olaplex revisited

In regards to hair drying time, I really think it depends on the hair. With some people, healthier hair dries faster, damaged hair dries slower, and with others healthier hair dries faster and damaged slower. Me personally, when my hair is badly damaged, it takes forever to dry. When it's healthy it dries quickly. Like, when I'm in done taking a shower and I'm wringing my hair out, when it's porous and damaged it likes to hold onto water, I can wring it 5-6x and it's still wet and dripping. When it's healthy, I only need 3 wrings and it's not as 'water logged' feeling as when it's damaged.

I'm really happy to hear you ladies have kept using it! The more you use it the more difference you'll see, then your hair will be in great shape and it's just maintenance after that from everyday stresses.

@pastina I made a post in the products section about Olaplex, it explains the different parts and what they are, and what the company intends their use for.

@vogue you absolutely can just use No3, you will still benefit from it. To get the maximum benefits it's best to utilize the whole 3 part system, but you don't have to use all 3 parts to get benefits from it. No3 is the weakest one, it's the same active ingredient in all 3 just in different concentrations, and No2 and 3 are creme form whereas 1 is like water. 3 is basically just slightly diluted No2, the ingredients are identical, it's just there's 12.5% Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate in 3 where in No2 there's 15%.

I read what you wrote, Katie, but it didn't explain how to use the product.  Like, in terms of application.  I was trying to find out, is it a rinse, a leave in, is it a conditioner, etc. 

From everyone else I'm getting that info now.  Sounds like you clarify then use step 1 followed by step 2, then condition.

Well of course I'm going to keep using it. I've paid for the flipping stuff!

My hair is definitely different. Less poofy when i woke up, and much straighter (which is a huge plus for me, I spend hours trying to flatten my curls without heat) I was expecting my curl pattern to be stronger, so this is a pleasant surprise.

My hair dries much slower when it's healthy. When it's chemically damaged, it (air-)dries lightning quick.

So does this Olaplex treatment get done right after a chemical processing? Or just at any time to repair damaged hair...? I see it on Amazon and I'm starting to itch to get some...

Olaplex can be used to strengthen hair before chemical processing, or it can be added to the bleach/tint to prevent damage whilst processing.

@pastina I made a post about Olaplex too called Olaplex Explained, which has some information about application. How to apply it depends on how you're using it, but simply as a treatment, you clarify, don't condition, towel dry, apply (be it No1, No1 + water, No2, No3, or a mixture of any of these), let it set, then you can apply No2 after if you're using No1 + water, that combo is what Olaplex calls tbeir 'stand alone treatment', let that set, then rinse and condition. You can use any part of Olaplex as a treatment though, you can mix them, add water if you want to stretch it farther, etc. The mostimportant thing is to shampoo beforehand so you don't have any product buildup in your hair. Always apply it to damp hair, not wet so it's not just immediately dripping off, and the amount of time to leave it on really is up to you, the longer the better, but it's completely absorbed once the hair is dry, so it's pretty pointless to leave it on longer than that. I always recommend leaving it on until the hair is dry or close to it, or if you want to leave it in overnight andrinse it out in the morning.

There's all the official instructions here too for using it as a treatment, in lightener, oxidative color, perms, etc. You can use it whenever, except right after a perm or a thermal/chemical keratin/straightening treatment, you'll want to wait until after your first wash. I can't remember if the instructions include this or not, but you can use Olaplex to dilute direct dyes as well, you can use any part, mix them, you can use Olaplex and water, you can use clear with Olaplex,  You can use a light silicone free, coating free conditioner too with Olaplex,  just make sure it's free of film forming, blocking ingredients so it's not hindering Olaplex  (or your color) at all.
http://www.olaplex.com/pages/faq

anyone found where you can get no1 and no2 for the UK without shipping it from the US or having to buy huge quantities that cost £200?

A little update. I haven't washed my hair since the last olaplex treatment. (Which i didn't realise until I checked this thread, has been 12 days! Just goes to show that CO washing really does help to stop hair getting excessively greasy)
I did put my usual coconut oil on, but that is all. It now feels exactly the same as it usually does when it needs washing, dry and tangly, no difference or improvement is apparent. I will do another stand alone treatment tonight, hopefully three will be the magic number.

ETA I did the third treatment, and i am sorry to say there is still no change in my hairs condition. Like last time it dried quicker, looked shiney at the ends. But two days later, it is exactly the same as it was before any Olaplex, I am seriously disappointed 🙁

I was going to have a treatment done a few weeks ago, and ended up not doing it because my stylist said it wasn't really necessary because the damaged parts of my hair were being cut off in the trim anyway. I'm still definitely curious though.

Wicked_Pixie I spoke with Jordan Alexander (the VP of Education at Olaplex) and Dr. Eric Pressly (One of the two Chemists that created Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate and Olaplex) about this. I explained that you CO wash, you don't use any coating/film forming ingredients, it's not product or mineral/metal deposits, you don't heat style, you use good quality lightener in low vol bleach baths for retouches - there's no possibility of it being any interference from anything foreign on the hair.

Eric said, and Jordan agreed, that the thiols on your ends could be oxidized and permanently damaged. That with the age of your hair, that your single sulfur hydrogen bonds have already paired with 3 oxygen molecules, making it too late for Olaplex to prevent that reaction, too late to pair  that single sulfur hydrogen with a single oxygen molecule. When the sulfur hydrogen pairs with 3 oxygen molecules it creates SO3 (a sulfate group), which will then go on to create cystic acid. Cystic acid will then eat the protein out of the hair.

It's really hard to say without actually having a sample of hair in hand to confirm what's going on, but this is the only thing I can think of too, and I seriously trust Craig's theory on it.

Oh no! I was hoping that my hair wasn't that bad in the first place, hence nothing to repair LMAO! Damaged beyond repair is probably a more accurate assessment though, my hair has been through a lot.

I have some hairs that I took from my brush before the treatments, and I have been snapping them and my hair since the treatments to see if my hair is any stronger, but i just don't see/feel a difference. I can send you some if you want, see if you can see/feel a difference.

I also want to try lightly bleaching a bit, just to see if it can take it, i wish i had kept more of the 'before' hair to compare it with. I haven't had time to try yet though, things have been a bit hectic here, i will PM you.