Is Olaplex The Future Of Healthy Colored Or Chemically Treated Hair?

Contents:

• Double Relaxing In One Day Anyone?
• The Emergence Of Olaplex
• What Is Olaplex Really?
• What Does The Kit Come With?
• What Are Other People’s Experiences With Olaplex?
• Where Can You Get It?
• Final Thoughts

Double Relaxing In One Day Anyone?

So did anyone come across that video of the chick butchering her hair by relaxing her hair, not once but TWICE? Yes two whole times. I’m not even relaxed and I know that’s hair suicide. I can’t imagine what she might have been thinking but I guess if she wanted to prove a point she never heard that Olaplex was the only thing that could allow double processing of that magnitude. I really feel bad for her.

Turning herself into someone worthy of the name ‘Patches’ can’t be all that fun but she sure took it with a smile. I do appreciate the fact that she put herself out there as an example of what to not do, but I sure wish she had known about Olaplex. Never heard of it? Never mind, present company was sailing in the same boat.

The Emergence Of Olaplex

We are always on the hunt for something new and innovative to keep our strands healthy. One of our editors talked about Olaplex back in 2015 when it was relatively new. Since then, it has been making the rounds particularly among persons of mixed heritage, but it can be used practically by anyone with any hair type. 

The other day when I became a member of a hair group, I came across a number of people talking about this Olaplex. While you will not find any product reviews coming from me directly ( well not yet anyway) there are loads of positive reviews with pictures to prove the amazing effect that it has on damaged hair.

It has actually changed the game for guys and gals who are natural but use chemical processes like hair color and even a relaxers. Surprisingly many reviews also exist for those with just straight up natural hair. As you may well know if you are natural, our hair tends to be quite prone to breakage even at its healthiest. Many of the persons I have spoken to who use the product are transitioning or natural so that bodes well for naturals who are trying to come back from distressed hair of some kind.

At first, I thought it was just a protein treatment like Aphogee*. I wasn’t paying too much attention to it because I figured it wasn’t for my hair type (4B/C maybe a little Z in there too). I also wasn’t interested in going to a salon to get the first two steps of the 3 step system done. But I kept seeing pics of tighter curls and healthier looking strands and it piqued my interest.

Imagine a product that when added to your hair would super strengthen it and if used with chemicals, it would never allow the chemical service to strip or break the hair. In other words, if you want to go platinum blonde you do not have to worry about split dry trashy ends if you use this product during the service.

What Is Olaplex Really?

This is essentially what Olaplex is, (this is a snippet of what was said in a forum about it):

This new product called Olaplex that the hair industry is absolutely freaking out about. It was developed by a few chemists, Dean Christal, Craig Hawker and Eric Pressly.

The work these chemists are famous for involves helping to stop organs and transplants from being rejected by the body. It is a single molecule that they developed that claims that when added into any haircolor services, will absolutely prevent any breakage, that it links broken bonds in hair back together again.

It appears this molecule called Olaplex will also radically change the hair texturizing business as well, allowing a permanent wave to be done on the same day as color. Dean says, “I had a stylist Japanese relax a swatch of hair two times, then 40-volume bleach it, then perm it, and the hair was still in good condition. The control sample that had no Olaplex disintegrated halfway through the test. I knew at that point in time that Olaplex would completely change the way hair was chemically treated forever.”

“If you have ever had clients who worry about their hair breaking off from the coloring process, tell them, ‘Don’t worry, I use Olaplex!’ Not only does it help prevent breakage, my clients tell me that their hair feels stronger, silky and fuller as well. This is a brand new hair care product unlike any other, and it makes my job a heck of a lot less stressful!” —Tracey Cunningham

The product is on the market and still draws immediate skepticism, and rightly so. I am no chemist so I do not pretend to understand what the molecule actually does when it is used on your hair.

However common sense tells me that for this to work you are talking about a product that will actually bind protein molecules together on your strand. In other words, you have to have something for the product to hold together and if your hair is very damaged you might not be able to use this as a cure.

On the other hand, if your hair is relatively healthy and the product is used to coat the strand making it stronger and better able to stand up to chemical services then this might actually be a thing.

In a search to find someone who actually used the Olaplex system one of our sleuths came across the Relaxed Hair Health Blog where the writer describes in great detail what she purchased and how it worked for her.

What Does The Kit Come With?

There are three products that come with the system:

• No 1 is the Bond Multiplier, which looks like a golden liquid applied to hair that is free of buildup but unconditioned.
• No 2 is the Bond Perfector is a cream that is used on top of the Bond Multiplier to “link the remaining disulfide bonds before and after service, restoring strength, structure and integrity to the hair.”
• No 3 in the line is “optional” but obviously you would use it to get all of the results the product boasts about. It can be used as a pre-poo treatment or as a maintenance treatment weekly. It is essentially a conditioner.

Here is how Relaxed Hair Health described her experience:

My experience was somewhat mixed. Part of it was my fault. I tried (and failed) again to air dry so I couldn’t tell if my hair felt healthier. But what I did notice was that it much stronger. My hair was much better equipped to handle manipulation without excessive breakage.

Once I went back to roller setting, I noticed the difference. My hair just looked and felt healthier. I anticipated a cumulative effect as I used the product week after week and I got it. I barely lost any hair last wash. One thing I haven’t done yet was to apply #1 , then sit under steamer* for a deeper effect. Though I plan to try it within the next day or two. I suspect this will create even more elasticity in the long run.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the brand and it’s results. If you have severely damaged hair, this product was practically made for you. If your hair is healthy and strong, this is a “nice to have.”

If you’re curious about the process, you can pick up #3 and try it at home. If you go to a stylist for touch ups, please school him/her on Olaplex so they have it available for you at your next touch up.

What Are Other People’s Experiences With Olaplex?

You will not find a shortage of reviews and how-to’s on youtube but in 2015 when this post was originally published, most reviews came from stylists who were performing a high color lift on caucasian client’s hair.

Since then, naturals of youtube have flocked to the party, those with and without color. Check out the scene:

Where Can You Get It?

The answer to that is a bit complicated. No 3, the conditioner, is easily available online but No 1 and No 2 although also available on Amazon, has a price tag that will put off the average consumer.

Still, on eBay, you will have a lot more luck getting a taste of the full product at a more reasonable price. What you will find is that the vendors on eBay will purchase the professional size bottles then divide them into single-use sachets and sell those at a profit.

You will usually find them sold as ‘sample size’ so they won’t come in the official packaging but based on reviews they are the real deal. Just make sure that you get a large enough sample to cover your hair if you are natural. TWA’s can get away with 10ml and if you are shoulder length you will want to get at least 20ml. If you are mid-back length go for the 30ml samples.

After using the sample sizes a few times and you are sold on the efficacy of the product, you may then want to spring for a full-size professional product.

Final Thoughts

My opinion?  Though it is reported to be ok for use in case you want to do multiple processing on the same day, I would not recommend that you go ahead and relax twice just for the heck of it, but if you’re in a bind and you absolutely must relax and color on the same day, it’s there.

I like the fact that naturals have been benefiting from using it as well. I would try anything at least once so I think it is worth a shot. I think I’ll try step 3 or the sample size step 1 and 2 and if that goes well I might spring for a salon visit for the full treatment.

I am still doing my own research since I use henna* and I’m not sure how it would work with that or if my hair will come out the worst for wear if I only use it once and not religiously. Why do you think? Have you tried Olaplex?