Olaplex Hair Perfector No.3 (100ml for $28)
H(Ola)-plex! I love their shampoo-- it's literally the most nourishing shampoo I have ever tried. The conditioner is good too, but you don't really need it if you are using that shampoo. However, this baby here is the hair treatment: probably the most known product out of them all. You put it onto your towel dry dirty hair -- from roots to tips; leave it in for 20 minutes, wash it out, and then shampoo/condition as per the usual. It is supposed to strengthen your hair, especially if your hair (not your soul) has been damaged. The treatment is not very thick. I have shoulder-lenghths, and in order to cover everything, I need to use up 1/4 of the bottle (not exactly economical) to actually feel like I have put something into my hair. The result after blow drying: my hair looks a lot fuller-- more volumptious. I personally don't see much else-- it doesn't soften the hair much (nor does it claim to do it, however). For what it does, of course, it's not bad. I am comparing it to Virtue's Hair Treatment (with alpha keratin that mimics our hair's keratin), and of course, the Olaplex treatment is more affordable. Would I repurchase? Maybe, especially because it does get the job done. From the hype, however, I might have been expecting more. Maybe the Olaplex shampoo set the bar too high-- very likely. That shampoo is still my no.1 product from Olaplex-- by a mile.
Olaplex No.6 Leave-in Reparative Styling Crème (100ml for $28)
Are you not yet familiar with the new Olaplex baby that the public welcomed in May this year? Well, here it is-- baby no.6! There is a reason why I don't have any brand loyalty-- most brands have good products, and they have duds too. No brand is "100% dud free". Not even Olaplex. What is it? It is a leave-in reparative styling crème that helps to eliminate frizz, intensely hydrates and protects all hair types. It also allegedly speeds up the blow-drying time. You don't need much, according to the brand (apply to mid-lengths). Let's examine the claims further: 💬Elimination of frizz: unfortunately, this could not be tested out since I don't have frizzy hair 💬Hydration: hmmm... It depends how much product you use. If you use a little, there is literally zero hydration-- your hair will only get more tangled. If you use more, after about 2h (after blow drying), your hair will start looking greasy and straw-y all at the same time. 💬Protects hair: only from blow-drying, not from straightening 💬Speeds up blow drying process: yes, that true. Basically, I have better products that hydrate my hair without leaving it greasy. Sorry, next...
Product review:
Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampoo (250ml for $28)
There are shampoos, and then there are Shampoos. This one fits into the second category. So, what is it? According to Olaplex, it "protects and repairs damaged hair, split ends and frizz by re-linking broken bonds. A highly-moisturizing, reparative shampoo that leaves hair easy to manage, shiny and healthier with each use". Oh, it smells like grapefruit. You really need a tiny bit-- it is highly concentrated. And super nourishing, to the extent you wonder whether you really need a conditioner (but not in a bad way). It doesn't leave hair greasy-- it leaves it super soft. I am loving it.