I Tried Olaplex, This Is What Happened
Oh Olaplex, where were you in 2013 when I decided to lighten my hair to almost platinum?
I LOVED the color, but because of bad breakage happening, despite doing EVERYTHING in my power to keep my hair healthy, I had to go a little darker blonde. But Olaplex is here now, it is helping to repair my hair again and now thanks to this miracle ingredient, I have high hopes of going blonder again in the future. NaturallyCurly already has an excellent article explaining what exactly Olaplex is here; I simply wanted to share my experience with you.
I recently switched to a new salon, and they just started offering Olaplex - in fact, the stylists were still learning about it too. Since going to this salon for my color, I have gone three times so far. They are a L'Oreal based salon and color my hair with L'Oreal INOA ammonia free hair color. This hair color is supposedly super gentle on the hair and contains oils to help nourish your hair at the same time. It feels gentle and the hair growth I have with this color versus the older lengths of my hair with bleach looks and feels significantly better. Because this hair color is so gentle, my stylist wasn't sure the first time if I needed to use the Olaplex with it. Seeing all these amazing testimonials online, I knew Olaplex and my hair were destined to be BFFs.
When I went back for more color, between my two appointments, my stylist learned a lot more about Olaplex. Because I am no longer using bleach in my hair (lesson learned), she said she doesn't need to mix it with the color they use.
“My hair just didn’t feel like my hair and I mean that in the best way possible.”
No 1 Bond Multiplier on my hair and lets it sit for 5 minutes. She then applies the No 2 Perfector right on top and lets them sit as long as possible. Once they sit long enough to penetrate into my hair, I get rinsed, lightly blow dried and then my color is applied on top. Because my hair is so damaged, I always ask for a deep treatment after the color as well, it costs more money but it is good hair insurance. My stylist says those with hair not quite as bad as mine would not need a deep treatment on top of the Olaplex (the treatment they use is L'Oreal Absolut Repair Power Dose).
Once I received the Olaplex treatment I noticed such an incredible difference in my hair. Because I have had that other deep treatment before, I was able to tell the difference Olaplex makes. My hair just didn't feel like my hair and I mean that in the best way possible. It felt softer, less frizz, smoother, above and beyond anything even the best deep conditioners I have bought have EVER done before.
My Hair After Olaplex
LESS BREAKAGE
What I also noticed is my hair seemed to be "shedding' less for the days following. Because I get my hair blown out when I get my color done (it's nice for a change in Winter. Warmer months I let it air dry) and I brush my hair while in the blow out, I see less hairs in my brush than usual so I believe the Olaplex is already leading to less breakage.
TAKE HOME TREATMENT
Part of the Olaplex system is also the No. 3 Hair Perfector which is a take home treatment to use once a week between salon visits. This is basically a diluted, one step version of what you get in the salon, but still incredibly effective. My stylist didn't have to tell me twice that this was a good idea for me to buy. The directions on the bottle say to leave it on for a minimum of 10 minutes, but longer is better after shampooing. The two times I used it so far, I left it on an hour. She also said I could sleep with the treatment in my hair but right now it's too cold for me to do that- but I will come Summer. The No 3 treatment is small, only 3.3oz but it is so concentrated! I only need about 6 quarter size dollops- I apply it in 6 sections (1 per section) combing it through my hair while massaging it in.
My stylist said not to use the Olaplex more than once a week because it can be overkill, so I am listening. I only wash twice a week anyway. But the more I use the treatment, the better and better my hair is becoming. My ends are less fuzzy, my hair overall is more manageable and I am starting to get some nice wavy curl definition back. My hair seems to be air drying a little quicker too. Also, it my hair just has this shine and brilliance to it that I didn't think I would ever have.
ACHIEVING LIGHTER BLONDE
I look forward to continue use of the Olaplex treatment so I can grow out the parts of my hair that have severe breakage and my hair could be thick, full and beautiful again. Thanks to Olaplex too, I may try to be able to successfully achieve lighter blonde hair in future with the added insurance of knowing my hair hopefully won't get severely damaged again. I'll see, right now my focus is on hair health and regrowth. I wish Olaplex was around when I lightened my hair the first time so I wouldn't be dealing with the breakage issue.
Will I use Olaplex again?
Yes. In my opinion, if you want to repair your hair or are looking to lighten your hair, Olaplex is worth every single penny and then some.
This article is courtesy of NaturallyCurly.com