Transforming your hair with colours or curling wands used to mean dealing with brittle, frizzy hair and constant split ends. Then Olaplex came along and changed everything. Suddenly salons were rushing to get their hands on the hair care system because it truly is revolutionary.
It’s the addition of bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate that makes Olaplex so special. This active ingredient restores the broken disulphide bonds in hair resulting from chemical or thermal treatment, like repeated colouring or perms.
Translation? Olaplex restores the natural shape, shine and health to damaged hair. You can forget about split ends and brittleness in the colouring process and instead focus on what matters: your beautiful, healthy head of hair. As far as natural hair products go, Olaplex stands out as it makes your hair dramatically healthier – plus the SoCal brand is 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Using Olaplex at home
In Australia, Olaplex treatment is a 6-step process. Steps 1 and 2 are generally performed by qualified hair care professionals in a salon, usually as part of the colouring process.
However, between salon treatments, you can certainly keep your hair healthy and strong using the at-home perfector, shampoo and conditioner routine. We’ll go through all the steps here, including the salon treatments, so you have a good understanding of how this miracle cure keeps your hair naturally strong even after repeated dyeing.
Olaplex No. 1: Bond Multiplier
Your stylist can treat your hair with the bond multiplier either during a hair dyeing session or as a standalone treatment. This first stage of the treatment repairs damaged hair and prevents the lighteners or colours it is mixed with from causing damage.
Olaplex No. 2: Bond Perfector
After lightening your hair and rinsing out the dye, Olaplex No. 2 adds a little more of that special ingredient to finish restoring the disulphide bonds. No. 2 is left in for around 20 minutes to soak up all the goodness.
Olaplex No.3: Hair Perfector
Here’s where you generally take over at home. Olaplex No. 3 is more than a mere conditioning treatment. With a slightly lower concentration of the bonding ingredient than No. 2 (12.5% compared to 15%) the at-home perfector restores and maintains bonds for long-lasting health.
- Shampoo and condition hair (see below No. 4 and No. 5)
- Towel dry hair
- Pour about 2 teaspoons into your hands and massage into your scalp
- Comb through hair evenly (fingers are fine but make sure you saturate all the strands)
- Let it sit for 10-30 minutes
- For the first application after a colour treatment, let it sit for at least an hour or two
- Hop back in the shower, rinse out the serum then shampoo and condition your hair as normal
- Repeat every 7-10 days
Olaplex No. 4: Bond Maintenance Shampoo
Although you can use Olaplex No. 4 like your regular shampoo, it’s so much more than that. Every time you wash your hair it will be cleaned and moisturised with the help of that special Olaplex ingredient.
Olaplex No. 5: Bond Maintenance Conditioner
Just like the shampoo, Olaplex No. 5 can be used regularly at home. The special bond maintenance conditioner leaves your hair silky-smooth and shiny, while also reinforcing the strength of the bonds formed during steps 1-3.
Olaplex No. 6: Bond Smoother
Newly released in Australia is Olaplex No. 6. This leave-in reparative styling cream de-frizzes your hair while simultaneously hydrating and protecting it. It works for up to 72 hours so you can maintain that salon-fresh look and feel between washes.
There you have it, our guide to using Olaplex hair products at home. As one of the exclusive suppliers of Olaplex in Australia, we can’t get enough of this magic treatment. Get yours today as individual treatments or in a bundle pack from Ethan Thomas Collection.