The most buzzed about hair treatment to try in years since the Brazilian Blowout is Olaplex. It’s a three step hair treatment system that is dominantly influenced and credited by scientific research that could prove to be the best hair treatment for damaged hair. If you ever daydream about experimenting with a dramatic platinum or icy blonde hair color but hesitate because of the intense chemical processes and overall damage it takes look no further than olaplex. It could help make your dream a reality. Hair damage is inevitable, especially if you are getting it colored regularly but your damaged hair may not be a total lost cause after all!
What is Olaplex?
Olaplex hair treatment is a three step in-salon process that repairs broken hair bonds that have become damaged from chemical, thermal and mechanical change. Dean Christal, the founder of the product who partnered up with two chemists, Dr. Craig Hawker and Eric Pressly to develop the olaplex formula.
They developed a new molecule that penetrates internally through hair strands to restore and strengthen hair where the structure has been damaged. It is free of harmful ingredients including silicone, sulfates, DEA, phthalates, aldehydes and is never tested on animals. And fortunately, olaplex is made for all hair types!
Instagram / @raciney
How Does It Work?
The product is derived from a patented active ingredient called Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate that works internally claiming to rebuild broken disulfide bonds in the hair, strengthening the hair with each treatment. In other words, Olaplex for hair is a bond multiplier that helps to fuse broken hair bonds back together. It is made to prevent further hair damage and breakage experienced during and after the hair coloring process, as well as repair existing damaged hair.
Olaplex is ideal for those who regularly color and bleach their hair and those with overall damaged hair that has become fried and worn out from constant hot tool use. Although there aren’t any official publicly published scientific trials as of now to document its impact, the vast number of positive reviews from its amazing results come from celebrities like Kim Kardashian and others and they’re hard to ignore.
We all know how much time we sacrifice in the salon chair, if not every time we make an appointment. To be more efficient, olaplex created a mini treatment option for salons to offer; they created this for those people who don’t want to tack an additional 15 or more minutes onto their hair styling routine. It consists of only the second step of the process that is required to be conducted by a hair stylist.
The advantage of the mini treatment is that it can be done within the same time frame of your normal hair appointment.
Olaplex proves to be a total game-changer for colorists because it can open up more possibilities for their clients to take more risks and experiment with color. Olaplex is an ideal option for anyone wanting to go lighter, trying color techniques such as balayage, highlights and dramatic color tint changes.
Instagram / @teasesalonoc
Can I Do It at Home?
It is not possible to conduct the entire three step olaplex process yourself because the first two steps are designed to be incorporated in with the hair coloring process that is done by your hair stylist. However, you do not have to complete all three steps in order to experience the olaplex conditioning treatment.
The third step simply serves as a deep moisturizing treatment that works to rebuild broken hair and reconnect the broken hair bonds; it can be used as a stand-alone treatment for standard damage control for damaged hair if you do not color your hair regularly or at all. The 3.5-oz bottle of the third step (No. 3 Bond Perfector) is only available from Olaplex affiliated salons that can cost anywhere from $40 to $75.
If you do color your hair, you have the option to decide to do the mini treatment, then take the third post-treatment step yourself:
- When at home, apply the third step: No 3 Bond Perfector, to clean, damp hair.
- Gently brush the product throughout your damp hair and leave it on for a minimum of 10 minutes. Rinse it out, and continue to shampoo and condition hair.
- For best results, professionals suggest to sleep with the product in your hair overnight to allow it to penetrate deeper, then wash it out followed by shampooing and conditioning in the morning.
- It is ideal to use a moisture intensive, sulphate free shampoo and conditioner to retain as much moisture and overall health as possible.
Olaplex claims you will notice the results when repeating this same process once a week.
Instagram / @olaplex
Where to Buy Olaplex
You can go directly to their website to search your zip code for locations of salons in your area that offer the service. Since it is such a specific process, as a consumer, you can only purchase one product that is made to be used to maintain your in-salon olaplex treatment: Olaplex No. 3 Bond Perfector.
Olaplex provides a distributor list on their website that shows a listing and contact information of certified salons and distributors across the country that have permission to sell their products.
Instagram / @prezyspa
As promising as any miracle hair treatment may appear, unfortunately, it will not magically eliminate all of the inevitable damage of chemically processing and regularly bleaching your hair. As of now in the beauty world, Olaplex is well on its way to being the best hair treatment for damaged hair right now. You can always ask your hair stylist at your next appointment if olaplex may be worth a try for you.
Although olaplex does not have the ability to completely reverse the damage from continuously chemically processing your hair, it can help mend and improve the overall strength of your hair, giving it more endurance and longevity to the harmful elements we put it through every day.
