Holly Willoughby’s hair dye left me looking like Keith Lemon 

Holly Willoughby’s hair dye left me looking like Keith Lemon: Women who used L’Oreal treatment backed by the star say it made them go ginger – not blonde

  • Holly Willoughby given some hope to her fans by promoting a home hair dye kit  
  • Dissatisfied buyers claimed product turned their hair ginger instead of blonde 
  • ITV host advertises Garnier Nutrisse Creme colour 10.1 dye in 20-second advert

She’s the queen of daytime TV, with luxuriant blonde locks that are the envy of women across the country

And with hairdressers still closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, anyone watching Holly Willoughby on screen can only dream of replicating those lustrous tresses.

The 40-year-old This Morning host has, however, given some hope to her fans by promoting a 25-minute home hair dye kit that she promises will avoid ‘disasters’.

At just £5.79, it sounds almost too good to be true. And, according to some unhappy customers, that’s exactly what it is.

Holly Willoughby, 40, gave some hope to her fans by promoting a 25-minute home hair dye kit that she promises will avoid ‘disasters’

Dissatisfied buyers have claimed the product turned their hair ginger instead of blonde, with one man describing how he had to desperately reassure his wife that she hadn’t ended up looking like Keith Lemon, the character played by red-headed comedian Leigh Francis on ITV game show Celebrity Juice – which Ms Willoughby once starred in. 

In a tweet to the presenter, Paul Marshall wrote: ‘@hollywills – you are putting us husbands in a tough spot with your home hair dye kit propaganda.

‘I’ve got to spend the weekend lockdown trying to convince my missus she doesn’t look like @lemontwittor now. Thanks.’

Another social media user claimed: ‘It’s taken three boxes of blonde hair dye and neon roots but I’ve finally decided I am going to just leave my hair alone until the professionals can sort it out. I blame Holly Willoughby.’

The ITV host advertises the Garnier Nutrisse Creme colour 10.1 dye in a 20-second commercial. 

Among those venting their frustration was hairdresser Hannah Kelly, who shared a clip of her experience with the treatment on video sharing app TikTok. 

When she tried dyeing a lock of her own hair as well as a mannekin’s, both came out ginger.

Her video prompted a barrage of comments where other users claimed that something similar happened to them.

Hairdresser Hannah Kelly decided to try the Garnier Nutrisse Creme colour 10.1 dye

Hairdresser Hannah Kelly decided to try the Garnier Nutrisse Creme colour 10.1 dye 

However the dye, which the TV host advertises in a 20-second commercial, turned a test mannequin's hair ginger

However the dye, which the TV host advertises in a 20-second commercial, turned a test mannequin’s hair ginger

One wrote: ‘I used the exact same box dye and I’m ginger as well’. Another said: ‘OMG, I have just done the same and I have been sitting here for five minutes trying to believe I’m not ginger.’

Others shared their disappointment on the Boots website. Giving the dye one star out of five under the heading ‘Warning: please don’t use’, one buyer said: ‘I went ginger, worst of all you cannot redo your hair for another two weeks so I had to buy a baseball cap.’

Garnier, which is part of the French cosmetics giant L’Oreal, has been making hair and skin products since the early 1900s. 

In 1960, it became the first company to produce a permanent hair dyeing kit that could be used at home. 

The Nutrisse range was introduced in 2002. In the advert, Ms Willoughby – who has been a brand ambassador for Garnier for almost six years – assures potential buyers that any dark roots will turn blonde.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, the mother of three is seen applying the lotion before wrapping her hair in a towel and then showing off the finished look.

During the clip, she says: ‘It’s just a really quick and easy thing, squeeze down the middle and actually a little bit slap dash, 25 minutes, ta-dah. No roots, no disasters, no greys.’

A Garnier colour expert said: ‘The natural hair colours this product is suitable for are clearly labelled on the back of pack.

‘Before using this product, users should check this guide to see if it is the right hair dye for them and can visit the Garnier website for home hair colouring guidance.’