How many of you remember screaming out loud when Olaplex No. 3 finally became accessible to the rest of us?! I only use Olaplex products when getting my hair done at the salon? I’ve used it before and only heard about the No.3 Hair Perfector. So far, No.3 is the only Olaplex product I’ve used, and I’ve been happily testing the other three over the past few weeks to see how my hair reacts. Spoiler alert – I’ve found both must-have products and “this doesn’t work for me so I need to let it go” products.
Years ago, what made Olaplex so appealing to those of us with colored or damaged hair is that the product rebuilds hair’s disulfide bonds (the bonds that give hair its shape and body). , was about slowly repairing and restoring the hair. It feels like there are a lot of products out there with features like this now, but I don’t remember seeing many of them over five years ago.
No.4, No.5 Bond Maintenance Shampoo & Conditioner*
First of all, the shampoo and conditioner both have a pleasant scent with a subtle, slightly citrusy scent. I didn’t bother to share with you the consistency of these products or the Olaplex products I have on hand, as there was nothing all that innovative about them. The shampoo lathers well and is used alone or to wash away No.3. Although it was effective in cleaning my scalp and hair, it felt a bit dry on the ends of my hair, and then strangely felt like it weighed down my roots.
Attempt #1
When using No.4 and No.5 for the first time, I also apply a little conditioner on the top of my hair because my hair is usually dry and has a lot of flyaways, especially around the roots. I used an amount the size of a 10 yen coin, and as soon as I blow-dried my hair, I realized that the roots had zero volume, making it look like a helmet head. I thought I might need to wash it off more next time as it leaves a bit of a residue (although it did make my scalp and hair feel squeamish).
I used No. 4 and No. 5 alone and washed thoroughly, but my hair remained very flat even when blow-drying or using Olaplex Volumizing Dry Mist at the roots. (Usually works!).
I used No. 4 and No. 5 only on the ends of my hair, so it worked better after blow-drying, but even if I slept with my hair loosely tied up, by the morning the volume at the roots had gone down considerably again. I continued using this combination for the next few weeks and even though I used a thickening cream from root to tip, I dealt with the volume loss at the roots. Then, a few days ago, I used the leftover No. 5 on my roots out of habit, and my hair was back to try #1!
Another thing I noticed when using No. 4 and No. 5 was that my hair always got tangled and felt a little stiff, which was the complete opposite of what I expected from this combination! You have no idea how sad I was that these didn’t work for me. Last night I switched back to a different shampoo and conditioner (JVN Embody) and I saw an immediate change. I didn’t have to dry my hair with a hairdryer and it had volume at the roots, so I was able to comb it through without any problems.
No.3 Hair Perfector*
Volume dry mist*
We saved the best for last! This is Olaplex’s newest product and I absolutely love it. I’ve been using this since summer and I’ve been raving about it on my IG stories because I love how it adds volume while keeping heat and humidity at bay. This is my go-to before curling my hair and I find it really helpful in adding body to my thin hair.
Final verdict: So, not only were there some amazing discoveries for me here, but also a new favorite discovery. I already have countless volume blow dry mist backups so you can see how much I enjoy it.
All Olaplex products are available for purchase at: https://ca.olaplex.com
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