Consumers have become their own hairdressers, estheticians, barbers, and manicurists during quarantine. As consumers attempted to maintain their beauty regimes, we saw an increase in demand for products such as hair dyes, hair-removal creams, and wax strips, self-tanners, and nail products, among others. This created an opportunity for brands and retailers to cater to the immediate need; however, DIY may be sticking around as consumers are likely to be mindful of spending on the other side.

In May, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said we’re in the “hair color” phase of panic buying, as a run on hand sanitizer, disinfectants, frozen pizza, and toilet paper are giving way to DIY beauty tools and products.

L’Oréal USA brand Garnier was developed in 1904 in France by haircare expert Alfred Amour Garnier and is now present in more than 65 countries worldwide. Garnier surveyed 2,000 American women in a study unveiling new hair color habits of women during quarantine, revealing one in three women dyed their hair this year during quarantine, and 32% say they will continue to dye their hair exclusively at home in 2021.

• 42% of women reported discovering new gray hair during quarantine.
• 52% agree that they have gone gray faster during quarantine than they would have otherwise.
• 50% reported they dyed their hair during quarantine to cover up grays.
• 80% of women dyed their hair themselves for the first time during quarantine.
• Women turned to various sources to learn how to color their hair at home for the first time, including Instagram (31%), online websites (29%), and YouTube (24%).
• Since the start of quarantine, 88% of women say they have dyed their hair at home multiple times.
• Reasons for coloring their hair at home during quarantine included grown-out roots (18%) and color fade (15%), colored their hair during quarantine for some needed change (20%).

• 43% reported trying a new brand of at-home hair dye, and about a third of women (37%) 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. 50% considered the price and 49% value of the brand, followed by how long the color would last (46%).
• 40% of women looked for brands with a large range in color options, 36% brands that would not damage their hair, 35% how available and easy it would be to get the product, and 34% the level of chemicals found in the formula.
• 48% of women shared concerns about if the end results would be as desired, 43% if they were selecting the right shade, while 34% were concerned about damaging their hair.
• 56% of women who dyed their hair during quarantine decided to try a new, bold shade for the first time.
• Most respondents plan to keep their hair color more traditional shades such as brown (25%), black (21%), blond (11%), and red (9%).
• 67% of women plan to continue to dye their hair at home, with 32% planning to exclusively color their hair at home.