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What Is Olaplex?

Olaplex is...


First things first, Olapex isn't just for ladies. That's right guys, Olaplex is for you too! Read more to find out all of it's benefits for the hair on your head and on your face!

When it comes to hair treatments, there are various types with specific advantages such as Olaplex, protein treatments, keratin, and conditioning treatments. Although some treatments, like the protein or keratin, can have adverse effects on the hair when used too often, or should only be used when necessary, or only on certain type of hair. The beauty of Olaplex is that it's safe to use as often as you want and on any type of hair because hair can aways benefit from being healthier. All hair types differ in their routines, but their need for hydration and moisture is universal. Click here to read about your hair type.

Olaplex's active chemistry works on a molecular level to repair damaged and broken bonds to rejuvenate hair, increase tensile strength, restore elasticity, and protect the hair follicle from further breakage. Olapex works to restore damage and compromised hair by repairing from the inside out with Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, this technology works by finding single sulfur hydrogen bonds and cross-linking them back together to form disulfide bonds. It works on every hair type, from curly to slick straight, from virgin to highly processed, and can be used weekly to strengthen and repair hair. Olaplex's whole line is gentle, non-toxic, pH balanced, paraben-free, color safe, vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, sulfate-free.


What Is A Bond?

Our hair contains millions of disulfide bonds, these bonds give the hair its structure, strength, and stability. Olaplex works to rebuild your hair internally by relinking the broken disulfide bonds, creating a permanent fix (until the bonds are broken again). Once the bonds are all intact and aligned, you're left with healthy, beautiful, shiny, touchable hair.


How Do Bonds Break?

Bonds can break due to a few different factors. First is thermal factors; your hair doesn't need to have any type of color processes to have broken bonds and damage, high levels of heat from curling/straightening irons, blowdryers, and other hot styling tools can damage virgin hair. Whether you style your hair daily, weekly, or special occasions - each time you use a hot tool, you are breaking bonds. Second is chemical factors; coloring, bleaching, perms, relaxers, and keratin treatments. Third is mechanical factors; brushing, friction, clips and bobby pins, tight ponytails, tugging, pulling on hair, even sleeping on a rough pillowcase, it's called bed-head for a reason! Fourth is environmental factors; warmth from the sun as well as brittling cold wind can compromise your hair. Even virgin hair, with no color and never hot styled, can still be damaged by UV rays from the sun. Salt, chlorine, humidity, extreme hot/cold weather conditions, pollutions, and even the water running through your pipes at your home can cause damage.


The System

All steps contain the same active ingredient which is free of silicone or oils that link broken disulfide bonds in the hair during and after chemical services making them stronger than before. By adding No.1 into your chemical service, your stylist is mitigating the damage done during the color process. No.2 is a treatment to revive and rebuild the bonds. No.3 is your take home treatment to restore hair during thermal and mechanical styling. No.4 is Bond Maintenance Shampoo and No.5 is Bond Maintenance Conditioner.

No.1, No.2, and No.3 only rebuild hair, they do nothing else. They are not conditioners or moisturizers, they're bond builders. No.4 and No.5 now rebuilds bonds as you wash your hair while adding moisture!

Olaplex products don't stop there! No.0, your take-home version of No.1, a concentrated formula jumpstarts the repair deep within the hair strand, priming it for a luxurious intensive treatment paired with No.3, your take home No.2. Next up, the iconic duo, No.6 Bond Smoother, a leave-in styling cream that rebuilds bonds, conditions and omits frizz for up to 72 hours! And No.7 Bonding Oil, a bond-building oil that rebuilds bonds while it adds intense shine, moisture, reduces frizz, and protects the hair from UV rays and heat up to 450 degrees. Together the two


In March 2021, Olaplex released their first moisture focused mask that pumped hair full of moisture while rebuilding bonds! No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask was instantly flying off the shelves.






PRO-TIP: cocktail No.5 with No.7 for a surge of hydration!


How Often Should I Get An Olaplex Treatment?

Everyone's hair is different and hence their hair care system will all be different. If your hair is chemically healthy, but exposed to damage from the environment, mechanical and thermal styling tools, Olaplex recommends a treatment once a week or every two weeks.

If your hair is color-treated, Olaplex recommends weekly treatments due to the damage coloring, bleaching, and styling with heat can cause to the structure of the hair shaft. For chemicals to create color or textural changes to the hair follicle, the hair needs to break first.

PRO-TIP: healthy hair helps color last longer!

If your hair is highly compromised due to being pushed to far chemically with color or texture services, regular exposure to thermal styling, or environmental pollution. As well as coloring your hair too often, or going through drastic color or texture changes can have adverse effects. For damage as such, Olaplex recommends a treatment as often as possible. With Olaplex being a bond builder, not a conditioning or protein treatment, it allows for extensive use, minimum being once a week.


Types Of Olaplex Treatments & The Steps


Stand Alone Treatment: One of the most common treatments done in a salon and the most concentrated Olaplex formula. Your stylist will apply No.1 Bond Multiplier to damp, clean hair for 5 minutes, and without rinsing, layer No.2 Bond Perfector on top for an additional 10 minutes or longer. Rinse with No.4 Shampoo and No.5 Conditioner and style as desired. You should be able to feel the difference in the integrity of your hair.


Mini Treatment: To help mitigate the damage during bleaching and between colouring sessions, ask for a Mini Treatment, your stylist can use No.2 as a cutting lotion or blow-dry cream.


