Olaplex making hair worse?

[olapexidum]

Anyone used Olaplex Bond maintenance shampoo and conditioner and found their hair feels worse off?

I've spent many years professionally highlighting my hair and I've always managed to keep it in good condition with regular cuts and conditioner.

My hairdresser started using Olaplex treatment during my 3 monthly appointments for the last year. There was some issue with hair being lightened too much but we've found a happy place with the use of different toners

Anyway, this last month I've been using the Olaplex shampoo and conditioner at home and my hair is like straw! It's breaking a lot and I have loads of split ends all of a sudden. I don't use heat ( once a week if that and only a hair dryer) nothing else has changed

But the more research I do the more I keep hearing about how amazing it is and not a single negative review which I find odd

Anyone else had sudden unexplained poor condition of their hair? Is it linked to the Olaplex?

Olaplex 0 and 3 (pre wash treatment) and 6 (post wash) are HG products for me, and I like the oil and the mask (7 and 8) too - my hair is noticeably better when I remember to use them regularly.

The shampoo and conditioner, on the other hand, are absolute crap. I thankfully got samples of each when I was buying some of the other products and had I paid for them I'd be well pissed off.

I think there are some reviews on this link, if it works!

Olaplex bad reviews

@Gunner1510

Thank you! I wish I had seen this before! My fiend commented the other day asking if I'd had my hair cut as it looked shorter but it's just the breakage making it look thinner, bloody devastated

@olapexidum Yes I do colour my hair. I’ve never had the salon olaplex treatment but started using no. 3 at home. Took me a while to work out that my hair loss and awful hair condition was because of that. My hair is so dry and dull now i’m seriously considering going for a big big chop. 😏

@olapexidum I really know how you feel I was gutted too and my hair looked dreadful. It did come back though so it will get better just get some decent products, a decent hairbrush like a tangle teezer and try to lay off heat as much as possible. It will get better!

@Gunner1510 thank you. Due to have it coloured again in 4 weeks so worried it'll be worse

Isn't there something in Olaplex that's been banned in the EU? I know that a lot of American hair dyes can't be sold in Europe because their ingredients are banned.

It's not really a conditioner. It's a treatment that's designed to rebond your hair. Just because you can buy it to use at home, doesn't mean you should. In the same way most people know bleaching your hair at home is asking for disaster.

I used olaplex 3 recently on my curly hair. Hated it.

It’s working for me. However , I don’t use it more than 1-2 times a week as I don’t want to decolorare my hair with so many washes.

what product are you using now instead that doesn’t ruin the hair colour ?

@olapexidum I continued to have mine coloured but had highlights with no bleach. I had just the top section done while it was recovering, and found it blended well. Any parts I had bad breakage I had no colour at all until it started growing, and it really wasn’t as noticeable as I thought it would be. Maybe ask your hairdresser if they can do smaller sections of highlights and blend it in, instead of all over or a full head?

@Evianoff Yeah I only recently read this - something to do with an ingredient that is linked to fertility issues 😳I think they’ve reformulated now.

My hairdresser doesn't like it
I thought it made my hair quite dull
Kerastase is miles better

Yeah mine looks dull too now

Yes same here, made my hair dull.

i couldn’t get on with it either - made my hair dull and did not help frizz, which was why I bought it. I switched to New Wash and (after settling in period) hair is in best condition so far and I don’t have to wash it anywhere near as often either. I do highlight my hair regularly too.

I hated Olaplex too.

I use Philip Kingsley Elasticizer now, with Philip Kingsley bond builder treatment every few weeks. Hair is in much better condition now.

There's a Facebook group dedicated to issues caused by Olaplex, it's called "Olaplex and Hair Loss?" - it's a private group and you'll need to answer a few questions about your experience with Olaplex products before joining.

I was about to ask if anyone uses Philip Kingsley Elastisizer instead. Does this use a similar set of ingredients? I have some of this ready to use after not being very impressed with Olaplex 3 but am nervous to use it.. 😭

I don’t know if it uses the same ingredients or not but it has made a massive difference to my hair. It was in awful condition from bleaching, Olaplex made no difference but after using Elastisizer & Bond Builder every few weeks it’s much better. It doesn’t break and split anywhere near as much. It’s obviously still not perfect because it is still bleached but it is 100x better. I can actually wear it down without looking like a nest now 😁 I was sceptical after the first use but after a few goes it really helped. I also use the Philip Kingsley shampoo and conditioner too, I don’t know if they help as well but they’re very expensive so I’m not sure if I’ll continue using them. I’ll probably stick to just the elastisizer and the bond builder.

Thanks everyone. I actually have the Philip Kingsley testament ( a free sample) so will give that a go and stay clear of Olaplex

You need to add as much moisture to your hair as you can.

Wow.. I was thinking about sending for some.. I didn't, but so glad I've seen this thread.. I should have learned my lesson from when I sent for some clarifying shampoo - expensive & went in the bin because it just stripped everything out of my hair.
Thanks @olapexidum

@mamabear715 yep same as me with clarifying shampoo! Funnily enough I had a normal half head of highlights with a slightly ash toner which is normal for me, but also had a salon Olaplex treatment. My hair was GREY! Never happened before and I usually have the same toner each time. My hairdresser convinced me it couldn't have been the Olaplex as, if anything it would act as a barrier but I'm still not entirely sure on that!

I was advised to use a clarifying shampoo to strip some of the toner which eventually did work but my goodness my hair condition was awful!

@olapexidum Nightmare.. I hope your hair soon recovers.. mine is very long so I was lucky. I'd only used the clarifying shampoo because a hairdresser once told me I had a 'build-up' of shampoo, & my scalp is itchy.
The best advice I've had re the latter was a poster on MN who basically said don't scratch - it's definitely helped, & I didn't have to pay her! ;-)
My faith in 'professionals' of any kind is waning..

I hated the shampoo and conditioner but my hair loves no 6 - a little bit before styling brings out my waves