Olaplex explained

The distributor for the UK is Star Qualities, I'm not sure how they go about actually distributing it though, the licensing system over there is totally different from the US. I know I have their email saved somewhere if anyone needs it. No1 and 2 are meant to be used by professionals only, No3 is the only one available for the public to use and it has to be bought from a salon/professional.

There are the eBay abd Amazon sellers, but again you really don't know if what you're getting is diluted or if it's even Olaplex at all, not to mention it's usually priced over double what stylists pay. Olaplex doesn't want their product diverted, because if say you get something abd it's not even real Olaplex, you're disappointed, or say it's something dangerous to use - Olaplex will still be the ones blamed. Really I don't recommend that if you're going to buy Olaplex, get it from a professional, even better a professional you trust. Because it is a very expensive product, it's worth every penny, but I can almost guarantee you there's people out there selling fakes/diluted Olaplex, it's simple to re seal a bottle.

@BabyJ omg I'm so glad you've used it! I had a feeling you would 😉 I can't believe how silky my hair feels either! Like my undercut i had I was letting it grow out but as usual it soon became a knotted, sparse looking dry mess, despite my avoiding sulfates, sulfate like ingredients  (I call them sulfate cousins lol), silicones, artificial copolymers, etc with my CO washing, vinegar rinses, etc. With Olaplex though omg it feels and looks no different than the rest of my hair! My ponytails keep sliding out now, just like when I was a kid because my hair is so silky and healthy now. I guess it's a good problem to have! Lol. I've used it on my daughter too, she's about 2 and has always had the typical baby hair that dries out and is fluffy and tangled every morning, despite the very gentle care I use with her. With Olaplex though it's smooth, it doesn't get dried out all the time or tangled because it's less porous, it feels and looks so much healthier and behaves healthier too, she's certainly more happy wuth it, especially when it comes time to brush lol. I love this stuff so much and I stand behind it completely, which I can only say about a few products. I seriously wish everyone could just try it, it's such an amazing product, and as cliche and overused as it sounds, it truly is unlike anything else. Because it's an entirely new category to the industry, there are no other bonds multipliers/bonds builders that actually have the scientific, chemical proof to back up their claims, let alone actual real life results. The rest are just temporary ingredients that hang out in the hair for a wash or a few, sometimes longer like with thermal keratin treatments, but those are all adding things to the hair, foreign things. Olaplex isn't adding or filling or coating at all, it leaves absolutely no product left in the hair. It's in the hair, making broken disulfide bonds cross link back together, then you rinse it out and that's it, you have nothing foreign left in the hair at all, it's your bare hair and that's it, the repairs remain. It's not leaving ingredients behind.

Well, what I got might have been overpriced, but it got to me fast, I didn't have to worry about customs and there wasn't as much chance of it bursting on the way 🙂 I also don't know any hairdressers to buy it from here, so I don't have that option!

It is real and I've used it now. My hair isn't dry yet, but yes, it has done what others said it would. My hair feels soft and in much better condition and the curls have come back again (the bleach powder and oil thing managed to also kill the curl structure again, as well as the yellowness, even though it felt better than before!).

I'm still on the fence about long term though and how long it will last etc. I'm still not totally convinced, frustratingly enough 😉

It doesn't fade out or wear off, because there is nothing to fade out or wear off. Olaplex doesn't leave anything behind in or on the hair, when you rinse it out that's it,it's gone, it's your bare hair. I know it's kind of hard to grasp the concept of it, we are all familiar with proteins filling the hair or coating it, silicones, artificial copolymers coating the hair, most oils just coating the hair, when we think of products, especially ones that claim to reconstruct/build bonds, we think of what ingredients are being added to the hair, that can build up, wear off, etc. Olaplex is unlike this though, it's not something that fills or coats, it's the active ingredient Bis-aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate that penetrates throughout the hair, causing the broken disulfide bonds of our hair's actual molecular structure, to cross link back together. This ingredient makes the disulfide bonds repair themselves, it's not filling them or coating them temporarily or at all.

I am so glad you tried it! The results are just that, your results. These bonds, just like your existing, unbroken bonds, have no difference. So if you bleach, brush, heat style etc, they can break just like the rest of your bonds. They aren't indestructible. Bonds get broken every day from anything from friction on your pillowcase or collar to chemical processes, etc. So these results can't just "wear off" or fade out, your bonds are linked back together just the same as the still naturally intact, unbroken bonds you have. They get damaged exactly the same as the rest of your hair, there is no difference. The awesome thing about Olaplex is that it's impossible to over usr, because there is no product buildup, there is nothing foreign left behind, it's your hair's structure and that's it. So you can continue using Olaplex to repair the daily bonds breakage we all encounter, and having a more structurally sound foundation from Olaplex, hair doesn't get damaged as easily, it doesn't dry out as easily either as damaged, porous hair with a bunch of broken disulfide bonds. Yours get repaired every time you use Olaplex.

