Olaplex and Major hair loss!!

[caldang]

Has anyone out there been experience sudden hair loss (or just noticed) from using any olaplex products? Specifically, Olaplex #3?  My hair was gorgeous 6-8 months ago, but after using olaplex shampoo & conditioner and olaplex #3 for a few months, my hair began falling about in groves! I stopped using it many months ago, but my hair is still falling out. I contacted the company, and of course they say their product is not linked to hair loss -- of course they sl say that. Not one other product has ever caused my hair to fall out like olaplex and no other health  conditions nor products can be attributed to my major hair loss. What in the world is in these products?? Can somebody please help or share their experience. Have Mercy! Make it stop! Olaplex, I am so mad at you! I wish somebody could get to the bottom of this! I urge you to be careful with these products. I know they've been hyped, but I know this is not just me and I hope to get to the bottom of this or at least find something to grow my hair back. It has been a nightmare!!

[AlliyaLove]

Hopefully this helps many. Olaplex #3 has a high amount of Phenoxyethanol in the bottle. Phenoxyethanol causes scalp irritation and leads to hair loss. Long term use, over 1 month, can cause hair loss and scalp irritation. This ingredient is very high up in the ingredients list of Olaplex and should be avoided. You should try to avoid all hair care products that contain Phenoxyethanol.

[tiltedteacup]

This makes sense why the sales attendant told me just don’t use it for every washing. She said too much protein will cause your hair to fall out. What? Well when I only try to wash my hair once every 6-7 days why would I not use all the products that I just bought? I’m so disappointed and glad everyone has posted these comments to know I’m not the only one losing hair. 

[WinglessOne]

@AlliyaLove  The FDA deems the preservative phenoxyethanol safe for use in cosmetics (including hair care products) at concentrations of 1% and lower. When you see phenoxyethanol on an INCI list (in the US, anyway), you should assume the product contains no more than 1% of that ingredient, no matter where it appears on the INCI list. If other preservatives also appear on the INCI list, chances are there's far less than 1% of phenoxyethanol since it's working along with other preservatives to keep the product free of mold, bacteria, etc. 

You can always contact the brand and ask them to clarify how much phenoxyethanol is in a specific product. Some brands are less forthcoming than others, but you could probably press for an answer by reminding them of the FDA's guideline. 

Also, phenoxyethanol occurs naturally in green tea. So if you're trying to completely avoid this ingredient, you'll also have to avoid any topical product that contains green tea extract. 🤷‍♀️ 

[AlliyaLove]

Stop confusing others by claiming that Phenoxyethanol in green tea is identical to the one used in cosmetics. Do research and you will find green tea has natural Phenoxyethanol and ALL cosmetics use Synthetic one which is made using carcinogenic ingredients. They’re not the same thing.

[WinglessOne]

@AlliyaLove  Hey, when you reply to someone's comment, be sure to @ them so they'll get a notification about your reply. Otherwise they might never see your comment. 🙂 

1. Since you didn't specify synthetic vs. natural in your original comment, of course one would assume you meant all phenoxyethanol. So, I stand by my previous statement: if you want to avoid all phenoxyethanol, then you must also avoid green tea. 

2. Yes, 2 of the substances used to make synthetic phenoxyethanol are carcinogenic. The refined end result, however, is very unlikely to give you cancer—especially in the extremely small amounts permitted by the FDA in cosmetics (in the US). I suggest you ask the FDA (or search their site) about the safety of synthetic phenoxyethanol and why they deem it safe in very small percentages. You might also want to reach out to some chemists (cosmetic or otherwise) to learn more about the process of making synthetic phenoxyethanol and formulating products with it. No big beauty brand intentionally formulates and sells a carcinogenic jar, bottle, or tube of anything. 

3. Have you actually read any clinical studies that claim synthetic phenoxyethanol will give you cancer? How were those studies performed? Did they use a control group? How much—how high a concentration of—synthetic phenoxyethanol did they use to get a "causes cancer" result? And how was that test conducted: was synthetic phenoxyethanol applied topically to skin (human skin? animal skin? artificial skin?), or was it injected or fed to lab animals? In other words, did the studies simulate real-life scenarios (who the heck eats or injects themselves with a cream facial moisturizer containing anything, let along synthetic phenoxyethanol?)? 

4. If folks hadn't ignorantly demonized parabens (which are a safe and very effective preservative), maybe synthetic phenoxyethanol wouldn't be used so much as an alternative preservative in the first place. 🤷‍♀️ Some folks are skin-sensitive to synthetic phenoxyethanol, after all. (That's not the same thing as cancer.) I mean, your skin can become sensitive to nearly any ingredient, natural or synthetic. But there's been a lot of buzz about synthetic phenoxyethanol causing skin irritation in some people. Not cancer. Skin irritation. 

