.

The third issue came when my assistant showed me the first section of my hair to which she had just applied the colorant-developer-fruit oil solution. The hair appeared to be completely dry. I knew the package said "no-drip", but this was rather an extreme definition, I felt. She added a little more and we achieved a sort of oiled look.