Let me start by saying that my hair and I are going through a shit hair phase. I know it’s normal for your hair shaft to be open when it’s monsoon season. There’s so much more unwanted volume to your hair that doesn’t seem to calm down, no matter how much frizz-taming serum you apply on your strands. But to find hair strands on the ground while my husband (a chronic snuggler) makes it a point to pull a few out every day. Long story short: my hair is falling. A lot.
So when I went to the salon this time and was told ” Have you tried Olaplex? It’ll really make a difference,” I thought let’s do it. Since I’m quite used to hair spa (s) and salon treatments, I thought it’ll be quite similar to Kerastase Discipline or at the very least, Fusio Dose.
It wasn’t.
Who needs Olaplex No. 1, 2, 3?
Are you addicted to your straightener, flat iron or other heat styling tools?
Do you colour your hair often?
Did you recently get a chemical treatment for your hair?
If you answered yes to one of these questions, you just may meet the criteria of using or being advised to use Olaplex. Olaplex is NOT designed to stop or reduce hairfall or hair thinning directly. Instead, it’s meant to mend and repair broken hair bonds. Olaplex is not L’Oreal, they are two different brands. In fact, there was a court case about the same, you can read about it here.
What Is Olaplex No. 1?
Olaplex no. 1 is a bond multiplier and is a salon only product. When dying your hair platinum blonde or well, purple, you need to use a whole lotta bleach. Ingredients like Bis-Aminopropyl Digycol Dimaleate along with a cacophony of drug-like phrases, vitamin A, C, E and some oils (I found jojoba) help stop damage to your hair and hair molecules. I looked up a lot of info: videos, blogs of both hairstylists and clients and the reviews were mixed. Some said they are not worried about their clients’ hair texture and it’s a must for people who keep trying different colours or happens to frequent the ammonia route regularly. Others said they weren’t happy with the colour because Olaplex did impact the shade. If you want to try Olaplex no. 1, ask your hairstylist to add it to the hair colour. Watch the video below to see how this hairstylist uses Olaplex no. 1 and 2 for a hair colour transformation.
What Is Olaplex No. 2?
Olaplex no. 2 is the same product, same ingredients but in lower concentration (it’s 12.5 according to this video featuring AB from Olaplex). This is what was used on my hair at the salon. The hairstylist first divided my hair into sections and sprayed it. Since he made me touch my hair before, during and after the Olaplex no.2 treatment, I can say it definitely felt softer. But then, you can get that from a hair mask too.
What Is Olaplex No. 3?
After which he applied Olaplex no.3 which is basically an at-home treatment and was bought like hot cakes according to the many many vloggers I stalked on YouTube. Again, it’s less concentrated. It looks like a hair mask because of it’s cream like consistency and in most cases, it did make the hair softer but don’t go with miraculous expectation and use it too much, because a lot of Reddit users have complained of Olaplex making their hair worse (excessive moisture is not good either). Most users felt a change in their middle strands and ends after usage. I saw a very mild change in my hair texture.
Last Word
Olaplex is one of the first services that target hair molecules and fibre that is specific to keeping your hair texture in check. Please don’t buy no. 1 and 2 to use it on your own. And more than that, find a really good salon with trained professionals who actually know what it’s for.
Of course, I’m here in case you wanna chat!
Price
I pay Rs 1800 plus taxes at a salon in New Delhi.
Thanks for reading.
