Can Olaplex hair products really transform lacklustre locks? We found out

Rating: 7/10

This bond-building treatment is one of the latest products to launch and has been designed to act as a primer to better the benefits of No.3 (£26, Olaplex.com). By priming your hair with No.0, No.3 is pulled deeper into the locks, which allows for greater performance.

As with all of the products in the line-up, this one is silicone-free – a big bonus because silicone is commonly used in hair products that give your hair the appearance of looking shinier but in actual fact prevents moisture from being penetrated into the root. It’s recommended that you use No.0 all over, leaving it on for 10 minutes before applying No.3. Your hair should be well saturated from root to tip and damp but not drenched.

The spray function is fairly easy to use and a big improvement on the previous pipet style bottle. The spray is a user-friendly design that allows for a quick and pinpointed application. However, it’s worth noting that owing to the thickness of our hair, we had to use a lot of the product. While the brand claims that a bottle contains three to six uses, we used almost half a bottle in one go. At £26 for just two uses, there’s no denying it’s an expensive at-home treatment.

When we first used it, we were unsure how well it would work – the formula is very watery and took a while to absorb into our hair. But, when we followed with No.3 after 10 minutes, we were very impressed with the results.

Rating: 9/10

As the first at-home treatment that Olaplex released, No.3 is one of the bestsellers. It’s been designed to be used once a week, but can be used twice if your hair is extremely damaged. We personally found using it weekly did the job.

Using No.0 and No.3 together contains the highest level of the patented bond-builder. The hair perfector does need to be used on damp hair and it loses effectiveness after your hair has dried. So, while you may see claims of people leaving it on overnight, you won’t reap any more benefits from doing so.

This weekly treatment works by repairing bonds from the inside out, and we found the two-part system (£52, Lookfantastic.com) worked wonders on our split ends and made our hair visibly more shiny. We found it to be a really effective at-home solution, so much so, we’d go as far as to say it produced results that were far better than other at-home treatments we’ve used in the past.

Olaplex says all hair types and textures will work well with the No.3 formula, while when used alongside No.0, your hair will be three times stronger.

Rating: 8/10

Owing to its thick consistency, you only need a very small amount of Olaplex’s shampoo because a little goes a long way. It features an anti-frizz ingredient that made our hair easier to style but we also found that our hair held its curl on the days we didn’t blowdry and straighten.

After two months of use, we have noticed that our locks are much more manageable and breakages have been reduced. While it lathered up like a dream on our thick hair, we have heard that it can be too heavy to be used on thinner hair more than once a week. While you may baulk at the price, one bottle of this lasted four months for us.

Rating: 8/10

Purple shampoo uses a violet pigment to counteract brassiness in blonde dyed hair, but it can leave your hair feeling particularly dry. That’s why we were so excited to try Olaplex’s formula, which contains the brand’s bond-builder and promises to neutralise brassiness and boost brightness, while still hydrating the hair.

The formula of the No.4P is far thinner than the original, so we were sceptical as to whether it would leave our hair feeling as fresh. But thankfully, it wasn’t drying at all, and it left our hair looking brighter and lighter – especially when compared with our usual choice L’Oreal elvive colour protect purple shampoo (£5.50, Superdrug.com).

The toning process starts once it’s been fully absorbed, and as such the brand recommends leaving it on for anywhere between one and three minutes. But, you can actually leave it on for up to five minutes should you be after a more intense boost.

While it did leave a slight purple stain on our hands, this did reduce a lot faster than other purple shampoos we’ve tried in the past. And it left our hair looking like it’d been freshly balayaged, so much so people even asked us if we had recently had our hair dyed. So if you frequently dye your hair, this product is a no-brainer for maintaining the colour and extending the time between salon visits.

Rating: 8/10

If you’re looking for a seriously hardworking conditioner, this is the one to know. It not only hydrates your locks but it also repairs any broken bonds from the inside out. From frequent use, you’ll notice less frizzy tresses and an increased shininess. It’s worth noting that we didn’t notice our hair being instantly softer, but after three weeks of use, we definitely could tell the difference in the quality of our hair. And after four months, we found that with frequent use, our hair gets less tangled and looks visibly improved.

Much like the other products in Olaplex’s complete hair repair system (£182, Olaplex.com), a little goes a long way, so we’d recommend using a pea-sized amount. We learnt this the hard way after applying liberally on first use, which left our hair feeling a little greasy. We’d also recommend focusing it on the ends of your hair and leaving it to sink in for three minutes, it rinses off well.

Rating: 9/10

This bond smoother has quickly become a hero product in our hair care routine. All you need to do is work a small amount through damp hair, but you can also apply it to dry, styled hair, concentrating on the mid-lengths and ends. It promises to tame frizz, add moisture and strengthen the hair, and we can confirm it’s a really great leave-in repairing treatment that made our locks feel a lot healthier and more manageable. We found that it also works really well when mixed with the No.7 bonding oil (£26, Olaplex.com), which when paired together adds instant shine.

Rating: 9/10

Much like any other hair oil, this is simple to use. While being a very lightweight formula, it is very nourishing and didn’t leave our hair feeling heavy or greasy. In fact, quite the opposite, our hair absorbed it with ease. The oil itself smells gorgeous, a scent that almost transports you to a holiday.

When we added a few drops of this bonding oil to No.6, we saw a serious boost in shine but we also noticed that our hair took less time to dry. So naturally, we applied the cocktail of No.6 and No.7 after every hair wash. The other great thing about the bonding oil is that it provides up to 230C heat protection, as such, it’s great to use before using heat on your hair.

Despite using it consistently for two months and the fact it is a small bottle, the product doesn’t seem to be depleting. Our only gripe is that getting the oil out is a little difficult – you need to shake the bottle quite firmly before a few drops come out.

Rating: 9/10

This of course is infused with Olaplex’s signature bond building technology and is a highly concentrated four-in-one reparative mask that provides instant hydration. After shampooing, we applied two pumps (although would recommend one pump for thinner hair) through the mid-lengths and ends of our hair, and allowed it to work its magic for 10 minutes (of course we got out of the shower for this process).

In our hair care routine, we used this once a week instead of conditioner. And it’s fair to say we saw instant results. Unlike with the conditioner, when we washed this No.8 out, our hair felt softer and sleeker – and we’d go as far as to say it made our Hagrid hair feel like we’d just had a cut at the hairdresser. So, if you’re looking for an instant boost, this is where it’s at.