Olaplex Hair Bonding and Treatments – Do They Work?

Olaplex has quickly become one of the go-to brands for repairing damaged hair strands, garnering millions of TikTok views and celebrity endorsements alike. Olaplex No. 3 bond-building treatment contains bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate which reconnects severed disulfide bonds.

Professionals rely on it to reduce damage after bleaching services, and hairstylist Violet Teriti has recommended it as the ultimate product for maintaining her clients’ extensions. But how exactly does this technology work?

What is Olaplex?

Olaplex differs from other treatments by targeting broken chemical bonds instead of simply smoothing over them from the outside-in. Its proprietary ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate (commonly referred to as BAD), works on a molecular level to identify broken bonds caused by heat, chemical or mechanical damage and crosslink them back together again – unlike most treatments which merely cover up their damage with temporary fixes like smoothing hair out from underneath.

Lavinia Popescu, a cosmetic chemist at Olaplex, states that all their products utilize their patented bond-building technology. Olaplex’s salon treatment lineup consists of three steps. Olaplex No. 1 serves as an anti-breakage bond multiplier to minimize breakage during chemical services as well as being the foundation for two additional treatments.

Olaplex No. 2 can then be applied as a follow-up treatment, to repair damaged bonds and help strengthen hair from within. Finally, Olaplex No. 3 retail product provides home users with continued results of in-salon treatments; it can be applied alone or prior to color services.

How does Olaplex work?

Olaplex’s revolutionary formula works to repair broken hair bonds on a molecular level with just one ingredient – Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate. This solution targets damaged areas of your client’s locks by finding single sulphur hydrogen bonds and crosslinking them back together, giving them healthier, stronger, shinier locks!

Olaplex No.0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment is an at-home treatment designed to prep clients’ locks for further repair when using Olaplex system No.2. With its highest concentration of Olaplex technology available for take-home use, this Olaplex product can benefit all hair types, particularly those suffering visible damage.

Professional salon use of the No.2 Bond Perfector will enable chemical services to continue as normal while protecting and strengthening hair during and post colour services. By using oxygen or peroxide quickly and reliably to repair damaged sulphide bonds quickly, this allows chemical services to continue as scheduled while also protecting and strengthening clients’ locks during and after colour services.

What are the benefits of Olaplex?

Olaplex products help repair damaged hair from its core by reconnecting broken disulfide bonds to create stronger and more resistant strands that will withstand heat styling or chemicals used on them.

Cosmetic Chemist Michelle Wong, PhD believes Olaplex can benefit all hair types. Its active ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, seeks out broken bonds in your locks and reconnects them to form healthier ones, strengthening strands at their molecular core and strengthening them from within.

Your stylist will first apply No. 1, which detects broken bonds and helps repair them, for 10 minutes on dry hair. They then follow with No. 2 Bond Perfector which repairs any bonds missed by No. 1. Please be aware this step should only be performed professionally at salons.

Your stylist will then shampoo and condition your strands, leaving them soft and nourished. They may suggest a follow-up treatment schedule at their discretion, using Olaplex products which work together as an integrated system to maximize effect while minimizing damage.

Can I use Olaplex at home?

Olaplex products at home offer an effective way to maintain the strength and luster of your hair between salon visits. Each at-home Olaplex product is a slightly diluted version of Olaplex No. 2, providing instantaneous strengthening when applied after coloring or whenever your locks need an extra boost of care.

Use this at-home product in two ways; either apply it directly onto damp hair from mid-lengths to ends before styling as usual; or leave-in as a leave-in treatment to combat frizz and flyaways for up to 72 hours.

For your best Olaplex experience, find a salon offering it and book an appointment with your stylist – this treatment will become part of their existing color or styling service and won’t consume too much of your day.