I Tried High End Hair Care on Natural 4c Hair ft Olaplex
When it comes to natural hair care, are high-end products really better? I am someone who is very accustomed to bougie skincare. I have no problem spending more on a product I know will do wonders for my skin. Why should hair be any different? My hair goal is to have healthy, strong, and long 4c hair, and a part of that journey is making sure the products I’m using are helping me achieve this goal. When Olaplex’s 4-piece kit was on Sephora’s value set, I decided to pick it up. Today I’m sharing my first experience with Olaplex on 4c Natural Hair.
Products
I picked up the Olaplex Healthy Hair Essentials set on Sephora’s website which included 4 products:
No.3 Hair Perfector: to reduce breakage and split ends
No.4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo: to cleanser scalp/hair while leaving hair hydrated
No.5 Bond Maintenance™ Conditioner: to help hydrate hair, and make it more manageable
No.7 Bonding Oil™: to add intense shine and heat protection up to 450°F/232°C
I wanted to complete the set so I picked up two more of their products:
No.0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment: a hair primer that helps prep hair for a deep treatment and protects hair integrity
No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask to treat damaged hair and add shine, smoothness, and intense moisture
The only product I did not get was the styling cream, No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Crème. Depending on how I like the set, I will pick that one up later. Instead, I used The Mane Choice 3 in 1 (Cowash, leave-in, detangler) as a leave-in before adding the oil.
My Hair
For reference, I have virgin 4c hair (never treated/coloured). I sparsely density, low/medium porosity hair, and medium-fine strands. My hair is about 12 inches all around. I have 4c hair in the middle of my head, and a mix of 4a/4b at the back, and bangs of my hair.
My Experience
Two weeks prior I decided to flat iron my hair for the first time in 3 years. My hair was in serious need of a good trim so I decided it was the perfect time to flat iron it to see my length as well. I kept my hair moisturized for the 2 weeks while in the stretched state and was ready to cross my fingers and hope that it would revert come wash day.
I started my routine with No.0. Having my hair stretched made it easier to apply because I could disperse the product with ease. I divided my hair in 6 as I normally do, and sprayed from root to tip as directed, and gently combed through with a wide-tooth comb, finishing with loose twists. Firstly, the nozzle for the spray is not my favourite. It doesn’t have a mist adjuster so the product comes out like a water gun. You’ll want to spray it in the scalp, massage it in, then spray a bit on your hands to smooth down the length of the hair shaft. It had a slightly tacky finish and a mild chemical scent. I left that in for 10 minutes.
Next, I moved on to No.3 hair perfector which by the way, smells divine! The directions say to apply on damp hair. I didn’t want to add water since No.0 said not to rinse… so sprits my hair with a bit more of No.0 and applied No.3. I don’ think my hair was wet enough but I spread that through with ease, re-twist and put on a shower cap to keep the dampness of the hair. After 10 minutes, my hair had already reverted completely! My hair was so soft but a little stiff since it wasn’t fully damp.
I hopped in the shower and thoroughly saturated my hair with warm water. When my hair was fully drenched, I took a bit of No.4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo in my hands and began massaging my scalp. I wash my hair in 4 sections all the time so it’s easier to manage and prevents tangles since I only comb my hair when detangling before shampooing. To my surprise, a little goes a long way! The suds took my hair immediately and I realized I actually used too much shampoo. You probably only need about a dime size of shampoo for your whole head. I was initially nervous because the bottle was so tiny - 3.3 fl oz to be exact. But you really don’t need to use a lot of product so it may potentially last a while. My hair for reference is about 12 inches all the way around. I shampooed my hair twice and it did not feel stripped, it actually felt super soft as if I’d used a co-wash.
My hair was already drenched when I applied the No.5 Bond Maintenance™ Conditioner. used about a quarter size amount of conditioner and put it in a little bowl. It was enough to cover my entire head! When I say a little goes a long way, I mean it. I parted my hair in sections and used the praying hand’s method to disperse. I left it in for about 5 minutes as I shaved my legs and rinsing off was so easy. It felt like the conditioner was still in my head so I kept rinsing but realized it was just my hair being so soft.
I moved on to the No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask, using the same quarter-sized proportions, and saturated my hair like before in 4 sections. Using the praying hand’s method I spread it through my hair strands with ease. It felt smooth as butter and smelt divine. That’s one thing I’d really say about this line. It has a beautiful cohesive scent to all their products but it’s not intoxicating to the point where you’d get a headache from how scented the products are. I twist my hair in 4 sections and put on a shower cap. I hopped out of the shower and let the mask sit for 30 minutes before going back into the shower to rinse. My hair felt soft did not feel as silky as it usually does when I do my other deep conditioners. It may be because of the “bonding” nature of the product which to me feels like I’m using a protein treatment - usually not as hydrating as moisturizing masques. Otherwise, it may be because I didn’t use a head cap to let it soak in, so I’ll try that next time.
As I said before, I didn’t get the styler but still needed a leave-in, so I used The Mane Choice 3-in-1 Revitalize & Refresh Conditioner and the No.7 Bonding Oil™and spread it all over my hair. Working in sections, I twisted my hair into 12 sections (6 on each side). My hair felt like butter. It glided on so easily, the oil really made a difference in keeping my hair nice and soft. Since it's winter, my hair did feel like it needed something a little more, so I used my DIY whipped shea butter to seal my ends. I left my hair in twists for the next week. I took it down by the 4th day and remoisturized with the Leave-in and the No.7 and my hair naturally stretched. It was super shiny and still felt so much moisture. I re-twisted my hair.
On day 7, my hair was still so shiny and so soft. I tend to be very heavy-handed with my products so I was so amazed that I really did not need to use very much product to get these results and to really feel the hydration stay in my hair all week long. This doesn’t usually happen. My ends are usually patched by the 4th day and especially on the 7th day so I load it with butter. I did obviously still use a bit of Shea butter but very little and only on the ends. I’m afraid to say I love this set because that means that going forward my hair care regimen will be very expensive (lol). I think it is something you should try at least once in your life if you’re not willing to make it a staple piece. Mostly for when your hair needs treatment to prep, or revive after using a lot of heat and damaging styling.
Second Wash Day
On washday, I decided to do things a bit differently. I put in No.0 again on dry hair, and put on a disposable shower cap. This helped to retain the moisture so my hair didn’t dry out. Once done, I spritz my hair with water so it was damp before applying No.3 and it glided in my hair with ease. I also used this time to detangle. My hair was in twists all week so there wasn’t any real knots but the shed hair easily came out of my hair.
Shampooing and conditioning went well as before. This time when I did the No.8 hair mask, I put on a disposable cap again and used a hooded drier blow drier attachment. After 30 minutes my hair was buttery smooth and hydrated like my hair normally is. It really just needed water and heat to work so if you’re going to be using it, you’ll want to do it do it this way.
I was going to be putting my hair in braids this time around so I wanted to make sure my hair was as moisturized as possible. I used the Ouai Leave-In Conditioner and used the TGIN Sweet Honey Hair Milk. I layered the No.7 on top and then blow dried. Only after my hair was dry did I apply the shea butter to the ends of my hair and it really made a difference at how easily it applied in my hair and how shiny it was.
Overall the Olaplex Hair Essentials Kit is 4c Hair Approved!
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