No. 02
in hair
// glowrecs.com/olaplex-no-3
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How it works.
71% would recommend
Why we ranked it No. 2 in hair
Sample
46 redditors with explicit opinion · 33 positive · 8 negative · 5 neutral
Score
0.739 — formula: 0.75 × % positive + 0.25 × pos/neg ratio
Confidence95% CI: 58–83% · the true approval rate falls in this range with 95% statistical confidence
Verdict
Highly Recommended — ≥65% positive across ≥7 redditors.
Sources
r/TheOrdinarySkincare, r/30PlusSkinCare, r/BeautyBoxes, r/HaircareScience, r/Wavyhair + 1 more
Olaplex · hair
Highly Recommended
No 3
r/TheOrdinarySkincarer/30PlusSkinCarer/BeautyBoxesr/HaircareSciencer/Wavyhairr/Ulta
TL;DR — Reddit consensus
Bond-building treatment that damaged hair users rely on weekly, especially after bleach. Can cause protein overload and brittleness if overused.
What redditors love
+
Rescues bleached hair fighting for its life
“My hair was fighting for its life so the first thing I started doing was olaplex no.3 and curlsmith bond repair masks once a week”
u/Holiday_Chapter_9223 · r/curlyhair →
+
Works as pre-treatment before bleaching another round
“if not, well i got olaplex and more bleach and we'll try again in a week or so lol”
u/aglioeoli-ohdamn · r/FancyFollicles →
+
Whole household goes through bottles in summer
“We all use it in my house so we go through bottles. ESP in summer after poo”
u/OnlyMyNameIsBasic · r/Ulta →
+
Gel formula holds without crunch on wavy hair
“I'm liking olaplex gel, it holds but isn't crunchy at all”
u/778899456 · r/Wavyhair →
What they don’t
−
Can cause major protein overload and dry out hair
“be super careful with Olaplex it can cause major protein overload and dry out the hair. It happened to me”
u/StatusBuyer1890 · r/Hair →
−
Over a year of use showed no noticeable change
“we've been using Olaplex for over a year now, didn't notice much of a change”
u/Opening_General_9361 · r/HaircareScience →
−
Couldn't fix gummy texture from dye damage
“my dyed hair was always gummy in the shower. No matter how many masques or olaplex or anything of that sort, it was just pretty much done”
u/la_sad_girl2000 · r/Hair →
−
Makes hair brittle if you overuse it
“K18 or Olaplex when it feels needed (note it can make hair brittle if overused)”
u/RhubarbCrumble007 · r/Wavyhair →
Direct quotes
What 46 redditors actually said.
Top 6 by confidence shown — expand below for the rest. Click any to open the original on Reddit.
C
u/Candy-Macaroon-33
·
r/TheOrdinarySkincare
Olaplex to be acquired by German company Henkel in $1.4 billion deal Perhaps this point
M
u/Mindmaster04129
·
r/30PlusSkinCare
: Lumify (duh)
Hair: Nanoplastia > Keratin Straightening > KBond20 > Olaplex > Dyson
Teeth: SMILE Whitening (in office dental procedure) INSANE will ge
L
u/LINDARRAGNAR
·
r/BeautyBoxes
rmer.
Eva NYC dry shampoo:
Lovely used it on my hair it works better than my Olaplex dry shampoo. It smells good and no white cast.
BDY by Tree Hut:
It’s a nice bo
F
u/filmstack
·
r/HaircareScience
ColorFanatic) and seal/moisturise the ends daily with an oil (he recommends the Olaplex oil on all hair other than very course, then he recommends MoroccanOil).
Is th
M
u/meredith--blake
·
r/Wavyhair
o Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, Laura Polko Leave-in conditioner, sometimes Olaplex oil if I'm feeling dry or frizzy. (As you can tell, I don't really have a 'wavy
U
u/UsagiOjimbo_9898
·
r/Ulta
the chair the non-elite stylist tried to quote me elite prices, and sneak in an Olaplex treatment that I didn’t ask for. I denied service, and called her out in the ch
Show all 46 mentions ↓
"the question, What hair color or colors do you use? Also, be super careful with Olaplex it can cause major protein overload and dry out the hair. It happened to me."
View thread →
"sing products that don't list an alcohol in the top 5 listed ingredients, using Olaplex no. 3 when I wash my hair once a week, getting my ends trimmed regularly, and using a"
View thread →
"ke they need it, mostly the ends. Then I use a lightweight hair oil (right now, Olaplex) and try to smooth it back out a bit if it got a little poofy from the comb."
View thread →
"days
* Redken Frizz Rismiss Shampoo & conditioner
* at least once per month Olaplex No. 3 treatment x1 hour
* Chi straight guard smoothing styling cream
Now, the applic"
View thread →
"here are several I love. Miche is amazing, Innersense I Create Curl Memory and Olaplex #10, Rizos"
View thread →
"I stocked up on the olaplex #3. We all use it in my house so we go through bottles. ESP in summer after poo"
View thread →
"ted as she enjoys being in the realm of soft pastel blonde. So we've been using Olaplex for over a year now, didn't notice much of a change. What did make a big differ"
View thread →
"ahh i tried the olaplex, k18, and the briogeo mask from allure beauty box love them all this is so good"
View thread →
"If you want to try a gel I like the olaplex one!"
