Olaplex number 3 only on unprocessed hair to strengthen?

[MamaSwanky]

I searched and found the olaplex thread, but I couldn't find the answer to my question. Does anyone use Olaplex number 3 only on untreated hair to condition or strengthen or whatever?

I'm growing out henna but other than that my hair is virgin. It's in good shape and I'm just trying to grow it as long as possible. This seems like a good way to maybe prevent damage as I'm seeing splits starting higher up on the hair. I rarely blow-dry and only use the straightening iron every few months if that. I'm careful when I comb.

Would this be just a waste of money on mostly healthy hair?

[maborosi]

I am also curious about this.

[cheeky]

I am likely done with henna and growing out my natural color. I'm considering bleaching blonde to eventually blend with my incoming roots.
I am strand testing.

Did my first standalone olaplex treatment as a potential preventative measure. I read you're supposed to make sure your hair is as healthy as possible before lightening.

I only have types 1 and 2. No 3 is just a less concentrated version of 2.

Since my hair isn't noticeably damaged (due to heat, color), I didn't see or feel any difference. Allegedly, the chemistry of knitting broken bonds should hold true regardless of why those bonds were weakened or broken in the first place.

[Siv]

I tried it, and I wasn't super impressed. Not enough for the price anyway. My hair was ridiculously soft and shiny until I washed it again, but after that it was just the same. Like a high end deep conditioner.

I think I didn't get enough information on how the product works to actually get the most benefit from it. See, according to the company you need to keep treating your hair since it is damaged by brushing and washing "ongoing" (sorry, I'm tired and my English is failing me) and it will "knit your hair together" once it's damaged. But then you wash and brush once more, and it will be damaged again... So you need to treat it again.

What I'm taking away from that is that it's an "after fix" not a "preventative method". You'd need to combine it with protective products so that your hair gets less damaged in the first place to see an actual difference in your hair condition over time. I never did use more protective products than I usually did (silicone conditioners) when I used Olaplex 3. Having learnt some more about haircare now, I guess I could give it another month or two trial and combine Olaplex with coconut oil pre-poo, heavier conditioners, and possibly leave-ins/detanglers containing coconut oil or other ingredients that bind to (and protect) the hair protein from breaking.

Oh, and my hair was (and is) virgin, a bit on the dry side, and fine and somewhat prone to splits.

The major factor is that I'm not impressed with the science behind the product, since there are no independent studies that I can find, just studies made by the manufacturing company (most likely not even peer-reviewed) and they do have a vested interest in a positive result so... :rolleyes:

[Sarez]

I have the schwarzkopf version of Olaplex. I think it's called Omegaplex, and did a deep condition last week before washing out. I did not notice any difference straight away. It was only 5 days later (Yesterday.), that I noticed a lack of split ends (The ends of my hair are still bleached damaged.). So I think there is a benefit for sure, and I will try using #3 as a conditioner next time I wash my hair, just to see if that's whats really happening.

[mane_event]

I've been interested in this as well, and would be very curious to hear your results if you do try it!

I completely destroyed my ends with a heavy-duty protein treatment about a month ago, and I'm curious if olaplex would help at all with that, make it worse, or do nothing. The marketing copy really makes it sound like a miracle product, but I know not to put all my trust in that!

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Im trying to head to the salon to get my hair colored and was thinking about having them do this to my hair so it doesnt feel so crap.
So I am wondering myself... lol

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Curly penny did a review on a similar subject
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4fq1Ux43VY

[esfand]

I like Olaplex as a stand alone treatment at the salon, but No 3 itself didn't seem to help that much. It also comes in a tiny bottle for $28, which is too much.

[Ylva]

The only thing Olaplex does is connect broken disulfide bonds within the hair. If you don't have that kind of damage, it won't do anything to you - not strengthen, nothing. This type of damage comes primarily from chemical treatments like bleach.

[Alissalocks]

The only thing Olaplex does is connect broken disulfide bonds within the hair. If you don't have that kind of damage, it won't do anything to you - not strengthen, nothing. This type of damage comes primarily from chemical treatments like bleach.

Thank you Ylva I was wondering about buying some as a preventative, or as some miracle fix for the few split ends that do show up. I don't bleach ever, so maybe it's not worth it...?

Anyone else on the thread have any anecdotal evidence to stop me from wasting my money? ;)

[Ylva]

Thank you Ylva I was wondering about buying some as a preventative, or as some miracle fix for the few split ends that do show up. I don't bleach ever, so maybe it's not worth it...?

Anyone else on the thread have any anecdotal evidence to stop me from wasting my money? ;)

You can read about the science behind it on their website. https://olaplex.com/pages/how-it-works

If you have virgin hair, there might be some minor mechanical damage that Olaplex could target, but you won't gain any great benefit from it. Nothing is going to fix existing split ends, but if you really want to try Olaplex, do it. Just don't blame the product itself if it does nothing for you. You just didn't have such an amount of broken disulfide bonds that it would make any difference.

[LittleOgre]

I heard that it basically is a deep conditioner. Basically as the numbers go down the ingrediant that makes oleplex so speical is less concentrated in number 3. then number 2. and the most concentrated in number 1.

