OLAPLEX Damaged my hair

[ashleyflora]

My hair was destroyed by OLAPLEX and now I want to share my story in order to save other people from experiencing the same. 

Let me preface this by explaining that my hair prior to using the @Olaplex system was long, thick  and healthy. I have natural blonde, straight hair that has not been highlighted in a year. I air-dry my hair every day and only use high-quality products. Because of covid and quarantine, I never have to use heat on my hair. I probably only style my hair with heat once a month. Because I have taken such good care of my hair, it grew and thickened tremendously. I had been getting so many compliments about how healthy and long my hair was. 

Because I was having a major “treat yourself” moment, I splurged on the entire line of products at Sephora because I had heard it’s the holy grail for hair health. Though I had never tried OLAPLEX, I trusted the brand because of how highly recommended and used they are by salon professionals all over the world. 

I used OLAPLEX  0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & carefully followed the instructions. Immediately, I noticed that my hair was extremely dry after washing out the conditioner. When using the leave-in conditioner, I had to use a lot of product in order to finger through my hair and work through the matted tangles. As heavy as that product was, it didn’t help my dry hair. After using this system for a week, my hair on the top of my head and surrounding my face all broke off.  It started coming out in clumps. I am so devastated.

My hair has turned as dry as straw and has shrunken up to these matted rats nests. It looks like my hair is elastic and fried. Nothing has helped to fix the damage or return the moisture. The hair around my face that was once down to my chest has broken straight off. Now it looks like I have a matted mullet. 

I know people who use these products and love them. However, I’m finding out that I’m not alone in this. There are a lot of people experiencing the same thing as me.

These products need to be removed from Sephora’s shelves. They’re not for everyone and the public needs to know the risks and potential disasters they may face if they use them. It’s not fair for customers to have to be surprised by losing half of their hair. This year already sucks; let us keep our hair. 

Olaplex No. 0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment Kit

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector Pre-Shampoo Hair Repair Treatment 3.3 oz/ 100 mL  

[beautyfanatics]

Oh my gosh! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who had this experience!!!😭 I used the Olaplex Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner Set For Soft, Shiny, Healthy Hair  for literally like 6 months if I’m remembering correctly, and it literally destroyed my hair and my scalp.  I wasn’t realizing it at the time, but overtime I realized how it was basically doing nothing for my hair and my hair was becoming SO dry so I stopped using it.  And ever since then I’ve been trying to bring life and moisture back to my hair because it basically stripped my hair.  I will say I’ve been using Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance™ Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo 8.5 oz / 250 mL  and I've used it about 3 times so far and have only noticed great things in my hair.  I haven’t given up on Olaplex forever yet because my hair dresser also uses Olaplex No.5P Blonde Hair Hydrating & Brightening Purple Toning Conditioner 8.5 oz / 250 ml  on me and it leaves my hair feeling incredible.  The Olaplex Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner Set For Soft, Shiny, Healthy Hair  just wasn’t for me! 

[samjaybeauty]

Thank you for writing this review and warning other people about this brand. I used the shampoo and my once beautiful hair is WREAKED exactly how you described.These products should not be on the market. The fact they are is insane. I would beg anyone and everyone not to use them. You do not want your hair ruined like mine has been. 

[Michle143]

I have had the same problem. We created a FB group about Olaplex Hair Damage, to try to help figure out what is going on.  You are NOT crazy

[lynncarolkelly]

I had a very similar experience.  My hair is very fine.  However, I have always had a voluminous amount of hair on my head.  I too had heard great things about Olaplex, and I decided to make a purchase.  I purchased Olaplex 3, 4, 5, and 6 in December of 2021.  I used all of the products according to their respective directions.  In my case, I believe the main culprit in damaging my hair was the Olaplex 3.  

After using Olaplex 3 and shampooing with Olaplex 4, I used the Olaplex 5 conditioner.  Upon rinsing, I noticed that my hair was gummy and tangled.  After lightly towel drying my hair, I tried my best to detangle my hair.  My hair was also a matted mess.  Not wanting to tear and rip my hair, I applied an overly generous amount of Nexxus Humectress conditioner to my hair in order to help comb out the tangles and knots.  

My experience was devastating as well.  Prior to Olaplex, my hair length was an inch or two above my waist.  Several months later, that is no longer the case.  My once voluminous hair is gone.  It still continues to stretch, snap, tangle, and break off.  I currently wear clip in extensions (something that I did not do before Olaplex) to increase the volume of my hair.

There needs to be a serious warning label on these Olaplex products.  The label needs to state that Olaplex can increase hair elasticity to the point of damage and breakage.  That increased elasticity made my hair weak, matted and tangled.  Never again!

