Do you think wavy hair requires Olaplex treatment?
Yes, may be.
What is Olaplex treatment?
In lay terms: Olaplex is a kind of reparative treatment (at least for my hair), but is also offered as a preventative measure to help stop any damage caused by strong heat, chemicals and hair color on the hair shaft. If you are coloring your hair professionally (highlights, balayage or lightening aka high lift hair color) at a hair salon, the coloring is generally followed with a Olaplex treatment. To know how Olaplex treatments works on repairing the disulfide bonds in your hair, head straight to their website.
The Olaplex treatment with No.1 Bond Multiplier & No.2 Bond Perfector is done only by certified hair professionals at a salon.
I am talking about Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector. And I generally try the OLAPLEX 3-4-5 system to restore my hair.
I do this once in 3 months or as required.
But, but…
Isn’t Olaplex for reviving hair after a color treatment?
Thought Olaplex is recommended for superbleached, sun-damaged hair?
Doesn’t Olaplex restore the strength of hair post a straightening done at the salon?
Doesn’t Olaplex reverse the heat and chemical damage on hair?
Does your hair need Olaplex even if you haven’t subjected your hair to any of the above?
Yes, you are right, except the last one.
A little disclaimer
Please note that I am not a hair expert or a stylist to recommend Olaplex treatments. But this post is for telling you how Olaplex has helped my hair. Assess your hair health, experiment with CG products and then try Olaplex only if your hair needs it.
My reasons for trying Olaplex
Now, let me give my reasons:
- Hard water concerns
- Dull, lackluster and dry strands, frizzier ends
- Grey strands that are coarse and have a different texture from the rest of my hair
- Waves not holding texture in spite of using hard hold gels
- Most importantly – strands feeling stretched and weak that a protein treatment cannot correct
Olaplex No.3 Bond Perfector
Best repair-at-home treatment
Weak, dry strands, heavy breakage (remember, I am not talking about hair falling out from the roots, that’s DIFFERENT!) caused by hard water, travel and less moisturization – these are my reasons to restore my hair. With Olaplex No.3 my hair strands feel STRONGER, breakage seems to reduce and the texture and elasticity definitely feels better.
Olaplex No.3 is formulated for all hair types and is PH Balanced (3.5-5). If you are one to care for details: Olaplex No.3 is Vegan, Cruelty free, Gluten free, Nut free, Paraben free…and Sulfate free.
Things to note while applying Olaplex No.3
- Ensure that your hair and scalp are clean before you start. It’s best to apply on clarified hair or after a good detox to remove all silicones or any build-up.
- Ensure hair is damp or slightly wet. It is recommended to apply Olaplex on towel-dried hair, but I keep my hair wet by misting it with a green tea concoction. This helps in easy spreading of the product.
- Start on detangled hair. This is important because you want to work the product into your strands. I prefer finger detangling or using a brush (Flexybrush) to remove all tangles.
- Work in sections, smoothe the Olaplex in. Though the directions of use reads: “Apply a generous amount from scalp to ends until hair is thoroughly saturated”, I apply from tips to roots, slowly working it in because my ends are drier than the roots.
- Don’t be harsh on the hair while applying – no pulling, no tugging, no harsh brushing.
- This is a good time to train your hair to curl. I do not recommend #fingercoiling but your hair at this point feels malleable enough to do two-strand twists. Instead of finger coiling, I wrap the strand around my finger and squish gently to help the curls take shape.
- Leave on the treatment in your hair for at least 10 minutes. I generally prefer to leave it in for 30 minutes.
- Rinse gently with warm water. Olaplex No.3 is not a conditioner and should not be left in the hair or scalp.
Olaplex No.4: Bond Maintenance Shampoo
You can wash out Olaplex No.3 with any sulfate-free shampoo. , I generally like to use Olaplex No.4: Bond Maintenance Shampoo.
