Save Your Money: The Overhype of Olaplex
Image Courtesy: Glamour
I’m about to share an opinion no one wants to hear: Olaplex isn’t worth the hype. Or the money. I spent $56 at Ulta with the gift cards my grandmother gave me this Christmas. I gingerly waited in the usual long line at Ulta, hoping the Olaplex No.4 Shampoo and Olaplex No.5 would give me the hair of Aphrodite. Especially with Olaplex No.4 Shampoo’s 4.7 out of stars out of 44,000 Amazon reviews and Olaplex No.5 Conditioner’s 4.7 out of 5 stars out of 42,000 Amazon reviews. Surely this product must be otherworldly because of the price and how every influencer praises the brand as the end-all-be-all of haircare.
So, like every other teenage and 20-something girl, I’ve seen Olaplex as the gift of the gods on Tiktok and Instagram. Olaplex is championed among our age group as the crème de la crème of haircare. It’s also popular among hair salons around the world and considered to be a cult favorite. Olaplex claims that it works by repairing your hair at the molecular level, repairing hair that has been chemically and thermally damaged.
Image Courtesy: In Cosmetics
This science seemed simple enough to me, and I thought I might as well treat myself to some high-quality hair products. After about a month of using it, I’m underwhelmed. I would probably rate both products 3 out of 5 stars. On the positive side, this brand is cruelty-free and never tests its products on animals. In addition, Olaplex prides itself on being vegan and avoiding ingredients such as parabens, sulfates, and phosphates. So, the three stars are given because I have a guilt-free conscience when using these products. However, for being a cult hair favorite, I didn’t generally see improvements in my hair texture, strength, or color. Truthfully, I could probably buy a better product at Walgreens.
A critic of this article could argue that perhaps I’m not using the shampoo and conditioner correctly, and maybe I didn’t let the shampoo “emulsify” before using it. However, I’m a writer and not a hair expert. I don’t have time for a seven-step haircare routine. My purple conditioning mask to maintain my blonde is as much as I can handle. So, another critique of this brand is that if it actually does give great results, it’s not user-friendly in the process of doing so. Sure, the shampoo is great. The conditioner is decent as well. But is it worth $28 for each bottle? Absolutely not. I could’ve used Aussie products for the same results I’m seeing.
Image Courtesy: Strike FSU
As a broke college student, I don’t have $56 to spend every time I run out of hair products. I’m on a Walgreens and Walmart $20 budget. My top concerns as a conscientious consumer are price, use of parabens and sulfates, the effectiveness of the product, and ideally, it should be cruelty-free. Of course, in these winter months, moisture is another important factor. While Olaplex checks half of those boxes, I didn’t see any fantastic results happen to my hair that would encourage me to drain another Ulta gift card.
So, will I continue using Olaplex? Absolutely, I’m not going to waste $56 in vain. Will I continue buying Olaplex? Most likely not. I will likely return to the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner once my bottles run empty, which has been a godsend for me over the last three years. I love Aussie because the brand is cruelty-free, and there aren’t any parabens or sulfates, plus your hair is fantastic after using this deep conditioner. I also plan on continuing to use Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment, which is also what my mom has used for years to manage her frizzy hair. As for shampoo, I’ll be returning to John Frieda’s Violet Crush shampoo. All these products I’ve used before, and are friendly on my $20 budget. If I’ve learned anything in my month-long adventure with Olaplex, it’s that sometimes it’s better to stick with what you know.
Strike Out,
Writer: Hannah Musiak
Editor: Karina McCarthy
Graphic Designer: Leah Solomon
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