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Original poster

Olaplex - £25 a squirt at hairdressers every 6 weeks - other options?

39 replies

Sssloou · 18/04/2021 00:15

I have my roots done every 6 weeks - prices have been hiked post COVID (understandably) - but the £25 for Olapex seems OTT. Is there an equivalent option to do at home - or does it have to go on immediately when coloured (ie at the salon).

OP posts:
CarmelBeach · 18/04/2021 00:34

I don't know about timings but QVC are selling it. I was thinking to try it myself. I colour my own hair and thought it would be done separately?

LockdownLard · 18/04/2021 00:42

I used to have olaplex - went every 6 weeks religiously, cost me a fortune. Due to covid went for the box dye - went a shade lighter than I wanted as apparently they come out darker, wasn’t brave enough for permanent but wanted it to last more than a couple weeks. Went for a demi permanent and tied my hair in a bun, did the roots - £5.15, and bought a £3.50 tub of hair mask from B&M which lasts due ages. Have had so many compliments about my hair and it’s in better condition than olaplex ever left it.

CarmelBeach · 18/04/2021 00:47

@LockdownLard

I used to have olaplex - went every 6 weeks religiously, cost me a fortune. Due to covid went for the box dye - went a shade lighter than I wanted as apparently they come out darker, wasn’t brave enough for permanent but wanted it to last more than a couple weeks. Went for a demi permanent and tied my hair in a bun, did the roots - £5.15, and bought a £3.50 tub of hair mask from B&M which lasts due ages. Have had so many compliments about my hair and it’s in better condition than olaplex ever left it.
Oh that's interesting

Was it just like a deep conditioner?

LockdownLard · 18/04/2021 00:53

No, it was just a garnier one - like this one
Garnier Ultimate Blends Hair Food Coconut 3-in-1, Smoothing Hair Mask, Conditioning Treatment, Leave-in Conditioner for Curly, Frizzy Hair, Vegan Formula, 98% Natural Ingredients, No Silicones, 390 ml www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L5WH74Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_5JPBZP8C8G6978SBWJRB?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

CarmelBeach · 18/04/2021 00:56

Thank you, I will try that.

Frownette · 18/04/2021 00:58

The best conditioner I ever tried was natural wax henna, very cheap too. Won't alter colour.

DareIask · 18/04/2021 04:37

Color Wow Dreamcoat.

This stuff is better than Olaplex on my hair by a mile.

RhusTox · 18/04/2021 06:26

Following

PersonaNonGarter · 18/04/2021 07:48

Christophe Robin Prickly Pear Mask.

It’s fabulous. £££ but fab.

RigaBalsam · 18/04/2021 08:49

Just buy a bottle of olaplex yourself at least you would get a full bottle instead of just a squirt.

molojoko · 18/04/2021 08:50

Olaplex isn't a conditioner.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 18/04/2021 09:03

I haven't tried it but OGX are doing a bonding plex system now which I assume is a dupe. I've also heard good things about the superdrug one but it never seems to be in stock.

HasaDigaEebowai · 18/04/2021 09:04

Just buy a massive bottle from a wholesalers. It’s about £120 but it’s at least 20x as much product

Mugginyouleftrightandcentre · 18/04/2021 09:36

The Olaplex they are charging you for is not something you can buy for home - it is something they mix in with the bleach just before applying, and then they might also apply another Olaplex product just after rinsing as well. 25 quid seems a bit of a rip off me though.

I don't really necessarily want to advise you not to get it.... However, I bleach my own hair at home, and I find if I apply Olaplex no. 3 a day or two before I bleach, it really makes a difference to the strength and condition of my hair after bleaching, so you could try that and then not get it at the salon. It's 26 quid for a smallish bottle of Olaplex number 3 but you would get a good few applications out of that, it goes further than I thought it would!

HasaDigaEebowai · 18/04/2021 09:39

It is completely something you can buy for home. You can buy the whole system. The hairdresser applies it when colouring but you can apply it separately at home.

Northernsoullover · 18/04/2021 09:48

@CeeceeBloomingdale

I haven't tried it but OGX are doing a bonding plex system now which I assume is a dupe. I've also heard good things about the superdrug one but it never seems to be in stock.
I'm using the OGX bonding plex and my hair feels fab after it. I can't compare to Olaplex because I haven't tried it
Mugginyouleftrightandcentre · 18/04/2021 10:09

@HasaDigaEebowai

It is completely something you can buy for home. You can buy the whole system. The hairdresser applies it when colouring but you can apply it separately at home.
But they are all different products that do different things - number 1 is mixed into the bleach so works to fix the bonds (or whatever it does!) during the actual bleaching process. I don't know if you can replicate that using the other products. As I said, I use number 3 just before bleaching and that works well for me, but I don't know what it would be like if I mixed number 1 in with my bleach as well, it might be a huge improvement (I now use a bleach with bond builders already incorporated which does seem to have improved things as well, compared to when I was using Jerome Russell! Grin)

I think OP should probably just try it without the in-salon stuff next time and see what happens - I don't think her whole hair will fall out (despite what the hairdresser might say!) but it might make a difference to the condition of her hair.

Annettebee · 18/04/2021 10:44

Olaplex 8 is the new conditioner. Tried it yesterday and it's fab. I have very dry non dyed curly hair and it's the best thing I've tried so far. Olaplex 3 is not conditioning it's a bond repair.

Original poster
Sssloou · 18/04/2021 11:03

My hair is dyed auburn so don’t think that there is bleach involved in the process?

My concern was does it need to be applied just after dying which then I couldn’t do.

I have whinged about it before - especially when they have rushed me and not even done the whole 10 mins. One of the younger stylists said you don’t need it done every 6 weeks - maybe alternate. So I I have only the roots coloured one time and then the colour applied all the way to the ends the other time - so I could cut it back to every 3 months. Just calculated that I am paying £200 a year on Olaplex!

OP posts:
pigeon65 · 18/04/2021 11:13

Buy it on Amazon! So cheap.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 18/04/2021 11:20

[quote MrsPerfect12]Try this it's an opalex dupe and great. www.superdrug.com/Hair/Hair-Treatments/Conditioning-Treatments/Knight-and-Wilson-PurePlex-Revolutionary-Hair-Repair-System/p/752255[/quote]
Just ordered this... its got great reviews so worth a go!

Fluffycloudland77 · 18/04/2021 13:07

Aveda damage remedy, their stuff works really well. I’ve never found better.

RARach · 18/04/2021 13:53

It’s usually a half hour treatment process in the salon and I usually pay £20. I was also told you should feel the benefits for 12 weeks. Maybe have it done on alternate visits? Alternative is to buy the no3 or new no8 and do a treatment at home although this would not be the same as the in salon process.

Seapink2 · 18/04/2021 18:33

I’ve never had olaplex so cant compare but if it is a reconstructing protein type treatment then Aphogee 2 step is a good alternative. Its a 6 weekly treatment used in salons with heat but you can buy it online and use it with a hair dryer. It will really help to stop breakage. Ive used it on and off for years and have all over bleached hair down to my waist. It’s easy to find online, around £15 and the bottle gives me around 4 treatments.

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