Like, when I first started using it my hair wasn't in bad shape but it definitely felt far from virgin. I did a stand alone treatment, it felt better, i did a couple more, it felt even better, i started retaining moisture longer, my hair wasn't getting as tangled, my hair felt virgin again, like when I was a kid. From there on its just maintenance to keep it that way. I repaired my accumulated damage, got my hair back to a virgin feeling state after about 4 treatments which I did over a few days, and I just do a treatment every couple weeks now to repair any little damage I may accumulate from everyday stuff

Just keep up with it your next few washes and you'll see exactly what I'm trying to explain. Your hair will feel and look smoother, healthier, shinier, it'll stay moist longer, your color will last longer, it'll be stronger and more resistant from damage from everyday things like mechanical damage or when you chemically process it.

I understand the concept. I have from the start. I don't think that there's anything else like silicone in it. I don't think I ever did, or if I did, I've changed my mind. I also know, and always have since I was 16 and doing hairdressing myself, that hair bonds break during normal activity. So I would absolutely expect the bonds to break in this case as well. One thing I don't think we know, and can't know if we all use it continuously, is if these bonds are weaker than natural ones.

I shouldn't have said how long it will last, that isn't actually what I meant to say.

Well, what I got might have been overpriced, but it got to me fast, I didn't have to worry about customs and there wasn't as much chance of it bursting on the way 🙂 I also don't know any hairdressers to buy it from here, so I don't have that option!

It is real and I've used it now. My hair isn't dry yet, but yes, it has done what others said it would. My hair feels soft and in much better condition and the curls have come back again (the bleach powder and oil thing managed to also kill the curl structure again, as well as the yellowness, even though it felt better than before!).

I'm still on the fence about long term though and how long it will last etc. I'm still not totally convinced, frustratingly enough 😉

Where did you get it from Janine?

PM if you prefer 🙂 thanks!

I went for my second application and I do feel theres been quite a difference this time - I also followed babyj's advice doing sections. I was comparing how my hair felt to my 5 year olds virgin hair - and I was impressed to be fair!

Feelin damn good this morning haha!

ETA: oh god I never thought it would get this good. I clarified and slightly dried for another standalone treatment and it was then that I realised what a difference it has already made. Normally I can never get my hair to style after just clarifying and no conditioner. No way, it feels like a birds nest and I at least need to use a blow dry cream to get through it. This time? My hair felt awesome even when wet, my hubby was shocked too. 3rd treatment in and my hair feels like someone else's. Similar to Katie it seems after a few applications the results begin to show. I'll just start doing occasional "top ups"
I've just woke up to easy to manage hair. I'm shocked.

@Swilks I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you, and everyone else too, for sharing their experiences! I love Olaplex and stand behind it completely, hearing new Olaplex Users experiences just makes my day <3 it's such an incredible, truly unique product!

It's an absolute drug Katie lol!  And I am very very thankful. I didn't think I was ever going to be won over right from the start and I'm not a fan of some of the promotion from other people, but your experience won me over. Not sure what I'll do if I run out though!  *ott*

I know the distributor over there is Star Qualities, I have the enail saved somewhere if you need it. I will gladly send you more but I know it would be cheaper for you to be able to get it directly from SQ as opposed to having to pay shipping from the states. For that 2lb  (just over) package it was I think like $35

Janineb I have heard that the bonds that they build are actually stronger than natural bonds!
I'm glad you've had good results because this is actually one of the only products I've used that ACTUALLY does do what it says.
Thanks Katie for all the info!

Well, I'm still not sure I really have had good results. It's actually starting to feel like it does when I over do protein (which doesn't take much at all, my hair hates protein).

Mine still feels exactly the same as before.

Hi,

I've joined the forum looking for info on Olaplex.

Today I've tried it for the first time.

I have very long hair that has greys on the top layer (most of it) from the crown to the bangs. Damn it! The under-layers have barely any greys. That makes my top layer super-dry, frizzy, porous and coarse. The rest of my hair is much better except for the ends.
I color ONLY the roots of my hair every 3 or so weeks, meaning I do not color all my hair everytime. I use a home made concoction of wella color touch and L'oreal professionel to achieve the desire color. I only use professional dyes.

I know... I am very conservative for joining this forum  ;D

I did the stand alone treatment, just the n.1 + n.2.  n.1 for about an hour and n.2 for another houre more or less (maybe 45 min)
To be fair I took some before pictures of my very frizzy dry and porous hair and, to be fair,  after the treatment didn't do anything to my hair, just let ir air-dry (as it was in the before pictures)

I have not taken any pics of the "after" beause I want to use the same camera at the same location with the same light as in the before, to have the most accurate comparison.

My first impressions came right when I was shampoing it out. The texture of my hair seem to be nicer. Less dry, smoother, softer...
I've put some hair mask after towel drying and rinse it. Then air dry.

As it was drying the water I noticed the hair itself felt dry... after completelly being dry it feels and looks like before: frizzy, dry and tangled. A little bit softer and nicer in the under layers and the areas that were not so dry and coarse before.
I intend to take some "after" pictures tomorrow for comparison.

I have not seen a single "after" picture on natural air dryed hair. It is difficult to objectively compare before and after if the after is a flat ironed or used the hair dryer for brushing.
That can do the trick for most of the hair out there, including mine. It is not what I wanted, plus, 99% of the times I just air dry my hair.

I will keep a close look on the evolution of my hair after olaplex and post if there are any news.

I have since done a fourth stand alone treatment, still no change or improvement 🙁

My theory is that for rebuilding those sulfate bonds there has to be sulfates! Is there are very little it cannot bond as many as in a healthy hair that retains most of those sulfates.