View thread →
"my hair is happier than ever.
Current Routine:
Usually a pre oil treatment or Olaplex 3 (K18 after a tax return though, you feel me??)
Head and shoulders (never 2-in-"
View thread →
"irst.
My hair was fighting for its life so the first thing I started doing was olaplex no.3 and curlsmith bond repair masks once a week. I alternated between the two.
My"
View thread →
"my hair's light enough to achieve the color i'm trying for. if not, well i got olaplex and more bleach and we'll try again in a week or so lol"
View thread →
"ng in heatless curls overnight was a game changer. Also, putting in an oil like olaplex before a good hair brushing"
View thread →
"step protein treatment to the rescue ASAP. Maybe a trim and spend some coin on Olaplex and Heavy moisturizing masks. If you don’t have it already. Baby the heck out o"
View thread →
"Your hair looks a lot like mine. I'm liking olaplex gel, it holds but isn't crunchy at all."
View thread →
"nt hair products that will help revive it from the damage and trauma of bleach, olaplex is really good, or do some research online for decent products. Bleach is harsh"
View thread →
"a day but there’s no frizz. The photo attached is day old hair with mousse and olaplex oil, but my hair is extremely frizzy. Whenever, I add more products I have weig"
View thread →
"newer formula.
-Every couple weeks I use a deep treatment, alternating between Olaplex (the original bond-building stuff) and Moroccanoil Restorative Hair Mask, both"
View thread →
"want a full head bleach, i like the contrast between light and dark!
I applied Olaplex no.3 directly after bleaching and used shea moisture intense hydration mask. It’s so"
View thread →
"st time in forever so I can’t believe how much they bounced back!
Routine:
1. Olaplex no.3 protein treatment- left it in my mostly dry but some water sprayed hair for li"
View thread →
"in I got so much shine and definition on day 3 hair.
Routine
Wash day I used Olaplex shampoo and conditioner. And styled with Rizzos curl moose and Your Curly Girl"
View thread →
"r at least, better than most) for my already-damaged hair, since the bleach has Olaplex vibes and the dye is conditioner based. Colour Freedom has served me well but n"
View thread →
"ed purple (Strawberry leopard lavender fog) over the pale blue mess and ordered olaplex to repair the damage. It has.
I kept fading it. Tried color theory with some o"
View thread →
") after a literal decade. this was before i dusted the damaged ends and used my olaplex I haven’t been my natural color in legitimately a decade. i was worried it’d wa"
View thread →
"ogether amazing products. And you can’t beat her cost. My last purchase was her Olaplex box!! I have gotten several of her 📦."
View thread →
"re none. At least none that would make a noticeable difference to a consumer. Olaplex, K18 and all the rest play up their bond building technologies, but then includ"
View thread →
"and my dyed hair was always gummy in the shower. No matter how many masques or olaplex or anything of that sort, it was just pretty much done. I ended up cutting it a"
View thread →
"Do not: address rumors
Do: use olaplex and k18"
View thread →
"xture of jojoba oil, Jamaican black castor oil, tea tree oil, and a drop of the olaplex oil. then I steam my hair. as someone with low porosity, I see my hair soak up"
View thread →
"I use Olaplex and curlsmith both work great"
View thread →
"It's not overwhelming but I'll take 30% off olaplex I feel like it's always full price so smth is better than nothing ig"
View thread →
"facing the same direction?
They only test the products for ONE treatment! Both olaplex and k18 are marketed as products to use overtime to see results.
They should"
View thread →
"s so interesting! As a stylist I favor and also see better results with K-18>Olaplex!"
View thread →
"ly way to heal your hair would be new growth. I’d use some products like K18 or Olaplex to help bond as much as you can. You can always cut it all off down the road if"
View thread →
"l good straight after but then im over analysing the fact I need to start using olaplex again and have to be so mindful of my hair 🥺
Im thinking of may be going brig"
View thread →
"treatments so may be worth it occasionally to counteract bleach damage. K18 or Olaplex when it feels needed (note it can make hair brittle if overused). Could also tr"
View thread →
"ich has protein) and that definitely helped but still wasn't right. I then used olaplex no 3 and the bond maintenance shampoo, and then my tresemme conditioner as usual wit"
View thread →
"My go to hair masks are Amika. Try a good leave in conditioner like olaplex as well"
View thread →
Threads tracked
The conversations we're watching.
●
r/TheOrdinarySkincare
Olaplex To Be Acquired By German Company Henkel
●
r/30PlusSkinCare
Spent 30K On Lasersskincare Here Are My Hacks And
●
r/BeautyBoxes
Allure Sept Unboxing
●
r/HaircareScience
Not Cutting Off Split Ends Until Hair Is Healthy
●
r/Wavyhair
Looking For A Replacement For My Favorite Product
●
r/Ulta
r/Ulta
Adjacent
Often mentioned in the same threads.
02
Innersense
Hydrating Cream
Lightweight curl gel that works across textures when styled with plenty of water.
★ · 2.4k Amazon reviews
Buy on Amazon
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03
Curlsmith
Curl Defining Styling Souffle
Lightweight gel-cream that defines waves and curls without crunch, but weighs down fine hair easily and causes stringy, greasy day-two textu
★ · 4.4k Amazon reviews
Buy on Amazon
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