It is formulated to work as part of Olaplex 3-4-5 system, and aids in better manageability of the hair. The shampoo is sulfate and paraben free and has a great slip. The scent is mildly citric and fresh. I am a fan of lather shampoos and this one leaves your hair feeling nicely clean without the dry-scalp feeling.
Olaplex No.5: Bond Maintenance Conditioner
This is a thick, smooth conditioner. Again with a faint citrus scent, the conditioner spreads nicely on your strands without leaving your hair feel heavy or greasy. It is also supposed to control frizz, but I have not observed frizz in my hair post using Olaplex, so I guess it works. 🙂
The conditioner while it claims to be free of sulfates and parabens has two cones – Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer (in top 10) and Dimethicone PEG-7 Isostearate in its ingredients. According to the Sciencey blog: these ingredients are “water in-soluble” and cannot be rinsed off with plain water. Any shampoo (sulfate-free or sulfate) can remove them. But if you are a stickler and diehard follower of Curly Girl Method or someone who has scalp and build-up issues, you should use a strong shampoo or clarify after using this.
Olaplex No.6: Bond Smoother
I bought this when I was suffering from frizzy hair. Olaplex No.6 is formulated as a reparative leave-in cream that can smooth flyaways or frizz for 72 hours. It imparts a nice shine too.
Olaplex No.6 can be used independent of the Olaplex treatment.
- Can be applied on damp or dry hair
- Can be used a primer before drying your hair
- If you are planning to straighten your hair, apply this before blow drying.
- For best results, you can use this for “Refresh tonight to revive hair tomorrow morning” tip. Read all about refreshing wavy hair here.
- NOTE: It has Dimethicone as its third ingredient. This can be easily rinsed out by plain water and does not need shampooing, but still, if you are a strict CGMmer, please clarify or use a sulfate-based shampoo to ensure it doesn’t build-up on your hair/scalp.
That said, I haven’t had any build up issues with Amodimethicone or Dimethicone as I clarify my hair every 3rd-4th washes. Please understand your hair needs and use products accordingly.
My Final Thoughts
- Olaplex is not for deep conditioning: Plan for a good deep conditioning in your routine (after an Olaplex treatment) to add the extra moisture @hifelicia generally mixes two DCs – protein & moisture for her hair. Do check her posts and video on Youtube to learn more.
- Olaplex requires that 10 minutes to act on your hair. While you can leave it in for a longer time, there is no proven data/claim either by the product formulators or people who have left it in overnight for added benefits.
- Olaplex will not magically turn your straight hair into wavy or your wavy hair into curly – Olaplex is not a curl enhancer or a texture changer. But it does help strengthen your strands and improve elasticity. You can see the difference in my video here: <link>
- Olaplex 3-4-5 treatment or professional Olaplex treatment – they are costly – Though there are many videos and influencer posts that Olaplex transforms hair, please know that it is NOT a one-time magical solution for your hair problems. You have to try this a few times to get desired results. But yes, if you are suffering from dry, brittle, frizzy hair, Olaplex treatment causes the softness to return and you can enjoy smooth, shiny strands for a while. You have to repeat the process to “maintain” these results. So, please invest wisely.
That said, I am eagerly waiting to try Olaplex No.0: The Original Bond Builder, subscribe to my blog if you want to read the review as and when I try it. 🙂 It is supposed to be a home version of Olaplex’s salon treatment: “Stand-Alone treatment” to repair, adds shine, protect and strengthen hair. @amanda_guido has a recent video that you could check for details.
The Olaplex products were not gifted or sponsored to me, hence this post is not a sponsored one. These are just my views. I bought Olaplex from Cult Beauty (they have a free shipping option, please check) and Olaplex India store. I would request you to form your own opinions of trying the Olaplex treatment based on your hair needs.
If you have any questions on using Olaplex for wavy hair, do leave a comment and we could discuss. If you have tried it, do let me know your thoughts, would love to learn what worked for you and how.
Thanks for reading so far. Take care of your tresses.
Making Waves Easy 