[Michle143]

We have a FB group, with over 2000 people in it - dealing with the exact same problem.  I also, had the same issue - I had really beautiful hair.  I never even walked into a sephora - until I ended up ruining everything with Olaplex. Figured I would treat myself to something nice....as I wanted to stop straightening my hair..and wear it curly.  The first time I used 3, 4 and 5 - it came out nice.  After I used 0, 3, 4, 5...it was still okay...but I noticed a little strangeness.  ONCE i put number 6 on...my hair felt like straw immediately.  So I washed it out.  A couple of times later (of 0, 3, 4, 5), my har fell out, broke, became sticky, matted cobwebbs appeared throughout my hair.  couldn't detangle them - no matter what I did.  my hair stuck to itself...stuck to my head, stuck to my eyes...everything! That was in April of 2022..decided to get weft extensions installed - so that I could at least show up to work and lead a conference I was set for.  I did take them out, though - as I know they damage hair (the clip ins, began to hurt me)...as Olaplex caused my scalp to have several issues now.and it is November 5th...and I lost at least 65% of my hair - the regrowth - I don't even recognize.  My hair doesnt even look like my own.  It almost seems like the "bonding" is unbonding and traveling up my hair to my scalp and then making my hair fall out (from the root) all day long.

[24suzieQ]

In relation, experiencing the same issues you all are. It’s destroying my day to day tasks, interrupting family events, spending countless hours in the mirror trying to un-mat and un-tangle my hair. Forced to wear a hat in public. My head hurts, balding, and extremely uncomfortable, insecure, and plan out devastated. Taking comfort to know I’m not alone but still the anger and rage we are dealing with and they should be forced to pay for our suffering. 

[bubblebed]

Bleaching my hair with olaplex ruined my hair!!!! I have no hair left. Been bleaching for years and even a stupid salon burned my scalp but my hair was fine. I didn’t realize it until now that olaplex slowly killed my hair. Even when I do treatment 3 and hair mask from them, my hair just as dry as straw. Terrible product.

[redtech1]

Olapex makes bleach??

[dishasmelissa]

The exact same thing happened to me!

[APrice22]

I had the same experience with Olaplex.  I 100% agree it should be removed from stores until they figure out the problem.  I’ve always had long beautiful hair with loose curls.  My professional hair dresser used the products on my hair ONCE and it completely fried my hair.  My hair has been breaking in chunks.  What used to be years of length and shine is nothing but straw like, brittle and fried mess.  To the point that I cannot brush it.  It’s pointless.  This experience has been traumatic and will take years, if at all possible, to regain the hair I’ve lost.  

[MariesCouture]

Same ! My Virgin hair is different  😕

[ElleBoogie555]

Olaplex did the same thing to my hair. The first time my hairdresser used it, I thought my hair looked pretty good, but started breaking like crazy. I thought it was from the highlights initially (although I had been highlighting for 20 years with no damage previously) so I bought more olaplex products. The more I used it, the more dry, damaged & fried my hair looked. The texture became so weird. I always had thick shiny hair & now it's thin, coily & dried out. I used a ton of deep conditioning masks, but it felt like they weren't even penetrating my hair. It looks so horrible & I am so depressed about it. I finally stopped all Olaplex treatments, realizing that was the cause & my hair is feeling much healthier, but it's all broken. The breakage is all around the root, so cutting it off won't help. This may work great for some but it absolutely DESTROYED my hair. 

[palmtreescene]

I had a similar experience. I’m a hair dresser and every few years I switch between between my natural color and full on bleach and tone.  I have strong thick hair and full bleach outs have never ruined it. 
last time I bleached it out I used olaplex on my virgin hair and it felt fine at first but quickly became extremely dry. I tried more treatments and it just continued to feel like a broom stick.  My hair kept breaking off faster than it would grow, and it became extremely thin and lifeless.  

I still have a small amount of bleach out/Olaplex remnants on my ends and they still feel like garbage. Can’t wait to finally cut it all out.  

Anytime you mention breakage to a product ambassador, their immediate response is  “there’s nothing in the product to ruin your hair, you just damaged it too much with bleach” . For a while I tried to believe that- but as months and years have gone by I’ve noticed that there are way too many people on the internet with a similar experience as me, and that can’t just be coincidence . 

[WestCoastElle]

I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. I thought the products were meant to be used on chemically treated hair (e.g. coloured or highlighted, chemically straightened, permed, etc.)? I have highlighted hair & love the product line, makes my hair soft & healthy feeling, 

[cplusplus]

I am always skeptical about people who write things like, "I had so many compliments..."