[JLeeXo]

Hi, did you look into a lawsuit? I’m down to provide  my personal photos  and olaplex receipts. Approx 70% of my hair fell on it, well, completely snapped off from using olaplex. I’m talking the most gorgeous,  curly hair , no heat damage etc. i was talked into buying olaplex , i

started noticing my hair getting a little bit more dry my curls getting a little bit less defined as the weeks went on, but everyone told me that it was impossible for olaplex to be the culprit. Then one day, pretty much all of my hair was gone. It just snapped right off. Olaplex was the only thing i used that was different. It’s the only possibility. I even got my thyroid checked and have a hard water filter , sleep with a silk pillowcase etc . It was 1000000% olaplex 

[Bailey19483]

Same here! Lots of thinned out and broken hairs from #3, #4, #5, and #6

[astramoon]

I had the same issue i went to 2 hair specialist and 3 dermatologist i lost a lot of hair now doing prp my hair still falling crazy with irritation in scalp since April I returned last purchase in april to Sephora they informed me that they changed the formula please let me know if u r filling a lawsuit i will join i am sooo saddddddd :-((((((( doctor says nothing they can do more

[KK7477]

Me too! I’ve been using their shampoo and conditioner (#4 and #5) and I now have significant hair loss!  

[jaime4276]

@JLeeXo Same story as me. Beautiful hair, and a lot of it. It’s been 18 months and my hair is still not back to normal. It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through. Please let me know if any lawsuits come up. 

[muzurkiz]

Mine is the same but not lost much as much like us. Maybe covid vaccine 

.thinks change after stupid covid

[twinkiestars]

I have the same experience with Olaplex and I’m unvaccinated 

[jaime4276]

It’s crazy how much you see online now about olaplex and hair loss. I first started losing my hair after using olaplex. That was March of last year and I still haven’t recovered. It’s caused such a depression and worry. I’ve been to about 6 specialists. Had every blood test in the world. Everything is great. I’m 46 with bloodwork of a 25 year old. I had breakage for the first time and read How great it was. So of course I bought the whole line. After about 2 weeks I started losing my hair. Now mind your that’s only about 4 uses since I wash my hair twice a week.  I searched everywhere online to see if it was olaplex and couldn’t find one negative thing. Except one Sephora thread. I’m not sure if this is the one or not. I am hoping with all the talk about it now, a class action is brought against them. I lost about 70% of my hair. Every day is a struggle to hide spots, and apply minoxidil to my entire scalp.. take prescription meds..  and am afraid of heat so can’t blow dry. It’s just been a nightmare. Between olaplex and the Revlon drying round brush, idk which is worse. One I’m sure caused the breakage, and the other is making me bald. Stay clear of both if you love your hair. 

[klren99]

I started using it in March 2021 and experienced hair loss after first use then second. But i loose hair sometimes but i am sure that was because of olaplex. But i love experimenting so i didnt stop using it. Now been almost a year , no hair fall, my damaged hair are alot more healthy now. 
I think use olaplex only if your hair are damaged. If you have perfect hair, dont waste money on this. 
My hair are alot better now. Damage is almost reversed. I am using it every other wash now. 

another thing: i was using olaplex 3 and after 2-3 months i stopped olaplex 3 . Now only using shampoo and conditioner. So i think my hair fall was due to olaplex 3 .

conclusion: i experienced hair fall but then with continued use(5-6 washes) my hair started getting healthier. Stopped using olaplex 3

Concerns: Thin , brittle hair , bleached, coloured, No volume.  

[klren99]

Dont use olaplex 3. I stopped and my hairfall stopped too. 

[tiltedteacup]

Thank you. I’m scared to keep using the 4&5 but, Ive invested in 3 and a few others. So maybe I’ll try just the shampoo and conditioner. 

[MariesCouture]

i wish i saw this before my purchase 😪

[JS03]

Using olaplex 3 and 5 has severely damaged my hair. I lost SO much hair using this and it's been several months and my hair still looks damaged as if it's been electrocuted. Olaplex is the WORST PRODUCT that I've ever used on my hair.

[gcatgroove]

YES! Me too, used 3 times, was the ONLY thing added to my Joico or Oribe hair products!  Mass damage, breakage. Changed the texture completely and NOT in a good way! 

I am trying clear hair glosses and glazes with no peroxcide or processing, to see if I can't strengthen my hair, seems to be helping a little... 

That's some BS Olaplex is not taking responsibility!!! There is story after story, it just does NOT work on everyone's hair as the claim!  I have no idea what's in it? But it does not work with the proteins in everyone's hair. 

I had SUPER strong hair, luckily I have a lot of it so the hair loss is unnoticiable except to my hair brush and the sink. 

Someone needs to start a class action law suit!  They at LEAST need to put warnings on their products. 

[evealin]

I’m so glad I found this community I felt so alone and had a gut feeling this is my cause of hair loss after I started using n-0 on my whole hair scalp and all over my hair… I also used #3 and shampoo. My hair was falling out from the root with about any pulling or anything done to it. I’m now left with little to no hair left and all within months .. I don’t know how I can recover from this I’m getting depressed I had an appointment with my doctor and we tested on my levels … needless to say it all came back normal. 
what other hair products can I use besides olaplex I do not trust it anymore…

[jaime4276]

I’m so sorry to hear that. Same thing with me. It started 3/21 and has yet to recover. It’s stopped falling after about 70% loss.. but I haven’t grew any back. I had a lot to begin with thank God. I am now taking oral minoxidil, topical minoxidil, spirolactone and use no heat what so ever. My hair used to be so strong.. now it has no elasticity at all. Breaks immediately upon stretch. I wish i could give you answers as I know how terrible this is. I’ve been to numerous specialists, had scalp biopsy, every blood test there is.. Twice! Endocrinologist, 2 Rhumatologist’s, 2 dermatologists, primary like 4 times. None of them have an answer to what caused it.