[LittleOgre]

So basically it is just for money. You don't really need 3 or 2 if you have 1. You can just dilute one with a conditioner and use it like that.

[ravenskey]

I'm pretty sure that although 3 is just a less concentrated 2, No 1 is totally different.

No 1 is mixed with the dye/bleach/chemical and No 2 is used afterwards.

[nycelle]

I heard that it basically is a deep conditioner. Basically as the numbers go down the ingrediant that makes oleplex so speical is less concentrated in number 3. then number 2. and the most concentrated in number 1.


So basically it is just for money. You don't really need 3 or 2 if you have 1. You can just dilute one with a conditioner and use it like that.

As far as I understand no, it's not correct. Nor is it a conditioner.

[Ylva]

It's not a deep conditioner. It's not a conditioner at all. It targets the broken disulfide bonds within the hair, and it's great at doing that, but it won't cure any and all hair problem out there.

[Fimu]

*bump* I've been wondering if Olaplex 3 is helpful for naturally weakened hair that's sensitive to environmental damage, like sunlight and alkaline water. I know it doesn't fix any existing split ends, but I wonder if it would help preventing future split ends on the weakened parts of the hair shaft.

[Suortuva]

*bump* I've been wondering if Olaplex 3 is helpful for naturally weakened hair that's sensitive to environmental damage, like sunlight and alkaline water. I know it doesn't fix any existing split ends, but I wonder if it would help preventing future split ends on the weakened parts of the hair shaft.

I have been using this in my virgin hair during this year. In the beginning I did it once a week or maybe every other week, now it's more like once a month.

As you know, I have very fragile and damage prone hair, so I'm just trying everything. I always do a deep moisturising treatment after no 3.

Because my hair is neither thick nor long, I get 7 treatments from that tiny bottle, and you can always find them with a little discount, so I'm fine with that.

[Fimu]

I have been using this in my virgin hair during this year. In the beginning I did it once a week or maybe every other week, now it's more like once a month.

As you know, I have very fragile and damage prone hair, so I'm just trying everything. I always do a deep moisturising treatment after no 3.


That sounds interesting! Do you already notice differences?

I have long and fairly thick hair, so I use up a small bottle in 3 treatments.

[Suortuva]

That sounds interesting! Do you already notice differences?

I have long and fairly thick hair, so I use up a small bottle in 3 treatments.

Yes, I could notice difference after the first time (I used Olaplex no 3 a couple of years ago when I have a lots of dye damage, but I didn't have energy to continue).

I have high porosity hair, and though it's quite fine and thin, it's not easily weighed down, and I have never found products that are too heavy for me. So I use several C's after shampoo and I can layer different leave ins and keep doing that between washes and everything just disappears somewhere...
So I directly noticed a difference here, I didn't need to use that much/many products.
My hair is a lot better now, but I can't say it's only because of Olaplex, because being here has helped me so much. I understood my hair is dry, that my lengths and scalp have different needs, I started to use squish to condish method maybe 1,5 years ago with all my hair products, my routine is something like CWCCC, I accepted silicones as a part of my routine, and decided to grow out my virgin hair and learned different kind of buns. So I think all those things during this time has helped tremendously.

But I will keep using Olaplex the rest of the year, and then re-evaluate. But I have settled down with once a month too. Then I have done Zizyphus treatment once a month since April too.

ETA: My hair is super fast drying. After Olaplex it takes longer (still fast, but noticeably to me). I think it's a sign of better condition.

[Fimu]

Yes, I could notice difference after the first time (I used Olaplex no 3 a couple of years ago when I have a lots of dye damage, but I didn't have energy to continue).

I have high porosity hair, and though it's quite fine and thin, it's not easily weighed down, and I have never found products that are too heavy for me. So I use several C's after shampoo and I can layer different leave ins and keep doing that between washes and everything just disappears somewhere...

(...)

But I will keep using Olaplex the rest of the year, and then re-evaluate. But I have settled down with once a month too. Then I have done Zizyphus treatment once a month since April too.


Glad to hear Olaplex is working for you! Looking forward to your year-end review! I will discuss with my curly stylist (who is an official Olaplex supplier) what her experiences are with Olaplex on damaged unprocessed hair.

I've never tried triple C after washing, but my hair doesn't weigh down either. Do you use the same conditioner three times?
While I can get away with much product without weighing down, my hair tends to feel draggy/product-y if I leave on too much product.

Never heard of Zizyphus treatments! Is it some kind of a chelating treatment? Can you measure the pH value of Zizyphus in (distilled) water?

[Suortuva]

Here's the official Zizyphus thread, it's also know as Sedr, maybe you know it by that name. It's a herb:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=12995
I don't have any means to measure pH, and I never use distilled water, because we have really nice soft water. But you could ask in that thread, maybe someone else who is using it could be able to do that.

I rarely use same products several times during same wash, though it happens. And I sometimes use mask and conditioner from same line. But to be honest, what products I use varies a lot, really. I try to use a silicone product as a last C though. But not always.