So over the years it’s safe to say I have had A LOT of fun with my hair! Long, Short, Black, Brunette, Bleach Blonde, Extensions, Braids … The point being you name it and i’ve done it to my locks. My poor hair has truly been to hell and back and because of that I decided if don’t want to be bald by the time i’m 40 I need to slow it down and start treating my hair with some TLC and respect.

At the start of this year two treatments in particular have caught my attention time and time again so I figured I would road test both and share my review to help you decide on which of these two hero products to pick, if like me your hair is in dire need of a rescue.

Up first it’s OLAPLEX,  this products claims to “Prevent damage & Repair hair” using “Real Science” that delivers “Real Results”. About 10 years ago I bleached a little bit of my hair…. The results were absolutely catastrophic… Think frazzled, dry, yellow, straw like, broken, birds nest. So when on a blogger visit to salon Daniel Galvin my colourist suggested I go from warm blonde of which I had managed to achieve only using high lift tint to a creamy white bleach blonde I nearly ran a mile…

That was until she told be about this new wonder product the hairdressers were adding to the bleach and applying during the colour process to prevent breakage and make the bleach more gentle on the hair. They assured me my issues with bleach in the past were gone with the wind and I could achieve a gorgeous blonde mame with minimal damage.  This is also the moment she slipped into the convo it’s how Kim Kardashian went from black hair to the perfect platinum blonde. SOLD!!!

HOW IT WORKS???

OLAPLEX is three-step process that includes a patented active ingredient that works on a molecular level to seek out broken bonds in the hair that are caused by chemical, thermal, and mechanical damage. Olaplex restores damaged, broken and compromised hair repair and protects your hair from further damage during colour processing.

STEP 1: Bond Multiplier®

BEGINNING THE REBUILDING…

This concentrated first salon step rebuilds broken disulfide bonds and begins the process of preventing damage and repairing hair.

STEP 2: Perfector®

PURSUING HAIR PERFECTION…

STEP 3: Hair Perfector

LASTING PROTECTION AT HOME…

This final retail step provides our client’s continuous protection from ongoing damage at home.

Our second salon step continues to rebuild and restore any remaining broken bonds ensuring the strongest, shiniest, and healthiest hair possible.

(For more information visit: https://olaplex.com/)

Now I have to say they spoke the truth, they were NOT selling dreams here! They took my colour from brassy blonde to super blonde and creamy and the damage was barely visible (See top photo). Following my colour treatment I continued to use Olaplex part 3 on a weekly basis as an at home to follow up from my colour treatment, Also if I need a real hair boost Post holiday or before a special event for example I will head to my local Salon BlueTit Peckham for the full professional Olaplex treatment as a stand along treatment. Now the Olaplex honestly is incredible and I haven’t experienced anything like it in the past. But despite this product being amazing in terms of innovation in hair repair treatments  let’ not get too carried away; that’s not to say 6 months into bleaching my roots every 6 weeks I didn’t start to see the damage beginning to appear. Not nearly as bad as previously experiences so the Olaplex certainly helped massively but lets face it bleach is bleach it’s going to damage your hair at some stage, But if you are going to do it… Olaplex is certainly a 100% essential addition to your colour process.

So with that said just 6 months later I said goodbye to the bleach bottle and gave myself a gorgeous hair makeover with Seed Salon in Fulham. It was time to go easy on my hair for the first time in years and transform my hair to a rich warm brunette balyage, whilst keeping my blonde hues on the ends. With my gorgeous new rich brunette coloured hair I wanted to get that shine back and more importantly I wanted the broken hair to regrow, my hair to become more manageable and the overall condition to massively improve. I continued to use Olaplex part 3 on a weekly basis as a part of my at home treatment for my hair and I only colour my hair every 10-12 weeks now. The Olaplex has really helped to get the broken hairs to re grow and i’m seeing the strength in my hair massively improve.

SUMMARY: If you colour your hair don’t be tight with you £££! I know they charge more to include Olaplex into your colour treatment but it is honestly worth the money especially if you are a bleach blonde!  Shanie say’s “10/10 & Worth every penny, If it’s good enough for Kim Kardashian then it’s good enough for me”

PHILLIP KINGSLEY ELASTICIZER

Now this product has had a consistent buzz around it for years and for a product to have so much longevity it has to be good! Lots of celebrities claim it’s an essential part of their hair care routine and it sells in huge quantities on QVC where I am a guest beauty expert. It was originally created for Hollywood movie star Audrey Hepburn who complained to Philip Kingsley about the damage to her hair from the constant styling when she was filming. Upon her request, Philip went to work in his Green St. Laboratory and formulated Elasticizer – the world’s first pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, and that was all the way back in 1974.

The thing that struck me about this product is that it despite being designed for Audrey Hepburn this product is genuinely is suitable for ALL HAIR TYPES and that includes Black Caribbean, Asian and African hair as well. Very rarely is a product able to adapt itself to help such very different types of hair. Being Mixed race my hair is naturally curly, sometimes frizzy and always hard work so to hear about such a product had me very very intrigued.

HOW DOES IT WORK???

Healthy hair stretches when wet, rather than breaking. Elasticizer helps to reduce breakage, adds elasticity, bounce, shine and manageability and helps to improve the condition of your hair. Hair is not weighed down, but full of body and bounce, making it ideal for even the finest hair textures. Apply Elasticizer once per week, visible results are seen with first use, whilst the texture and condition continue to improve with each use. Elasticizer delivers a rush of moisture into the hair’s cuticle to help reduce breakage and restore the hair’s strength and stretchability, leading to less breakage and snapping.

BENEFITS:

• Deeply conditioning; adds elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine

HAIR TEXTURE:

• Fine
• Medium
• Coarse
• African-Caribbean

So one Sunday afternoon after having a sample from a goodie bag knocking around in my drawer I slapped it on my dirty damp hair and waited 20 minutes with a shower cap on my hair before following up with my regular shampoo and conditioner. WOW WOW WOW.

My hair turned into pure silk, I couldn’t believe my fingers, they literally glided through my hair so easily. My hair felt so moisturised and silky and hydrated and then when I blow dried it it was absolutely dreamy to work with. I had a photoshoot the following day after using this treatment, and the shoot was on a super windy rooftop. Usually when in any amount of wind or harsh weather conditions my hair would become a matted mess but I have to say that having tried out this treatment the day before my hair continued to be manageable and I could still detangle it using just my fingers. I would really recommend this product for everyone with shoulder length hair or longer. I would be a tiny bit concerned to use this if you have super oily hair or very short hair as it could be a little too heavy and create a greasy appearance. But if you’re hair is a longer than a bob you or you have troublesome afro hair you should 100% give this treatment ago.  My boyfriend has Afro Caribbean hair and he keeps stealing mine so that speaks volumes!

SUMMARY: The fact it’s been around since 1974 says a lot about the results, the creator has a science background and has won many awards for his products, use it once a week for the best results. Shanie say’s ” Check out the gorgeous coconut scented version to make this product even more dreamy than it is, if it’s good enough for Audrey Hepburn then it’s good enough for me”

If you have tried either of these products please leave your comments below as I would love to hear how you rate them!

Also if you have other products you think I should try I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading

With Love

Shanie xXx