A few weeks ago I was lucky to experience Olaplex for the first time at the Ben Brown Hair salon in Derby. I had heard about it beforehand, mostly from the Kardashians and Guy Tang, but I'd never had the chance to experience it on my own hair. If you've never heard of it before, the following definition might help you to understand a little more what it's all about.
"Opalex Bond Multiplier is an additive to color and lightener. It builds bonds and creates stronger hair.From Base Color to Balayage, Olaplex multiplies bonds making hair stronger, healthier, while color lasts longer with more vibrancy."
You may or may not be aware that a couple of years back my hair was far from the color it is now. I was convinced it was brown but it was definitely black. I used to put box die over box die on my hair, and whereas the condition of my hair was great the color completely washed me out and just looked horrid. It's actually strange now looking back as I used to laugh and joke with my friends that I was going to die my hair blonde, and say how awful it was look, and here I am a few years later vowing never to go dark again. As much as I love being blonde, the process of going from such a dark color, and not being naturally light haired myself, has definitely taken it's toll on my hair. I really really wish that when I started to go lighter beforehand I had gotten the chance to use Olaplex, so maybe my hair wouldn't be so damaged now.
I'm not saying that Olaplex has the ability to transform your hair over night, because that's not the case - and that's exactly why it has taken my so long since I had the treatment to write this post. Olaplex is a process, and something which I believe you need to keep up. After the Olaplex in salon treatment I wanted to take my time to make use of the at home treatment and see how it contributed to keeping my hair in good condition after a few uses.
After having my treatment at Ben Brown Hair, my hair had never felt so good. This is not only down to Olaplex but also probably down to the work of Ben as he is amazing with colour and keeping the integrity of his clients hair at the same time.
The At Home Step 3 Treatment is supposed to be used before you wash your hair. I have to say, this is one of the only things I dislike about the product. I love how amazing it makes my hair feel, but having to wet my hair, leave it on for a minimum of 10 minutes, and then jump in the shower, wash it off and do all the rest, it can be a little time consuming - but then I guess any deep conditioning treatment is.
Speaking about conditioning treatments, that is one of the unique things about Olaplex as a product - it isn't technically a conditioning treatment, and shouldn't be used as one. Olaplex penetrates your hair and works in changing the chemical structure. Resulting in healthier and shinier hair, even after colour. Olaplex means you are able to bleach hair a lot lighter in one session and get the colour you want to achieve with minimal damage.
After having used the At Home Treatment a few times, I think I can now say I do see a positive change in my hair. Whilst it's still got a long way to go, it breaks a lot less, and definitely doesn't feel as weak and dry. My hair is starting to be due another colour now as my roots are coming through, but the actual tone and vibrancy of my hair has faded minimally, which is also the work of Olaplex. Overall, I think Olaplex is something I will now always add to my hair treatments when getting a colour - I do not think i will ever look back. My hair is definitely on it's way to being a lot healthier, and it actually seems to be growing!
If you're in the Derby area, or even if you're not (because Ben's salon is definitely worth travelling to!) then I would highly recommend booking yourself in an appointment with an added on Olaplex treatment, or even just going in for a Olaplex treatment on it's own. I can promise you won't regret it. If you follow me on Instagram you will have probably already seen that I have raved about Ben and his work in the past, and you can read my previous blog post on him here.
My most recent trip to the salon was no exception. This time, I opted for a full head of highlights and an ash blonde toner, and I was so so happy with the results. It came out a lovely silver toned blonde which had so many different tones in different lighting. You can see in the two pictures some of the different tones Ben was able to create. I wish I had taken some pictures when my foils were in, as I can honestly say I have never ever had so many foils on my head! The way Ben placed the foils and the amount he put in my hair, meant that my blonde was seamless. Even now my roots have grown down, they have a perfect blend and if I really wanted to I could grow them down without having to worry about whether my roots would look blocky or not. I was and still am so so happy with the work Ben produced, I will definitely be keeping loyal to him and his salon. The work not only Ben but also his staff creates is always exceptional. That mixed with the friendly atmosphere at the salon really makes it one of the best salons in Derby!
Shop Olaplex below and check out some more of Ben Browns work!
