Published September 19, 2022
Hair dyeing has now become such a part of our lives that no one bats an eye even if someone dyes their hair rainbow. But while it’s fun to experiment with different hair colors, frequent hair coloring can affect the quality of your hair, making it more prone to dryness, dullness, and split ends.
Because of this, styling colored hair can be difficult. If your hair is already damaged, subjecting it to perming chemicals and a hot iron will only lead to severe breakage and hair loss. Some people have even gone bald from over-styling their hair.
Fortunately, the Olaplex perm was invented. This restorative formula is compatible with all permanent hair perms including digital perms and makes it easier to style colored and bleached hair. Not to mention that it produces such gorgeous beach waves without drying your hair.
If you’re still confused, this quick guide will tell you everything you need to know about Olaplex perm.
What Is An Olaplex Perm?
An Olaplex perm is any type of hair-perming procedure that uses Olaplex products to create gorgeous wave perms without damaging the hair. Olaplex is a brand of hair products famously known for its innovative haircare formulas that restores hair at the molecular level.
As mentioned, the Olaplex perm process is compatible with all types of permanent hair perms like cold waves and digital perms. During the process, Olaplex products are mixed with hair perm pretreatment, added to the perm solution, then applied throughout and on the neutralizer.
Since it works at the molecular level, Olaplex products paved the way for the newest category of haircare called bond-building. It’s called such because it reconstructs the hair’s broken bonds caused by harsh chemical processes such as bleaching and coloring. As such, Olaplex perm works on all hair types even on very thin ones.
Because it produces beachy waves that effortlessly flatter the face, Olaplex perm has shot to popularity almost overnight. It even gained a loyal following among celebrities. Kylie Jenner even credited it for her ability to go from raven to platinum in an instant. Although Dean Christal, the founder of the Olaplex, stated that it was primarily built for hair perms and not just bleach.
How Does Olaplex Work?
Even though it’s primarily known for producing stunning beach wave perms, Olaplex products mainly work by restoring the hair’s molecular bonds.
Millions of disulfide bonds exist in our hair, and these bonds are responsible for the appearance, weight, and stability of the hair. The damage occurs as disulfide bonds are broken.
Olaplex is a completely new substance that acts within the hair to stabilize and restore the damaged structure. It searches out any fractured disulfide bonds and reconnects them, making the hair feel fuller, smoother, heavier, and healthier.
Olaplex appears to be able to “reconnect broken disulfide sulfur bonds in the scalp.” The product is known as a “bond builder,” and it helps to protect hair before coloring and restore its natural health afterward.
Olaplex has helped many people with impaired hair achieve remarkable results.
It is perfect for 3 things:
- Rebuilding damaged hair – No.1 Bond Multiplier
- Pursuing healthy and smooth hair – No.2 Bond Perfector
- Everlasting hair protection – No.3 Hair Perfector
What Are Its Benefits?
Olaplex therapy is recommended to prep your hair for perm service if the integrity of your hair has already been affected. To reverse the harm sustained by the perm, you can apply Olaplex to your neutralizer as a restorative post-treatment.
So if you have over-bleached or highlighted hair for years, it will help you regain your hair’s vitality, texture, and dignity. It is also a way to permanently repair the chemically damaged disulfide bridges in your hair.
And, as John Frieda Salons’ Creative Color Director, Nicola Clarke, puts it, “Olaplex is the biggest game-changer in hair color. It maximizes the strength of hair by reconnecting disulfide sulfur bonds. These are normally broken down during the coloring process or when hair is subject to regular heat treatments.”
Other benefits include:
- Color-treated hair is maintained in excellent condition, feeling fuller, and glossier.
- It works on virgin hair. Heat and sun exposure can be reversed with a stand-alone treatment and at-home applications.
- Improves and retains the strength and purity of the hair.
- Aids in the restoration of damage caused by repeated coloring and bleaching.
- For quality security, this product has the initial manufacturer’s seal on the bottle under the lid.
How to Use Olaplex
Olaplex may be used to restore damaged hair or as an add-on to another service to provide protection against hair breakage. In just three stages, you can finally make use of a certified active component that acts on a subatomic level to detect vulnerable links in your hair.
To use Olaplex’s three-step process, you first need to make an appointment with an Olaplex-affiliated salon, then continue with their at-home alternative on your own. The detailed steps to achieving the ideal home hair care are as follows:
- Visit an Olaplex-affiliated salon since you can only find Olaplex in selected salons. Find salon professionals that you like and trust that are permitted to use Olaplex and make an appointment for hair treatments. Since the procedure is already used with your current color, it won’t extend your visit to the salon.
- After that, you must sit through the Olaplex No. 1 method. If you’re using Olaplex in addition to your coloring process, the stylist will mix the Olaplex No. 1 solution into the hair dye, bleach, or medicine lightener. Once done, you can apply Olaplex over each rod. The solvent can last in your hair for as long as the dyeing process usually does, so after a specified amount of time has passed, it will be totally rinsed out.
- As for the final step, you may proceed with the Olaplex No. 2 method. It is more effective if you are washing your hair or if you have heavily bleached hair. Your artist will apply hair dye that includes Olaplex No.1 then wash it out after the time period specified. After towel drying your hair, Olaplex No. 2 will be added to your hair from the roots to the tips.
How Long Does Olaplex Last?
At most, the Olaplex procedure will last around 4 weeks. Hair that is severely damaged can receive a variety of therapies in a single day or on a weekly basis. To improve their longevity, keep the hair warm, dry it directly whenever possible, and use Olaplex No.3 on it. Olaplex perms have a two to three-month lifetime if it is properly taken care of.
In conclusion, an Oplex perm can just add to your hair’s natural appeal. True beauty comes from within, and it will always show in how you treat others. Also, keep in mind that one of the most common issues of color treatment is that curl patterns can be compromised, which happens as you shampoo or dye your hair. Additionally, the bonds in the hair are normally altered and dissolved, resulting in inevitable hair breakage.
However, if you use Olaplex on a daily basis, you can keep your hair color for longer spans of time without it breaking or hurting your hair. With this, you can achieve even healthier permed hair.
[Related: From Brunette to Blonde: What You Need to Know Before Taking the Plunge]
