My hair felt like straw. Crunchy, bleached straw that snapped when I brushed it.
The split ends were so bad they’d catch on my clothes. I needed a real fix, not just a shiny coat.
It’s a pre-shampoo treatment from Olaplex. $30 for a small bottle. They claim it actually repairs broken bonds inside the hair shaft.
Bond Building
Uses their patented tech to seek out and relink broken disulfide bonds.
Pre-Wash
You apply it to damp, towel-dried hair before shampooing.
10+ Minutes
Needs to sit for a minimum of 10 minutes to work.
Photo: Andrzej Gdula / Unsplash
The hero is Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate. It’s the patented bond builder. The rest is a cocktail of emollients and silicones for slip and shine.
- Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate: The patented bond-building molecule
- Panthenol: A humectant that draws in moisture
- Cetearyl Alcohol: A fatty alcohol for conditioning
- Dimethicone: A silicone for detangling and shine
Photo: Glenna Haug / Unsplash
The texture is thin, like slightly thickened water. It disappears into your hair in seconds — no heavy residue. Smells clean, like a salon.
Week 2, I noticed less breakage in the shower drain. But by Week 3, my hair felt almost… too soft. Lost some natural texture, like it was over-conditioned.
Photo: engin akyurt / Unsplash
Breakage stopped. My hair is undeniably stronger. But the shine is a very specific, silicone-sleek finish. It didn’t bring back my natural wave pattern at all.
Photo: Adam Winger / Unsplash
It works — but it’s a targeted repair tool, not a magic potion. It fixed my breakage but changed my hair’s personality.