No.0 & No.3 Treatment: No.0 Primer (clients take home No.1) and No.3 Hair Perfector (clients take home No.2). Start on clean hair, dampen with No.0, leave on for 10 minutes, then layer No.3 directly on top for another 10 minutes or until you're ready, then rinse, shampoo and condition. Keep in mind, the longer it's on, the more effective it is, especially for compromised hair. We've seen great results from people who have left it on for 30 to 90 minutes!


No.3 Treatment for Beards: Who would've thought that Olaplex would work on beard hair too, hair is hair after all. Turns out No.3 works magic on beards, not only does it smell better than most other moisturisers, but it helps soften your beard hair, improving it's manageability while simultaneously decreasing its wiriness and itchiness. Some people claim it helps thicken their beard, making it feel fuller and denser.

First clean and pat dry your beard before applying a small amount of No.3, wait a minimum of 10 mintues, then rinse and condition.


No.3 Treatment: First things first, a light shampoo to rid your hair of any build-up of oils, silicones, or product will definitely come in handy. You can apply No.3 to dry hair but it'll take more product to fully saturate the hair. Leave it on for a minimum of 10 minutes or sleep with it in overnight or slick it back in a bun while out and about running errands. Rinse, shampoo, and condition and then style as desired. Remember this is NOT a conditioning treatment, it's a bond building treatment. For those with compromised hair, Olaplex recommends this treatment 2-3 times a week.


No.4 & No.5 Shampoo and Conditioner: No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. These super concentrated products together will moisturize and rebuild bonds all while cleansing your hair post adventure, ridding sand, dirt, sweat, and grime from your hair with ease while reducing damage and frizz for the ultimate strong, healthy, and shiny hair.


No.6 Leave-In Treatment: No.6 Bond Smoother is a revolutionary styling product formulated with coconut oil, vitamin E, fermented organ oil, and sealift to rebuild and restore damaged hair, moisturize, de-tangle, grapeseed oil steps in with rich compounds such as beta-carotene, vitamins C, D, and E, essential fatty acids and polyphenols to improve hair integrity, act as hair protectant, reduce breakage, and eliminate frizz and flyaways for up to 72 hours! Apply or comb through damp hair.


No.7 Bonding Oil: Olaplex welcomes you to try its first-of-its-kind, highly-concentrated, and nearly weightless reparative styling oil and heat protectant that also dramatically increases shine, softness, and color vibrancy. Saltwater, chlorine and environmental damage can drain hair of its moisture, apply No.7 as needed, even on the go while out and about, throughout the hair for glorious shine and bond rebuilding under the sun. This wonderful oil not only protects against heat damage up to 450 degrees and against UV rays but shortens drying time, extends and renews color vibrancy, softens and detangles!


No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask: Olaplex's first moisture mask. As well as the only moisture mask that simultaneously rebuilds bonds while profoundly conditions in existence! This deep conditioner aims to add much needed moisture all while boosting shine and softness, and smoothing and strengthening your hair cuticle without weighing the hair down.


Repairing & Moisturizing With No.3, No.5, and No.6: First signs of Spring look like dry, brittle hair in much need of some love. Re-vamp your seasoned winter hair with some major hair therapy. STEP 1. No.3 Hair Perfector: Use on clean, damp hair and comb throughout to ensure full saturation.

PRO TIP: Styling your hair into braids or bun helps retain moisture, hence keeping the treatment active longer! The longer its on, the better!

STEP 2. Shampoo and rinse with No.4 and follow with No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner to bring intense moisture back into your hair, apply on damp hair, and comb through to fully saturate, then style into a bun or braid. STEP 3. No.6 Bond Smoother Leave In: Start with a dime sized amount and palm into your hair.

PRO TIP: add some drops of No.7 to No.6 and apply through hair to boost shine and bond building magic.


How To Customize No.6, No.7, and No.8: Treating the hair weekly with No.8 is like a sundae, and No.6 and No.7, are the cherries on top. First and foremost, understanding the difference between products will help you customize them into your haircare routine. No.8 packs in moisture while adding fullness, sleekness, and shine. No.6 makes hair more manageable and reduces frizz, and No.7 rebuilds hair while adding shine, moisture, and protection from heat up to 450 degrees. Use No.6 and No.7 for protection after a No.8 treatment to help to boost the benefits and results of No.8. Mix up a cocktail in your hands with No.6 or apply it separately during your hair care routine or apply it as a touchup while on the go.



Frequently Asked Questions



What's the difference between No.3 and No.8?

No.3 Hair Perfector is not a mask or a conditioner, it works inside the hair cuticle to re-link broken bonds. No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask is a deep conditioning treatment. You can use both weekly to strengthen and repair the hair.


What's the difference between No.5 and No.8?

No.5 is your daily conditioner, it provides a surge of moisture, detangles, repairs, leaving the hair soft and prepped for styling. Conditioning increases manageability aka less breakage when styling and wearing. While No.5 does moisturize, it's not a mask or conditioning treatment; it's formulated for in-shower conditioning. Unlike it's sibling No.8 which is a complete bond-building moisture mask experience. No.8 takes it a step further, providing extra moisture while being lightweight, leaving the hair feeling healthy and full while simultaneously repairing damaged and broken bonds.






https://olaplex.com/pages/how-it-works

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