Boxed Hair-Dye: Garnier VS Revlon
Find out which boxed hair-dye works best for a good home-makeover
Brand from left to right: Garnier $9.90, Revlon $7.60
By Michella Lim
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Wrinkle is perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind when you talk about ageing. But the second thing that definitely comes to your mind has to be grey hair. It is a given that once you get to a certain age, you will start seeing strands of grey. For most people, it’s when they are past 40. But the real pain lies in premature greying.
A few may deal with the situation by plucking it off, and some may choose to grab a boxed dye at local stores to conceal it. “Boxed dye is a good way to disguise grey hairs if you wish to hide them at a low cost,” said Lee Jia Xian, 29, part-time hair dresser at Hair Direction.
According to Channel NewsAsia Lifestyle, contrary to common beliefs, stress and trauma do not cause hair to grey. The presence of a pigment called melanin, produced by the hair follicles, is what makes our hair black in the first place. Then, factors such as ageing, diet, and vitamin deficiency are the problems which cause our hair follicles to produce less melanin. Hence, causing greying effect.
“Some brands customers often go for is Revlon and Garnier,” said Jia Xian. “Because both are cheap and often found in stores,” she added.
Since the holidays are nearing, I decided to give both brands a try and give my honest reviews for you to make a better option for your next purchase.
Brand from left to right: Garnier $9.90, Revlon $7.60
Every boxed dye contains the same 3 items; cream colour developer, colour mixture, and conditioner. One bad user experience Garnier has done it is not having a proper bottle for users to apply. Bonus points for both not having pungent smell while applying like how salon dyes would have.
Garnier did a bad job by not providing a proper bottle for users to mix the dye and colour mixture together. Thankfully, both provided one-time gloves! Great point by Revlon is that its boxed dye is ammonia-free and its mixture includes keratin; a protein that protects our hair from damage or stress.
Garnier did not provide bottle to mix the dye so I had to use my own container
Few days later, I took a picture of my hair again. The colour became patchy for Garnier and nonexistent for Revlon. Colorsilk was obvious only after I have dyed but it gradually fades off after a few washes.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for cheaper alternative, Revlon definitely has a cheaper price point. For colour wise, both did an equally good job at first but colour seems to be fading. Or perhaps it was not done professionally and taken care of properly by me.
Jia Xian also shared a few tips to also maintain coloured hair:
1. Use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner
By using sulfates, there is a chance of stripping your hair of its natural oil. This can lead to stripping your colour-treated hair as well.
2. Avoid heat on your coloured hair
Hot showers, heat styling, and exposure to sunlight— these can open your hair cuticles and can potentially wash out your colour.
3. Go for lesser hair wash days
It may sound less ideal for many people, but there is no need to wash your hair so often. It fades your colour faster and causes hair to dry out. Use a dry shampoo on no-wash days to soak up excess oil.
4. Opt for filtered shower
Water filters have the ability to remove 90% of chlorine and harsh chemicals from normal tap water. This prevents hair colour from fading fast.