Olaplex DIY - Help needed

That's interesting, I didn't know Pauls sold it to the public. I've never asked when I've been in the shop in Manchester, I assumed as it's not supposed to be sold to non hairdressers. They seem ligit to me though, they certainly do have proper other supplies, so I'd be surprised if they sold fake olaplex.

Never bleach after using clarifying shampoo. Why are you planning on this step and when? You bleach directly over the coconut oil, you don't wash it out before bleaching, if that's what you're planning.

I have to say though, I've come to the conclusion the hype around olaplex is overblown. I've used it for quite a while now and didn't notice it really making an improvement when I bleached my roots. I'm using up the last of what I have and then I won't be getting more.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/FancyFollicles/comments/3mdc5q/can_you_use_melted_coconut_oil_on_your_hair/?client=safari

They say coconut oil will just dilute the ola plex and make it more tricky for it to do it's job.

Thanks for your input janine, much appreciated.

I've done something incredibly stupid and used 30 vol on my hair proudly thinking my hair will handle it (always used coconut oil and 20 vol) and I basically lost half my hair... I am devastated till now and clip-ins with a bit of styling here and there help me hide the mess and build my confidence again.

Another mistake that I've done is, I've watched Paula's choice videos and I stopped using protein treatments, (Paula's choice idea is generally you cant repair hair, what's ruined is ruined, you can fill in the gaps and coat it to make it smooth but at the core it's dead and ruined).

Not sure what to do; I think I'll go 10 vol, olaplex on clarifiying-shampooed virgin roots... I'm just putting my hope in olaplex long term but I know from my experience 20 vol, coconut and joico gave me strong blonde hair that after using bona cure silver shampoo were gorgeous...

The idea is, you want your hair as clear of products as possible so that the ola plex can really get into the chemical process without much interruption like silicones and coconut oil.

I'm waiting for my lovely always helpful hair dye forum girls' input before I make the final decision.

Knowing I bought the genuine stuff made me relieve a bit too as it was pricey. Thank you!

Well, she (Paula) is right. You can't permanently repair hair. Ever. Not even olaplex does it permanently, if it really does what it says it does at all. Like I say, I'm still not convinced really. I'm not sure that it prevents the damage in the first place, my understanding was that it repaired the bonds only. I might be wrong on that, it's a while since I did the reading on it. But temporary 'repair' is better than leaving hair to just get worse and worse.

That person on Reddit looks like they're talking about using olaplex as a standalone treatment, the bleach eats through most of the oil so it doesn't sit on the outside of the hair blocking the olaplex. Besides, part of the reason it's coconut oil is because it doesn't just sit on the outside of the hair like other oils do, it gets inside the hair.

Never, ever, EVER bleach on just shampooed hair! Never. I can't emphasise this enough, it is the worst thing you can do apart from using 40vol. You risk serious chemical burns on you scalp. The oil, grease, dirt and all the other stuff is important to protect your scalp and your hair. Ok, so olaplex might help with the hair, but it's most definitely not going to protect your scalp. If you get some serious chemical burns then it's highly possible you will have an area of hair that doesn't grow AT ALL due to the damage to the follicles. Permanent damage to the scalp is infinitely worse than damage to the hair that will grow out. I'm sorry, but whoever is putting that idea out the is an idiot and I'm extremely angry about it. Bleach eats through all this dirt and stuff very easily.

Are you going to get the lift you want with 10%? If you're in the U.K. it's going into winter now and it makes the bleach work even slower. If I was warm last time you bleached then it was working faster because it was warmer. If you've used
20vol before and it's been fine, don't throw the baby out with the bath water because 30vol was too much. If the 10 vol isn't enough you'll end up needing to bleach again which isn't great either.

Ok, dirt, 2 week unwashed hair, coconut oil and olaplex on top it is then.

I probably won't get what I want with just 10, not even with 20 at times, but it was the gradual gentle bleach - protein/hydrators/sillicons/conditioners then bleach gently again... it'll take months to get where I want to be which is alright as I got loads of her to grow back 🙁

Thank you for such a derailed and extensive reply it was super helpful and I'm really grateful !

Well, two weeks a bit of overkill! 2 days is enough 😉 (I'm assuming that was a typo?)

Can I ask, what video was it that stopped you using protein? I'd be interested to watch, but I can't find anything.

They didn't mention protein treatments itself, it was the all about hair 1 hour q&a session where they talk about conditioners for different hair types etc.

Long story short hair gets damaged same way a broken pencil can be fixed with a bit of tape round it (silicones), so following their reasoning this whole protein joico revitalise and cat by redken seems to be just a marketing so I used their advice and started only using super thick moisturising shampoos and conditioners for super dry hair. Maybe they were right and the sole reason my hair broke was because I went 30 vol for over an hour...

Long story short I'm gonna take it super easy with my hair now. 10 vol, back to joico and cat and ola plex on top

Maybe they were right and the sole reason my hair broke was because I went 30 vol for over an hour...

Well yeah, that would do it. Never leave it on for longer than an hour. Especially if you're not counting in the time it took to apply.

Silicone is very different to protein though, they're doing very different jobs. And silicone isn't without it's benefits. I'm extra hard on the claims of beauty companies, but not everything is hype and marketing. I'd recommend listening to The Beauty Brains podcast and looking at their blog. It's a pair of cosmetic scientists who talk quite frankly about the ingredients used and what is marketing gumpf etc.

Paula's Choice seems about as much as selling stuff as anything else, so I'm not sure how much stock I'd put in what they say. Or at least, weigh it up against what others are saying.