olaplex revisited

I am awaiting the arrival of some olaplex (being shipped from america) I will definitely write about my experience when it gets here. i too am sceptical, so thought i had better try it myself.

Oh cool!  Where did you purchase from?

I'm still extremely sceptical about it. I'd be interested in trying it, but mostly because I'm nosey! But I don't think it's in the UK yet, is it? Even at hairdressers?

I'm sure someone said they had used it, but I can't remember who.

It is available in UK salons. It is only sold to professionals, but the number 3 product is for the client to take home (the follow up treatment)so can be sold to joe public.

Yeah, Janine, I've definitely seen people on here mention that they've added it to bleach, or that they went to a salon and had multiple processes done at once but-it's-ok-because-they-used-olaplex. 

....So yeah! I'm just curious if we know, yet, what it *actually* does, and if it's actually a worthwhile thing to try.  It really sounds too good to be true, and I'm curious if it's doing something to the protein in the hair or if it's just a super long-lasting silicone that's masking damage through lots of washes. 

I'm in the US and I've only ever seen it on auction sites (it's really pricey!), so I'm looking for feedback before I make an investment.

It doesn't contain silicones, and is not a filler like protein treatments. It is definitely new technology unlike anything else available. I just have doubts about its permanence. This is a great article that explains how it works:
http://www.labmuffin.com/2015/04/how-does-olaplex-hair-treatment-work/

Its the permanence that doesn't convince me either. Though I've seen videos by that loud man who never shuts up, Tang or something? Where he's going on about how amaaaaaaazing the hair is after using it, but it just looks like the same hair but blowdried well. The ends still look terrible, which makes me think the rest isn't as good as he's making out.

I've seen the article before, so I understand what it's claiming and how new it is... It still just sounds off to me... But a, I'm not a chemist so won't pretend to fully understand and b, maybe it's just my cynical side. I'm generally a sceptic, but I'm also aware my own bias, based on the fact most beauty products claims are over blown at least, leads me to mistrust this kind of claim probably too often.

One thing that bugs me about that article, she never says, well not that I can find, how the treatment was done on her friend. Was it a full treatment of some kind? A colour? Just the no. 3? It just looks like she's gone from blow drying it to letting it dry naturally. That's exactly what happens to me when I blow dry mine.

I guess because they send you home with number 3, maybe that does say how permanent it is. Not very, as you have to top it up?

Hmm, I've looked at the article and the chemistry seems sound enough. However, I'm going to get my dad to look at it a he's a chemical engineer and will probably be able to comment on how much sense it actually makes.
I think the answer to why they're using ionic bonds is that covalent bonds are much more difficult to synthesise.

Although I'm guessing you're right, Janine, it may not be as permanent as it suggests.

"So suffice to say, it defintely does something! But is it as revolutionary as the hype makes it out to be?"

This is a line in the article that bothers me, under the photo of her friend. Well, no. It doesn't definitely do something. As I said before, that's the difference in my hair is I rough blow dry it to let it dry naturally. There's a lot of reasons her hair could have the difference between the two photos that aren't olaplex. I just really hate statements like that! It's the kind of line people use for alternative medicine that isn't proven to really work.

Another thing I read in a couple of places, but can't remember where now so don't take this as golden, is that you still need to keep using keratin and moisture. That reminds me of those diets aids that say, "works as part of a balanced, calorie controlled diet". Usually that seems to mean that it's not so much the diet aid doing much, but the calorie controlled diet... Again, as I said, I just read that somewhere so I could be totally wrong.

I hope I am totally wrong!! I'd love something that meant I could bleach whenever I felt like it. I'd love it a lot cheaper though lol

I have been looking for information on this for a year now and havent found a single journal or scientific article on it. I even wrote to the two chemists that developed it but didnt get an answer. They claim to restore the bonds in the hair but i doubt its a permanent thing. I will have a read through the article wicked pixie posted.
I also read about another similar product called snaplex but still couldnt find information.  The guy which Janine mentioned Guy Tang uses it religiously and i even though i am still sceptical , i have to admit the hair looks so much nicer after using it.
There are very few hairdressers in the uk that use it. One near my house just started it but i dont want to pay for a process which could just be nonsense and they ruin my hair with bleach instead.

I couldn't find any reliable information either, I do like the Labmuffin piece though because she is not pushing the product at all, she isn't involved in the hair/beauty industry, so the closest thing I could find to an unbiased view.
I am also a natural cynic, that is why I decided I would try it for myself
My Olaplex is in the Uk now (just need to go pick it up and pay extortionate customs charges) so I will keep you all updated.
I must say i am quite excited, it is not like me to spend lots of money on products for my hair.

I hope it is actually good. It would be cool to have something that would at least help with damage.

I am part of Olaplex groups, and have read and looked at every article/comparison/youtube video etc. on it possible.  I have not used it in bleach yet, but I have used it in my semis as well as stand alone treatments.  I did use it when I used a lightening booster to remove my color.  The very first time I used it I was blown away - my hair was soft with no split ends in sight.  That wore off after about two weeks.  Every time I've used it after that(around 10 times at least) I have not noticed any miracle change in my hair.  It may just be that I have pushed my hair too far to be repaired.  I have lost 8 inches despite regular Olaplex treatments.  Now, I am extremely picky about my hair health, and most people would think my hair is just fine being bleached and all - it isn't like cotton candy or anything like that.  Using the lightening booster, even with the Olaplex, was just too much for my hair.

I feel like I'm being too long winded, so I'll wrap it up.  Do I think it does what it says it does?  Yes.  Is it permanent?  No.  They also don't claim for it to be.  We break bonds in our hair when we brush/blow dry/curl/straighten - the Olaplex bonds don't get special treatment.  This is the reason for the take home no. 3.  I have not bleached my hair since I started using Olaplex, but I'm going to start again soon - and I will definitely be using it in my bleach.

Its interesting that you say they don't claim its permanent, I've seen many bloggers and vloggers claim it to be permanent in the last couple of days. I've been catching up on videos the last couple of days to see what people were saying now it's been around a while.