Olapex, Olapex, OLAPEX. I had heard of it, but I never thought to try it. I have natural 4c hair (probably the 4cest 4c hair ever!) which is dry, prone to breakage, shedding and single strand knots! I also don’t help by not having a trim schedule either lol and I’m WAY due for one! My new year’s resolution is to get on a trim schedule!

Why I decided to try Olapex?

I was tired of my dry, constantly breaking hair and I wanted to start applying heat too, mainly blow-drying my hair, in the past, I always air dry my hair. Olapex is meant to help with breakage and heat damage so after watching a few hair videos on natural hair and reading their research, I decided to test them for myself

I started with the hair repair treatment kit which had the basics- No0, 3, 4 and 5 from there I also tried the 4C and 8

My OLAPEX ROUTINE

Read about the Olapex system and the order you should apply them on the Olapex website. I use them in order as directed by the website,

No0 on dry damp hair, cover for 10 mins

No 3 on top on No0 for another 10 mins covered.

No4 shampoo then No 5 conditioner leave on for 3 mins then wash out

I introduced No4C (clarifying shampoo) and No8 (Intense Moisture Mask) a bit later and alternate them when necessary.

My Olapex routine– its worth saying that I don’t use Olapex everyday/every wash day because I don’t wash my hair every week. My Olapex products are mainly used before and after protective styles that I keep in for 4 weeks or more i.e my braids OR when I’m planning to blow-dry my hair.

Thoughts

I have used these products for the past 8 months and I can honestly say, I love them.

No 0 and No3- these are pre shampoo treatments and I love how soft it leaves my hair. Even after 5-week braids, they manage to soften my hair and prep it for shampooing. After these products, I can also remove shed hair without causing too much damage. I changed the bottle my No0 came in to a mister bottle. The spray on the original bottle is RUBBISH!

No 4 and No 4C- these are shampoos, 4 is a moisture shampoo and 4C is a clarifying shampoo. I love them both but 4 more so than 4c. I find 4 moisturizing and slippery enough for some finger detangling whilst leaving the hair soft, whilst 4C is not as moisturizing however as a prep for protective styling, it leaves a ‘blank’ state. My hair feels cleaned but not stripped. My coils are defined.

No5 and No8- these are conditioners, 5 is a rinse out conditioner and 8 is an intense moisture mask but I prefer 5 over 8. 5 has more slip so I can detangle with and leaves my hair softer compared to 8. I won’t repurchase 8 tbth

Overall, my hair feels softer and stronger, my 4c hair doesn’t feel as dry and my shedding has reduced. I can also see my coils more defined after washing. I like how my hair feels.

Will I try more Olapex products?

Yes. I want to try No6 and 9 along with the bonding oil (no7) and blow-drying mist. This year I have decided to use heat on my hair more, so along with heat protection and good techniques, I am using Olapex to repair/ prevent any heat damage.

Verdict

Olapex can quickly become very expensive however I find a lot of retailers stock them and between them, I always find a good offer/discount(I’ve never paid full price for any of the products I’ve purchased) I think they are worth it and for natural 4c hair( even the most 4cest hair like mine) will benefit. I do recommend it.

There are other bonding hair systems on the market, I’m not sure if I will try these later. For now, Ive joined the Olapex community, and I am loving it!

Will you try Olapex? Let me know in the comments

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