[WinglessOne]

@ashleyflora  I don't think Sephora should pull Olaplex products from shelves when it works well for so many other people. My skin is very sensitive to azelaic acid, an ingredient that works well for many other people. It gives me one heck of a bad reaction. That doesn't mean stores should deem  The Ordinary Azelaic Acid 10% Suspension Brightening Cream 1 oz/ 30 mL  dangerous and pull it from their shelves. It simply means that product doesn't work for me. Same with Olaplex: just because it doesn't work for you and a handful of other folks, doesn't mean it's universally ineffective or dangerous. 

EDIT/UPDATE, Nov. 2: Turns out my skin doesn't hate azelaic acid after all—and I learned this after 2 previous failed attempts to successfully use this ingredient. It's an example of why anecdotal evidence alone isn't super reliable. 

Spoiler

Last year I tried Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster, which contains a bit of salicylic acid. I wound up with a red stinging rash. I stopped using that booster, waited for my skin to calm down, then tried again and got the same bad result. I was so certain azelaic acid was the culprit (not salicylic acid, an ingredient I've successfully used for decades), I deemed it unsafe for my face. 

My dermatologist insisted my bad reaction might've been caused by a different product I used in conjunction with this booster. I didn't believe him. Eventually he convinced me to give this product, and azelaic acid in general, another chance. I did that last month and hey, it works great! No bad reaction, aside from some itchiness which I've learned is a well known (by doctors) common side effect. I do also have The Ordinary's azelaic acid product; I alternate between that and the Paula's Choice product because I restrict all BHA use to just 1-3 times a week. 

Gotta say it again, though: I always restricted my initial "azelaic acid is evil" assessment to my own skin, rather than make it a blanket statement for EVERYone's skin. I'm sure there are folks who are indeed very sensitive to azelaic acid. Apparently I'm not one of them after all (and my derm's gonna told-you-so me about it, next time I see him). But without scientific evidence of a red stinging/burning rash commonly caused by either of these azelaic acid products, I can't make a blanket statement that these products should be pulled from shelves. Folks who find they're sensitive to them should certainly not use them without consulting their derms or other doctors. But that doesn't mean everyone else should also avoid these 2 products. 

I'm not making light of your situation. I've experienced hair loss due to a different reason, so I understand the heartache this must've caused you. I can't say whether or not Olaplex is the cause of your hair damage: I'm not a haircare expert, hair stylist, or dermatologist. I do know there are several things that can cause hair loss, including skin (scalp) conditions a derm could diagnose. Before stores start yanking Olaplex off shelves, some scientific evidence—not just anecdotal evidence—would be prudent. It would also help if @Olaplex would do some sort of training session/class + Q&A on BIC, so they could take stories like yours into consideration. 

I've had no problems with Olaplex products. I don't use them each time I wash my hair, and I use Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector Pre-Shampoo Hair Repair Treatment 3.3 oz/ 100 mL  more often than any of the other products (I wash it out with a different brand's shampoo). In fact, I've never used the entire Sephora-stocked system in one go because, well, I don't need the entire system. 🤷‍♀️ Again, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience after using these products. 

Hey, I just saw that you posted this exact story in an existing thread about Olaplex and hair loss. Not sure why you then posted a second thread... I get that you want your story seen, but just be aware that duplicate threads are sometimes marked as spam by other BIC members. 

[Anonymous]

This product is a keratin treatment, and therefore should not be used but once every two weeks to once a month depending on your hair damage. Using to much keratin will actually make your hair break off! This is a professional treatment used mainly after bleach, or highlights, or previously damaged hair. I would not use any keratin, or protein treatment more than once a month, unless severely damaged. 

[Anonymous]

Sorry this reply was to the wrong product. Olaplex is a bond builder, ie. It strengthens broken bonds created by lightening, or bleaching. In other words it will strengthen hair that breaks. Many people are using this as an end all treatment for all damage, when all damage does not need the same treatment. Olaplex in my opinion should only be used for people who bleach, used during treatment. Healthy hair also needs moisture, and protein to be healthy and soft. Olaplex will make it strong if it snaps, but does nothing for softness unless your hair is severely damaged. A good test to decide which products you need is the wet hair stretch test. While hair is wet is at its weakest, take one hair and stretch it. A lot of stretch before it snaps is a lack of moisture, or protein. A good moisture mask, or protein treatment should help with what is lacking making it soft, and manageable. If it doesn't stretch much then snaps, use olaplex. If it doesn't stretch at all, immediately snaps, or you cannot even look at your hair without it breaking it is probably beyond help, even olaplex. It's worth a try before cutting it off. The bonds created by olaplex are temporary, so after about 2 months the process will need to be repeated. Olaplex will only help so much, 6 hours of bleaching whether you use olaplex or not is 6 hours of bleaching. It's not a blanket for all damage. 

[Anonymous]

This is hilarious to me.... maybe don't use EVERY product...