To seekers of healthy hair everywhere– you may have Olaplex No. 3 at home or have Olaplex in your vocabulary by now. Maybe you heard about it on social media or had it recommended to you by your beloved hairdresser or friend… but do you really know what it is or why you need it?
The short version would be, “It’s a treatment that makes your hair healthy and strong” and while that may be good enough for anyone with tresses in distress… we’re going to lay it all out to help you understand everything about Olaplex No.3.
First things first– and this may get slightly scientific – let’s give you the 411 on the Olaplex system.
Olaplex is a 3 step system with all three steps containing the same patented active ingredient. This single active ingredient chemistry is free of silicone or oils and links broken disulfide bonds in the hair during and after chemical services making them stronger than they were before. While you may be familiar with what the first two parts of the Olaplex, No.1 and No.2, do in the salon (check out our Instagram for a crash course in transformations), you may be a little hazy as to what this take home No.3 is. Olaplex No. 3 was formulated for you to use at home to continue the benefits of rebuilding your hair.
Just like Olaplex is your hairdresser’s insurance policy in the salon, No.3 is your insurance policy at home. By using No.3 weekly, you rebuild your hair from all the damage done to it daily.
So… what exactly is the damage that’s being done to your hair?
While there are various ways to damage the hair at home and outside– let’s talk about the main culprit first, thermal styling tools. Whether you style your hair daily, weekly, or on special occasions– each time that curling iron or flat iron touches your hair– you are breaking bonds. You must break bonds in the hair in order to create any change in color or texture. This means each time you flat iron your hair straight or curl it with a curling iron, you are damaging the hair.
That’s not all. Environmental damage is another factor. The warmth of the sun as well as brittling cold weather can also compromise the hair. Even if you have virgin hair and never put heat on it, you need to treat it regularly if you’re going outside often.
Other ways you can damage your hair? Mechanical styling. This can occur when brushing or combing the hair or even when using styling tools like pins and clips. Here’s an example: think about those moments you went a little too far with backcombing your hair for a specific look and then when you had to detangle it all out. Oh, and let’s not forget about the silent killer, your pillow. *gasp* Assuming you’re not sleeping on a silky pillowcase, imagine those wee hours of the night while you’re sleeping and moving your head on your pillowcase. There’s a reason they call it bed head!
This is all damage you can do on your own and if you don’t fall into all three scenarios, you likely fall into at least one or two. In addition, you may also be someone that gets regular color, bleaching, or texture services in the salon.
Okay. It seems like we’re speaking the same language now. Now that you know what Olaplex No.3 is and the various ways damage can occur to the hair outside of the salon–here are a few answers to common questions we receive about Olaplex No.3.
Q: I have (virgin/curly/straight/wavy/compromised/natural/grey/) hair, can I use Olaplex?
A: YES! Absolutely. Olaplex works for all hair types and on any color of hair from virgin, natural, processed, grey, to compromised and all of the above.
Q: I have never used Olaplex No.1 or No.2 in the salon… Can I still use No.3? Will it work on me?
A: Yes! Although Olaplex works best as a three step system, you will still get amazing benefits by just using Olaplex No.3.
Q: Is Olaplex No.3 a conditioning treatment?
A: NO! Olaplex is a patented chemistry in it’s own category. It is NOT a conditioner. As explained above, it works to rebuild and strengthen the hair internally. It does not address moisture (or protein for that matter). If you have dry hair, you still need to follow with your regular moisture routine.
Before you graduate from Olaplex No.3 university, take a look at how to get the most out of your treatment by using it correctly. These tutorials on our blog tell you everything you need to know about usage: Your Guide to Olaplex No.3 and Personalizing the Olaplex No.3 Treatment.
You can purchase Olaplex No.3 at professional salons, olaplex.com, Sephora, sephora.com, and sephora.ca.
To find the nearest salon to you, use our salon locator.
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