Garnier Olia vs Nutrisse hair dye – who will win the hair dye battle when we put them HEAD TO HEAD?
Whether you want a radical change or a temporary hair glow up – dyeing your hair at home has never been so easy.
From Garnier to L’Oreal, John Frieda, Nice n Easy, Revlon, Clairol…the choice of top products and brand names and products to choose from is never-ending.
There’s nothing like that feeling when you look in the mirror after dyeing your hair at home and realising, phew! you picked the right hair dye for you. So let’s compare the best of the best.
Let’s put Garnier Olia and Nutrisse hair dye HEAD to HEAD!
Contents
Which hair dye brand is right for me?
There are many things you need to consider when it comes to finding that one faithful and trusty hair dye that’s best for you.
Colour of course is up there. As is choosing whether you want a permanent or semi-permanent dye.
But things like ease of application, how long the colour lasts and even how good it smells are all part of the at-home, hair dyeing experience.
Do I need semi-permanent or permanent hair dye?
One of the biggest things you’ll need to decide is between permanent or semi permanent colour. We cover this in our rather amazing guide here
The basic differences are:
Semi-permanent
- Is a slight tonal change
- Covers and coats your hair
- Can cover greys
- Contains no peroxide
- Last for about 10-12 washes
Permanent
- More coverage
- More change
- Absorbs into your hair
- Contains peroxide
- Lasts 12-24 washes
Which one you chose depends on the colour and condition of your hair now, as well as which colour you want to be. Choose wisely!
If you’ve never dyed your hair before, check out How to dye your hair at home | The foolproof guide for beginners.
Two of the big hair dye names go Head to Head!
We adore Garnier Olia and Nutrisse hair dyes for their nourishing, oil-powered properties.
They’re both made by Garnier, so what’s the difference? Let’s put Garnier Olia vs Nutrisse creme HEAD to HEAD to determine which one is right for you!
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TOP PICK! IT’S A TIE!
Garnier Olia vs Nutrisse – Healthier hair vs long lasting colour.
We have a tie! We love both of these hair dyes equally for different reasons. Both have oil fortifying goodness that makes our hair feel shiny and soft. Both are easy to apply and give fantastic colour results.
What separates the two is that Nutrisse box dyes contain ammonia and Olia doesn’t. So although Olia is better for the long-term health of your hair, Nutrisse colour will last for longer, so you don’t have to dye it as much. Read on!
Garnier Olia – Light Brown Hair Dye Permanent.
Range of colours:
Olia promises 100% grey coverage in 36 brilliant shades that range from lustrous Blacks to luminous baby Blondes. It also includes bold and fantasy shades which Nutrisse does not. We particularly love their copper, deep rose and ash blonde colours and their light brown which we used for our review.
They say:
- Permanent Hair Dye
- No Ammonia for a pleasant scent
- 60% Oil-powered hair colour
- Maximum colour performance
- Visibly improves the quality of hair
Reviewers say:
“I was a bit wary about trying this because I’ve used light brown dyes before that have actually turned out really dark when they’re on. However, this is not the case! My hair is a beautiful light brown and none of my wispy grey hairs are visible!”
“I love everything about this dye, the application was easy, I like the application bottle too, it didn’t have a horrible smell to it and it’s such a stunning colour!”
“This hair dye left my hair very shiny and well conditioned. My hair reflected the light and had different tones. Covered grey easily and has not faded at all.”
“Very good hair dye. It covers every grey hair on my head. It smells nice. One pack was enough for medium length hair. I recommend Olia hair dyes to everyone.”
“I have tried this brand before and was curious to see how other colours work for me and I’m so happy I did. I love the way my hair feels and the condition the colour gave me. Definitely would recommend it for that nourished hair look!”
We say:
Garnier Olia is a revolutionary hair dye. It’s the first permanent home hair colour powered by oil, not ammonia.
Basically it means that there’s enough oil in the colourant and developer to ‘deliver’ the colour into your hair without using frizz making ammonia. So it’s better for your hair and also your nose as you don’t get that super strong, whiffy ammonia smell.
The application.
It’s a difference you can really feel from when you first put it on. We tried the Light Brown colour on mousy dark blonde natural hair that was longing for lushness. The formula is thick and easy to apply and smells kinda fruity.
