What’s up, curl homies? My hair has been blonde for about a week now, and while I haven’t noticed any visible damage, I have been concentrating on preventative measures – mainly focusing on my moisture/protein balance, as well as using a toning conditioner that I love (Tigi Catwalk Fashionista Violet Conditioner – but that’s another review!). But still, I know that damage and breakage can pop up over time with bleach, and I didn’t want to risk it. I read about Olaplex awhile back and a stylist recommended that I get a treatment on my Facebook page. I mean, I did leave bleach on my hair for an hour and a half. That can’t be good for Izzy.

So basically, Olaplex is a bond multiplier that reconnects/mimics the disulfide bonds in your hair that are broken during chemical treatments. As a result, breakage and damage are significantly decreased. Sounds like a magic gift from the hair universe for dye heads, right? Olaplex is a three part system (No. 1, 2, and 3) – No. 1 is is Bond Multiplier and mixed with your bleach, No. 2 is the Bond Perfector and applied after your process and links the remaining disulfide bonds in the hair, and No. 3 is the take-home retail version of the system (No. 1 & 2) and meant to be used once a week or more if your hair is severely damaged. For more information, check out the Olaplex FAQ.

No. 1 & 2 are meant to be applied in the salon by a stylist, and the system works best when you start during your coloring process (you can also get it as a standalone treatment after the fact if you want). However, I have salonphobia, so that wasn’t going to work for me. I reached out to the folks at Olaplex, and they confirmed that while it’s best to use the entire system, using No. 3 at home would still be beneficial and prevent damage. You can buy No. 3 from your local salon if they carry Olaplex, but I bought mine from Drugstore.com. Please note, Drugstore.com is NOT listed as an authorized salon distributor of Olaplex, so if you want to buy it, it’s at your own risk. I did reach out to them and they assured me their products are authentic (I’ve also shopped at Drugstore.com for years). I paid $28 for a 3.3oz bottle, which seems like a lot but still less than going to the salon and yields multiple uses.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate (main active ingredient), Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Ethylcellulose, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Quaternium-91, Sodium Benzoate, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Polyquaternium-37, Tetrasodium EDTA, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Etidronic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Phytantriol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate

Consistency and Smell: Kind of milky but still fairly thick. It smells good, a light perfumey scent.

Procedure: The directions say to apply the product to unwashed, towel-dried hair, so I wet my hair with a spray bottle and towel dried it (I didn’t feel like getting in the shower), then applied it in four sections. I combed through each section as directed and put my hair up in a bun. You can leave it on for a minimum of ten minutes, or longer if you wish – I read about some people leaving it on even overnight and had both positive AND negative results, so again, at your own risk. I decided to leave mine in for about 15-20 minutes w/ a plastic cap, then cleansed and conditioned like normal. If you want to see me apply the Olaplex, I filmed it live on Periscope.

Results: While I was applying the Olaplex, it felt just like conditioner (however, note that they emphasis that it is NOT a conditioner). Combing through my hair was totally easy and I didn’t have any issues. After my time was up, I rinsed my hair and it felt really nice – it wasn’t dry at all and felt very supple. My ends also felt very smooth. I especially liked how my ends felt because tangly/dry ends are like, the automatic path to breakage and in winter they get dry anyway. I also noticed that there were no broken hairs that I could see on my hands as I ran my hand through my hair, and I usually get a couple even before I bleached my hair (I’ve readily admitted that sometimes I handle my hair too roughly).

Summary: I don’t really have anything negative to say about the treatment so far – even the price is reasonable considering what it’s supposed to do. Since it was so late at night, I had to braid my hair before bed – peep the pic of my juicy blond braid below. I will continue using it once a week and will do a full review at a later date, so stay tuned! I used about 1/4 of the bottle for one treatment, so it’ll last me a month. I’m really enjoying my blonde hair even though I still want my mermaid hair!

xoxo