I Tried $304 Worth Of Olaplex Products & There’s One Clear Winner

A good way to judge a brand before trying it out yourself is to get your group chat’s reaction. When I mentioned that I was trialling a complete Olaplex routine, I knew I was on to a good one. I was met with praise, jealousy and requests to pass on products. My friends’ responses reflect the general hype surrounding the brand. Recommended by hairstylists and celebrities alike, you’re likely to find Olaplex stashed in any beauty lover’s bathroom cabinet. The brand's most recent product launches (a purple toning shampoo and the No.8 Hair Mask) have been sell-out successes, creating a real buzz on social media for their ability to transform brassy blondes into cool tones and dull, lacklustre hair into luscious lengths in mere minutes.

Olaplex is all about making salon-worthy treatments accessible at home and it has made a name as a saviour for those with coloured hair. Unlike other treatments which just add moisture and shine to the outer layers of the hair, Olaplex’s brand-specific technology (the star ingredient is bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate) works on a molecular level, seeking out the broken bonds within your hair (caused by chemical, heat and mechanical damage). It then repairs these bonds and generates new growth, leaving hair feeling and looking softer, shinier and stronger, inside and out. 

After years of seaside living, sun damage and more than two years away from professional hands, my hair needs a little TLC (I thank TikTok for teaching me how to cut my hair myself during lockdown). As I’ve done more research into Olaplex, I’ve found that it's beneficial not only for bleached and coloured hair but also for reversing damage caused by environmental aggressors and styling. Even better, it promises to do a world of good for hair on the drier, frizzier side like mine. It's a beauty lifeline as the cooler autumn temperatures and aggressive central heating threaten to make the frizz worse.

But here’s the million dollar question: is every single one of these products worth the hype? To find out, I spent a month using all seven. Read on for my honest thoughts, plus all the information you need before shopping the full Olaplex hair care range.

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