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Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,921
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

Long post but please bear with me and read the entire post before rushing out to buy.  I have been getting perms for years, usually once about every 9 or so months.  I also color.  My hairdresser uses a perm for already chemically processed hair and also knows to stop processing me at the minimum amount of time. But, of course, with that much proessing my hair has to be damaged.  

 

My hairdresser and I were chuckling during my perm at my white roots.  I said I wasn't going to color a week before getting a perm and have it all come out.  She said she didn't blame me, and she knew what I would be doing post haste.  Jump ahead to a week later and I colored, but this time I made a change.  I was finally able to get my hands on Olaplex 1 & 2 from the place I get my color.  OMG, what a difference.

 

About Olaplex.  #1 & 2 contain a proprietary ingredient that repairs disulfide bonds that are broken by chemical processing.  They are used during the chemical process and often it allows hairdressers to push the lightening process a step further than they normally would be able to.  It also is generally only available to hairdressers, but since I use pro color, I'm also able to get other pro products at that site.  It's been available on Amazon, but I really don't trust the integrity of that product buying there.  I have bought my color there in the past when my site was out, but Olaplex is such a popular product and many of the reviews lead me to believe there's a lot of counterfits out there.

 

Olaplex #3 is what is available to the public as an at-home maintenance product.  It does contain the same patented ingredient only in a lesser amount.  And now they have a #0 mask wich also contains the ingredient and can be used in conjunction with #3.  I have #3, but was not impressed with it, probably because I had not previously used the 1 & 2 which has more of the ingredient and does most of the repair while #3 is mainly to maintain that repair.  

 

To be clear, Olaplex 0-3 are NOT conditioners.  If your hair is not damaged, you will probably be disappointed if you use it as a conditioner.  Olaplex does now have a shampoo and conditioner and some other products in their lineup and I have not used any of those.

 

There are other products that claim to be the same thing, but they aren't and Olaplex has been suing many of them.  I know the site I get my products from had recommended a Goldwell product as a replacement that their styliists really liked when I inquired about when/if they might be getting Olaplex.  I have used that several times and could see no difference whatsoever in my hair after using it.  I noticed many of these appear to be using silicones as their "repair" ingredient after looking at their ingredient decks.  

 

BTW, it's not a chep product to buy.  They started out with a set of "trial" or "travel" sizes which included 1, 2, & 3 and that was running around $60 for the set.  Now, they have some 1-use packets with only 1 & 2 that I got for $17 each.  

 

Normally, when I get a perm, I have to go through about a month of difficult and frizzy hair before it calms down.  It has now been a full week since I colored and used this product and I couldn't be any happier with my hair.  It's behaving better than it normally would even after the perm had calmed down and I'm even having better 2nd day hair now.  Yesterday morning I only had to pick it out a bit.  This pic is freshly washed.

 

Perm, Colored, and Olaplexed.jpg

Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,580
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

Olaplex #4 & 5 are the shampoo and conditioner.  There is also a No. 8 which is a mask and a number 7 which is an oil.

 

I had wanted to try the shampoo and conditioner but my hairstylist thinks these products would be too heavy for my hair type which is thin and fine.  I do have color treated hair.

 

I have had success so far with Pureology so I guess I'll stick with that for awhile.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,658
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

@Icegoddess 

 

LOVE your color! And your curl!

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,921
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered


@Lipstickdiva wrote:

Olaplex #4 & 5 are the shampoo and conditioner.  There is also a No. 8 which is a mask and a number 7 which is an oil.

 

I had wanted to try the shampoo and conditioner but my hairstylist thinks these products would be too heavy for my hair type which is thin and fine.  I do have color treated hair.

 

I have had success so far with Pureology so I guess I'll stick with that for awhile.  


@Lipstickdiva I know #4 & #5 contains silicones if that makes any difference.  I'm not sure about the others although I think #7, the oil, does too.  I like Pureology. I used to use it, but stopped when I started trying to do the Curly Girl method because it contained silicones.  However, I have disovered that amodimethicone, which I know is in the products I used, is easily washed out with simply a co-wash (per a company that sells sulfates), so I may bring back the conditioner I was using when I run out of what I'm currently using.  I have fine hair too.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,661
Registered: ‎07-18-2013

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

Thanks for the info @Icegoddess .  Your hair is gorgeous.

If my dog doesn't like you, neither do I.
Valued Contributor
Posts: 954
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

@Icegoddess   Your hair looks beautiful. Can I ask if that is your natural curl ? 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,472
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

[ Edited ]

Your hair looks great. Heard alot of  things about Olaplex 3 some say it's a savior other say negative . I have shied away from it.  Curlsmith has made a product that has the same bonding technology without all the chemicals and to compete with the Olaplex market on a natural level.  Tried the Curlsmith bonding salve once and did see improvement.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,921
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered


@DJP wrote:

@Icegoddess   Your hair looks beautiful. Can I ask if that is your natural curl ? 


@DJP gosh no!  I both perm and color.  

Valued Contributor
Posts: 954
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered

@Icegoddess   Thank you for answering. I'm going to ask my hairdresser next time I go.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,921
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: A Hair Product that Actually Delivered


@hopi wrote:

Your hair looks great. Heard alot of  things about Olaplex 3 some say it's a savior other say negative . I have shied away from it.  Curlsmith has made a product that has the same bonding technology without all the chemicals and to compete with the Olaplex market on a natural level.  Tried the Curlsmith bonding salve once and did see improvement.


@hopi Curlsmith's product can not have the SAME bonding technology since Olaplex's is patented.  

As I said, for me Olaplex 3 by itself did nothing for me either.  Nothing negative, but nothing positive either.