Not sure if the Olaplex hair line is worth the investment? Then see my full review of Nº3 and Nº6 in this post! The images will impress you!
When I was younger, at the beginning of my adult life, I was a fan of beauty and hair products.
Hours passed lendo product reviews, watching YouTube, and testing every type of hair schedule possible. No-poo? Tested. Low-poo? Tested. Lola Cosmetics? L'Oreal Paris? Kerastasis? Tested, tested, tested.
Well, time passed, I changed continents, prices changed, and I ended up simplifying my routine as much as possible. However, at the same time, I also did something I had never done before: balayage my hair.
And I don't even need to tell you that one thing didn't go with the other, right? Highlighted hair needs a lot of care, and simplifying the routine does not increase care, on the contrary. The result was that my ends were dry, dry, and looking like a broom.
And all I had to use were drugstore shampoos and conditioners. Not even the Moroccanoil mascaras I used for years had been repurchased, because the price is absurd.
I was ready to cut my hair in a long bob, until I found an incredible promotion from a brand called Olaplex. You see, working with shopping tips I I knew what Olaplex was and its promises, but the budget never allowed me to test it.
As I was already desperate, about to cut my hair and found a promotion, I decided that this was the time. If there was one product on the market that would save my hair, from what all the reviews indicated, this would be it.
In this post, I show you whether Olaplex is worth it, with before and after photos and my thoughts on some of the brand's products.
But what is Olaplex?
Before moving on to the photos, however, let me explain what é Helloplex.
Olaplex is a brand of hair products that works to restore hair at a molecular level. In general, our hair is made of protein and keratin, which are linked together. When this bond is broken, the hair becomes damaged.
Olaplex uses a patented technology with Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, a molecule that repairs hair bonds.
Super technological, and what you need to understand is that, in general, the purpose of Olaplex is to repair your hair. In our well-known hair schedule, most of the brand's products enter the repair phase.
What are Olaplex products?
The brand's main product is Nº3 Hair Perfector, a treatment you can do at home to restore your hair in just a few minutes.
However, due to its great popularity, the brand has already expanded the line and has several products:
- Nº0 – Intensive Bond Building Treatment
- Nº1 – Bond Multiplier*
- Nº2 – Bond Perfector*
- Nº3 – Hair Perfector
- Nº4 – Hair Maintenance Shampoo
- Nº4P – Blond Enhancer Toner Shampoo
- Nº4C – Hair Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo
- Nº4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo
- Nº5 – Bond Maintenance Conditioner
- Nº5P Blonde Enhancer™ Toning Conditioner
- Nº6 – Bond Smoother
- Nº7 – Bonding Oil
- Nº8 – Bond Intense Moisture Mask
- Nº9 – Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum
- Volumizing Blow Dry Mist
Numbers 1 and 2 are only for beauty professionals, as it is a treatment applied in a salon. The rest of the products are for sale to the general public, as they can be applied at home.
The brand is not yet officially sold in Brazil, but you can find it on Brazilian Amazon for excellent prices, especially the Nº3 Hair Perfector.
Olaplex Review – My experience with the brand
You already read in the introduction that when I bought Olaplex products, I was desperate. My hair was dry, broken and in dire need of a cut or some miracle treatment.
Here's a photo of it a few days before I bought the products:
To try to solve this problem, I purchased the Nº3 Hair PerfectorAnd Nº6 Bond Smoother, which is nothing more than a post-wash leave-in. At the time I was unsure whether to also buy Nº0, which in theory is meant to be used before of Nº3, as a pre-shampoo.
But it had just been launched, and Nº3 was already a bestseller on the market and had excellent results on its own. So I didn't feel the need.
How to use Olaplex Nº3 Hair Perfector
My biggest question when purchasing the products was , the apply them. Yes, the leave-in is self-explanatory, but what about treatment #3?
I saw several videos on YouTube and TikTok, and I saw that people applied it in two ways:
- Washing your hair with shampoo first, and then applying the product and leaving it to act for 10 minutes. After that, just rinse and follow your normal cleaning routine, using shampoo again and then conditioner.
- Wetting the hair, and with it damp, applying the product and leaving it to act for 10 minutes. After that, it was time to rinse and then follow the normal hair wash, shampoo and conditioner routine.
The brand's website says that simply apply to damp hair, from root to tip. But if you had a lot of product already in your hair, it was better to shampoo it first.
As my hair needed to be washed, and because I imagined that the treatment would be more effective if I didn't have a ton of oil on the way, I decided to use it the first way: I washed it with shampoo, dried it with a towel, applied the product and waited ten minutes.
Product odorless, medium thickness. Not too heavy, not too liquid.
I even saw people suggesting that I could keep it in my hair longer, but I was afraid that it would be too strong, causing hair loss, etc. So I set the timer for ten minutes, and then followed my normal routine, with drugstore shampoo and conditioner.
How to apply Olaplex Nº6 Bond Smoother
No. 6 is nothing more than a leave-in, a leave-in cream to apply after washing your hair and before drying. It's super light and has a wonderful pina colada scent. (It's definitely not for those who don't like products with fragrance).
Simply apply a dime-sized amount to damp hair, then style as usual.
I'll tell you that I've used this product other times, without combining it with Nº3 and it was a disaster. I don't know what happens, but it gets heavy on its own and leaves your hair with sebum. It wasn't used to replace my daily leave-in, I only use it when I do the treatment with Nº3.
Results with Olaplex Nº3
I confess that I didn't trust it very much, I thought the advertising was exaggerated. But I'll put the after photo here so you can compare it with the before:
Look at that hair! Tips well treated, hydrated, even the balayage was highlighted and with a more harmonious color. All this with a single application.
And, as the before photo was three days after washing, to make an even fairer comparison, here is my hair after being washed before of using Olaplex, and how it was washed and styled after using Olaplex:
The difference is absurd, and all this with a single use.
And you know what is better? I don't feel the need to use Olaplex Nº3 often. Nowadays, when my hair has recovered, I usually use perhaps once a month, sometimes even less.
Good thing, because I admit that it's very annoying having to wash your hair, get out of the shower, wait ten minutes, go back to the shower... In the summer it's okay, but in the winter it's a freezing process.
Remembering that you can even use Olaplex more times a month, and even buy the entire line, such as the shampoo, conditioner and moisturizing mask. However, it is worth remembering that this is a brand focused on hair repair, and the consensus is that too much repair can have a negative effect.
What I saw a lot on TikTok is people complaining about their hair becoming heavy and even breaking with continuous use of the line. It wasn't my experience, because I only use it occasionally, when I feel like my hair needs it. Using it this way I have only had positive experiences.
It's been over a year since I bought mine, and I haven't even finished my first pack yet. In other words, it was a great investment and lasts a long time.
Is Olaplex worth it? You recommend?
Yes! Olaplex Nº3 made a lot of difference to my hair, recovering the strands and making my hair look healthy even after chemical treatment.
For what it is, I found the prices on Amazon Brazil to be very fair, even cheaper than those in the United States when there is no promotion. Here you can check out other hair products that are worth buying in the USA!
A year later, I still use the treatment once a month, and I think it's one of the reasons my hair is so healthy and shiny. I recommend!
And you, have you tried Olaplex? What did you think of the products? Tell me in the comments!