What is Olaplex?
It's a treatment that is used to prevent further damage to your hair and internally repair some previous damage. I like to refer to it as insurance for the hair.
Olaplex - Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate - is a combination of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen with two reactive ends that finds broken disulfide bonds and links them back together. With lightener, it helps greatly mitigate damage.
With color, it will make the hair healthier, stronger and shinier in addition to linking the disulfide bonds which will lessen porosity and help with longevity of color. Olaplex works to restore the strength, structure and integrity of the hair by repairing these broken disulfide bonds which are part of the foundation of hair itself.
As a treatment, can help restore hair due to chemical, thermal and mechanical damage.
Olaplex cross links broken disulfide bonds. All hair is made up of thousands of disulfide bonds. When any type of reduction is done such as chemical services including perms, color, lightener or relaxers, these bonds are broken, and hair is reduced. Reduction can also include thermal styling such as flat irons, blow dryers and curling irons as well as mechanical styling such as brushing. Even shampoos with a high alkalinity can reduce hair.
When reduction takes place, you have two possible reactions. A disulfide bond splits and forms two single sulfur hydrogen bonds.
The first reaction that takes place is when a single sulfur hydrogen pairs with an oxygen molecule. This is a perfect pair with no reduction taking place.
The second reaction is what Olaplex works to prevent. A single sulfur hydrogen bond will pair with three oxygen molecules. This creates SO3 or what is known as a sulfate group. Sulfate group will create cysteic acid. Cysteic acid will eat the protein out of the hair. Olaplex works by coupling with the single sulfur hydrogen bond faster than the three oxygen molecules can preventing this damage a vast majority of the time. This is how damage is prevented during the process.
Olaplex does one thing and one thing only. It creates both an ionic and covalent bridge between two single sulfur hydrogen bonds to form disulfide bonds. As such, it is not chemically possible to reduce the hair via Olaplex alone.
Olaplex does not “rinse out” of the hair. The bonds created by Olaplex are permanent until broken again. Olaplex is meant to repair and maintain hair. It will not make it invincible to further damage. As for dryness, moisture is an entirely separate issue. Just follow with any professional moisture product. Olaplex is free of silicone, sulfates, phthalates, DEA, aldehydes, and is never tested on animals. Olaplex reconnects broken disulfide sulfur bonds in the hair. Hair bonds are broken during thermal, mechanical and chemical services.
If hair is pushed too far, it will still break. If proper judgement is not used, damage can still occur. Olaplex is meant to be used as an insurance policy. It does not make hair invincible.
