A survey conducted by OnePoll, on behalf of Garnier, delves into the hair color habits of 2,000 American women aged 18 and older. The study revealed that the average woman reached for at-home hair color to dye her hair at home four to five weeks into quarantine in 2020.
Related: Data: 2020 Brows & Hair Trends
The report shared its breakdown of the trends in at-home hair color throughout 2020.
Covering grays
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.
Forty-two percent reported discovering new gray hair during quarantine. And 52.32% agreed 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 these grays.
Color touch ups
Respondents reported various reasons for coloring their hair at home during quarantine, including grown out roots (17.86%) and color fade (15.36%).
Since the start of quarantine, 88% of women say they have dyed their hair at home more than once.
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.
Women were eager to maintain their color early into quarantine:
- One in three women (31%) first dyed their hair at home between three and four weeks at home
- About a quarter (25.04%) first dyed their hair at five to six weeks in
- One-fifth (19.08%) of women held out until seven and eight weeks
Trying something new
One in five women also reported that they colored their hair during quarantine for some needed change. They 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.
"Traditional" vs. "bold" hair color
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%). About one-third of women reported dying their hair with bleach or going blonde.
More than half (54.55%) of women who dyed their hair during quarantine decided to try a new, bold shade for the first time.
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 in 2021.
Factors when choosing hair color brand
- The price and value of the brand (48.9%)
- How long the color would last (44.5%)
- Brands with a large range in color options (39.5%)
- Brands that would not damage their hair (36.4%)
- Availability and ease to get the product (34.6%)
- Level of "chemicals" found in the formula (33.7%)
First-time users
Those who have dyed their hair for the first time at home during quarantine (24.44%) turned to Instagram (30.49%), websites (29.2%) and YouTube (23.5%) to learn how.
Respondents found inspiration from a number of people and places, including social media (30.4%) and celebrities (40.83%).
Women shared concerns about coloring hair at home for the first time which include:
- If the end results would be as desired (47.8%)
- If they were selecting the right shade (42.7%)
- If it would damage their hair (33.6%)
Overall, 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.
Garnier celebrity hair colorist, Nikki Lee, said, "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. 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."
Greg Hui, senior vice president of marketing for Garnier USA, said, "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."
