ColourNation OLAPLEX Treatment Review

ColourNation OLAPLEX Treatment Review

Although I spend a lot of time and money on my skincare and make up, my hair is a totally different story. I put off washing it for as long as possible (too much faff), do the bare minimum to keep it looking vaguely presentable and get it cut when I really can’t put it off for any longer. I always forget to use heat protector spray when straightening and it’s currently 3 different colours (my natural roots, a brassy blonde in the mid lengths and quite blonde at the ends). In short it is a mess. Or was…

Oh GOD just LOOK at it. Dull, frizzy, dry at the ends, definitely a bit wild-looking. (In my defence, the below photos were taken after a very swift stomp to Oxford Street on a miserably drizzle-filled Monday evening). I knew that it needed some TLC but I didn’t want to chop half of it off. I’ve also been dreaming about going back to a light blonde for a while but have worried that my hair wouldn’t survive it, as the ends were pretty damaged.

So an invite to try OLAPLEX at the ColourNation salon (just behind Topshop, Oxford Street) was like having my prayers answered! This revolutionary treatment is described as ‘insurance for your hair’ and is typically used while someone is colouring their hair, as a protective measure. However if – like me – you’re worried that your hair might need some help before you even go near it with colour, you can also have the treatment as a pre-emptive strike.

So what is OLAPLEX? To pinch the blurb from the website: “OLAPLEX™ is a single active ingredient, designed to reconnect the disulphide sulfur bonds broken by the process of permanent hair colouring and lightening.”

Yep, you read that correctly – it repairs the bonds in your hair. It promises stronger, healthier hair and longer lasting colour if you have it done at the same time as a colouring session.

I have been lucky enough to have some chemical straightening treatments in the past that have smoothed the hair, set it into a shape I wanted and banished frizz for months. Brilliant stuff. But when that wears off, you still have the hair you started with. I would say that chemical straightening treatments are wonderful if you want to reduce your blow dry time while making your hair look healthy and happy. I think OLAPLEX is designed more for people who want to hit the reset button on their hair. After the treatment, I still need to straighten my hair and blow dry it if I want to get rid of my waves and kinks, but it just LOOKS better. It’s not as frizzy, dull or processed-looking. And it’s definitely made me feel more confident about going lighter.

My OLAPLEX treatment at ColourNation was a simple process: they washed my hair, then when it was wet applied a solution (which doesn’t smell or feel any different to any other hair treatment). They left that on for 20 minutes, while I sat in A MASSAGE CHAIR. I was very excited by this – small things, small minds perhaps – I was in danger of falling asleep! Then they washed that out and put another treatment on and left that for 10-15 minutes.  That was washed out and blow dried as normal. I noticed instantly that it wasn’t as tangly or fluffy when it was being blow dried so was very impressed. The images below show my hair in the salon: the first image is straight after my big bouncy blow dry and the second is when I got home when the curls had dropped a bit.
 

But, as with all hair treatments, I wanted to see what my hair looked like after I washed and styled it myself at home. Obviously my blow dry skills leave a lot to be desired but it was instantly clear that my hair was smoother, less dry and looked more ‘finished’. I roughly blow dried it upside down and then left the middle and ends to dry naturally, as I usually would. I went back to it expecting to need to straighten the ends and generally tidy it up… but nope. It looked surprisingly good. It felt thicker, healthier and stronger. The ends had shine – anyone who has been colouring their hair for a long time will know what I mean when I say the ends (even if they don’t have split ends or obvious damage) just look dead and dull. But my hair honestly looks healthy again.

ColourNation are offering OLAPLEX as a £25 top up in addition to a hair colour, or £50 by itself. I am shocked that it’s so well-priced considering this isn’t something that will fade, it’s a permanent solution. (Though obviously, the damage you do to your hair from then on will continue to affect your hair – do not take this as carte blanche to neglect your heat protection products and use hair straighteners every day!) Take a look at this site HERE.

So what do you think? Are you tempted?