Do you believe in magic?

Meet Opalex.

If you’re a beauty fiend or follow hair trends you have probably already heard of the magic that is Olaplex. Real talk: sometimes technology can be a pain, but sometimes it provides a much needed solution. Olaplex is one such solution. First and foremost, Olaplex is a bond rebuilder, which is game-changing in terms of hair health and hair color. Understanding exactly what Olaplex does requires getting a bit science-y so bear with me.

The strands of your hair are naturally made up of bonds. Imagine two links on a jewelry chain. The bonds can be damaged or broken via chemical such as color or lightener, thermal such as the blow dryer or curling iron, and mechanical such as ponytails and brushes. Imagine what a bracelet would look like if one of the links were bent or broken.

Broken bonds means your hair loses strength, making it more susceptible to damage aka allowing pieces to break off more easily. It can also mean that your hair doesn’t respond as well to product and styling tools as healthy hair would. Olaplex acts like your jeweler, seeking out the damaged and broken bonds and repairing them. It does this by finding two broken bonds and rejoining them together, creating once more a healthy disulfide bond.

This means your hair is literally being rebuilt and restrengthened. How cool is that?!

Healthy hair is much happier hair. The result of an Olaplex treatment is smoother, softer hair. When the bonds are rebuilt hair color applies more evenly, and when Olaplex is applied alongside color it can mitigate the damage that might be caused as it happens. It’s like taking vitamins when you start feeling sick. It strengthens and rebuilds as the breakdown occurs. While Olaplex is amazing for all types of hair, it has extra special benefits for curlies and wavies.

Curly hair has more disulfide bonds than straight hair (it has to do with the curves and angles allowing for more bonds to squish together), and when the bonds of curly hair are broken, the curl pattern changes. If you have curly or wavy hair and you’ve ever damaged your hair in ANY way then you’ve experienced a change in your curls. Olaplex revitalizes curls and restores your natural curl pattern.

Olaplex can be done as a stand alone treatment or in conjunction with a haircut or color appointment. It is made up of a two step process with an optional third step that can be done at home instead of in-salon. Step one is particularly designed to work alongside color or lightener, preventing the damage as it would happen.

Step two is designed to follow back through and continue the rebuild process without having to work against anything else. Both steps are necessary to achieve maximum results from the treatment. Step three is like the mini-me to step two. It provides the same benefits at a slightly less potent formula. Olaplex is often mis-labeled as a conditioning treatment, but it’s actually a reparative treatment that has nothing to do with moisture (like most conditioning treatments).

All three steps are targeted at rebuilding the bonds of your hair and creating the best possible hair environment for everything else (color, products, styling, etc) to work.