There’s oil in the colour AND the formula and it really feels like you’re putting a deep conditioner in your hair.
The instructions are easy to follow and the gloves are good quality too. We left it on for 30 minutes as instructed.
The colour.
As if that wasn’t enough nourishment, included in the box is a Silk and Shine Conditioner. There was more than enough for our shoulder length hair and some for the next wash too.
The resulting colour was a gorgeous, multi-dimensional soft brown with shimmering natural lights.
It gave a good overall coverage but we weren’t testing with grey hair, you may have to leave it to develop for longer for that.
Best of all, our hair felt totally revitalised. It was dry at the ends and after this they were soft and silky from root to tip.
Because it doesn’t use ammonia, the colour may not last as long as Nutrisse, but if you dye your hair regularly, healthier hair should be top of your list.
Pros:
- No ammonia.
- Easy to apply.
- Feel likes you’re applying a hair mask.
- Great conditioning properties.
- Restores the health of your hair.
- Gorgeous colour results.
Cons:
- Colour may not last as long without ammonia for the permanent dyes.
Overall verdict: 9/10
Garnier Nutrisse – Golden Light Brown
Range of colours:
Over 40 gorgeous colours all in the natural hair colour palette with a wide variety of blondes and browns. We particularly love the reds in this range like Natural Dark Red, Fiery Red and Rose gold.
But to keep Garnier Olia vs Nutrisse fair, we’re going for their light brown hair dye too.
They say:
- Up to 100% grey coverage.
- Enriched with 3 oils.
- Rich and long lasting hair colour performance
- Silky, shiny hair.
- Intensely nourishes and protects against hair dryness.
- Nourished hair for better colour
- Fresh, fruity fragrance.
Reviewers say:
“I switched to Nutrisse as Belle Color shades were getting harder to find. I’m glad I did! I definitely prefer the conditioner of Nutrisse. Nice quality colour.”
“Love this. The colour was more or less exactly as on the box (that never happens!!) for once I didn’t come out with dark hair!”
“My hair was super soft and shiny…even before applying the conditioner my hair didn’t feel dried out after the dye.”
“Very impressed with this hair dye. I’m pretty much a pro when it comes to hair dye and this one is deffo in my top three.”
“I found this to be much darker than it was indicated on the box. My hair was naturally brown with very light highlights, now it is a very warm medium brown overall.”
We say:
Garnier are all about the oils so Nutrisse Creme contains them too – in a wonderfully fragrant formula infused with a combination of avocado, olive, and shea oils.
Nutrisse also contains ammonia and that’s the real difference between the two hair dyes.
Ammonia makes sure your colour penetrates deeper into your hair. But it’s more damaging, drying out your hair and wearing away at the condition of your hair over time.
The application.
The box includes plastic gloves, a tube of colouring crème, developer, which lifts out pigment from your hair, and a packet of fruit oil concentrate.
This smells lovely – and tasty! It contains avocado, shea, grape seed, and coconut oils, to gently conditions hair without damaging your locks.
Mixing them all together was simple and the application was just as easy as applying Olia although the gloves were not as good.
It only takes around 25 minutes to develop and again we used naturally brown, virgin hair to test it.
The colour.
The resultant colour is fabulous. More golden than Olia’s light brown and a much more vibrant shade. It is a little darker than the box so go for a shade lighter than you want to be.
Our hair is not as soft and silky as Olia but still in lovely condition. The main thing is that the colour is fade resistant thanks to the ammonia so you won’t have to dye your hair as often.
Pros:
- Conditions your hair.
- Makes it soft and smooth.
- Smells like a salon.
- Vibrant colour
- Fade resistant.
Cons:
- Contains ammonia.
Overall verdict: 9/10
TOP PICK! IT’S A TIE!
Garnier Olia vs Nutrisse – Healthier hair vs long lasting colour.
We love both of these hair dyes equally for different reasons. Both have oil fortifying goodness that makes our hair feel shiny and soft. Both are easy to apply and give fantastic colour results.
What separates the two is that Nutrisse hair dyes contain ammonia and Olia doesn’t.
So although Olia is better for the long-term health of your hair, Nutrisse colour will last for longer, so you don’t have to dye it as much.
So, healthier hair or long-lasting colour – the choice is up to you! Whichever hair dye you choose, always remember to follow our Tips for hair dyeing at home to get the best results, every time.