Olaplex No. 3

ABOUT N°3

#1 Product in Prestige Haircare*
A weekly at-home treatment, not a conditioner, that reduces breakage and visibly strengthens hair, improving its look and feel.

PRO TIP: Prime your hair for deeper repair with our professional-inspired No.0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment (sold separately). Use No.0 as the first step in a two-part at-home system with No.3 Hair Perfector to strengthen and repair all types of damaged hair.

Scientifically Proven:
68% more repair & 3x stronger hair*
*When used as a two-part system in just one use.

PH Balance: 3.5-5

*Source: The NPD Group/ U.S. Prestige Beauty Total Measured Market, Haircare Product Sales, January-September 2021

How It Works Olaplex No 3

Our hair’s structure features millions of disulfide bonds between the proteins that comprise our strands, giving them strength and elasticity. When these bonds are broken, that’s when our hair gets split ends and looks dry, frizzy and damaged. Olaplex No. 3 contains Olaplex’s patented bond-building ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which penetrates the hair and rebuilds those damaged bonds. This results in hair that looks and feels healthier.

Benefits of using Olaplex No.3

“There are numerous ways that hair can be damaged, things that we forget to even consider: extreme environmental changes and weather, thermal styling and even brushing your hair roughly. Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector is safe for all types of hair and works from the inside structure of the hair to strengthen and protect the hair from future harm,” explains professional hairstylist and Olaplex ambassador Bianca Hillier.

The hair treatment is said to moisturize and repair the hair, thanks to the nourishing bond-building ingredient, leaving it shinier and smoother overall. Although it’s become known as a holy grail product among those who dye their hair, Olaplex No. 3 can be used by all hair types. “The reason why Olaplex is good for all hair types is because hair bonds are agnostic regardless of gender, age or ethnicity,”

How to use Olaplex No. 3

Olaplex No. 3 should be applied to damp hair before using shampoo or conditioner and left in for at least 10 minutes. Results may be more prominent if you leave it in longer, giving the product time to penetrate the hair. But you don’t want to leave it in your hair so long that it dries, as the treatment works only on damp hair. After you’ve let it sit, you can shampoo and condition your hair as normal.

“Remember it is not a conditioner replacement, so you must always shampoo and condition it out of the hair,” Hillier says. “This is an additive to your regular routine. For damaged hair, I suggest using it twice a week for best results. Since there are no proteins, sulfates or silicones in the formula, it is impossible to overuse it.”

What we loved about Olaplex No. 3

It’s not every day that you find a hair product that gives salon-level results that can be seen and felt. The Olaplex No. 3 was successful in making our hair feel healthier, shinier and softer, across all of our testers’ hair types. We also loved that it had a fresh scent that reminds us of the professional-grade products found in hair salons.

After using the treatment, those with straight hair said that their locks were smooth and required less effort to detangle — even when hair was still wet. “My hair detangled in a matter of minutes, whereas before it would take much longer, because I have such long and thick hair,” says Richa Srivastava, business development coordinator.

I found that my own thick, straight hair, which often feels dry from a year-old balayage, didn’t tangle as much in the days after using the treatment too. Instead, it felt soft and silky, thanks to the moisturizing factor of the Olaplex.

The curly-haired testers felt that their hair had more moisture and hydration, making their curls more defined yet softer and less frizzy. Social coordinator Sarai Thompson has 3C/4A curls that she says were “exhausted and dry” after wearing her natural hair in high and low buns for a month straight. “I was very impressed by how Olaplex restored my hair strands,” she says. “Even before I washed the product out in the shower, I could feel the difference. I plan on using Olaplex on all of my wash days, especially when I’m taking my hair out of a protective style to ensure that my curls are consistently healthy.”

Before using Olaplex No. 3 (left) and after (right).

Across different hair textures, those with color-treated hair reported that their hair looked brighter and less dull after using the product. And those with thin strands were surprised that their hair didn’t feel weighed down or greasy. “I usually stay away from thick formulas and conditioner because my fine hair gets weighed down and greasy very easily, which in turn makes me have to wash my hair every day to avoid greasy hair and scalp,” says senior editor Rachel Lubitz. “But remarkably, Olaplex was able to solve this issue for me. After a handful of uses, I realized that I could actually go a day or two without washing my hair and my hair still felt clean.”

These results make it a great at-home treatment for when you notice your hair feeling drier, duller or more difficult to work with. The smoothing and strengthening effect of the Olaplex No. 3 makes hair more manageable to style, and while the product is not a styling product itself, starting with hair that is healthy makes it easier to manipulate for other looks.

The visible results lasted three days for most of the testers, but hair felt healthier overall for at least a week after use. We noticed that there was less hair breakage, less frizziness and extended time in between our wash days after consistent weekly or biweekly use of the product.