Heal Your Strands with a Pre-Shampoo Reparative Treatment

Olaplex No. 1 Bond Multiplier and No. 2 Bond Perfector are efficient products that promote healthy hair, although they are only available for purchase by salon professionals with a cosmetology license. If you don’t have access to a salon for this step, Olaplex created No. 3 Hair Perfector as a pre-shampoo reparative treatment you can use at home.

“Olaplex is for everyone, literally. All hair goes through stress that can lead to breakage,” says Martine Robertson, director of education at Olaplex. “Imagine that Olaplex is like a gym routine for your hair—the more you use it the stronger, healthier, and shinier it will be.” Olaplex products are formulated with bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, a patented ingredient that actively restores broken bonds in your hair. “Olaplex is repairing each hair strand as a whole (from base to ends),” Robertson explains. “It’s finding bonds that have been broken down by any means (hair color, chemical straighteners, blow dryers, etc.) and reconnecting them both ionically and covalently. This means that broken or weak bonds, located anywhere on the hair shaft, are targeted.”

Maleeka Robb, the director and owner of FOUR London salon, shares another analogy to describe the benefits of Olaplex. “If your hair is over-processed, particularly for those who are blonde, it becomes like a crumbling brick wall. In order to get the bricks to go back in, you need some cement. This is what Olaplex does—it helps to reinforce your hair strands,” she says.

Use a Moisturizing Shampoo

Using Olaplex’s hair masks became a habit as to repair my often bleached dry and easily damaged hair. I started using it weekly under sound advice from celebrity hair colorist Matt Rez, who works at Mèche Salon in Beverly Hills. It helped nourish my breakable strands and reverse some of the damage (more on that below). Then, the brand launched a shampoo. Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo repairs damaged strands, softens and adds more shine while protecting my color on the daily, as opposed to once a week. Its formula is sulfate-free yet still foams up in the most satisfying of ways. This shampoo doesn’t weight my hair down, protects my dry ends and softens and nourishes my curls while keeping my color intact.

Don’t Forget to Use Conditioner

Much like the products mentioned above, Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance™ Conditioner is highly moisturizing and reparative. It re-links broken bonds within your hair to strengthen each strand and adds shine and softness with each use. Here’s the thing: it is a thick formula. If you have fine hair like I do, make sure to only apply it from your mid-lengths to your ends without touching your roots.

I start by detangling my hair with my fingers as I apply the conditioner. Then, I massage it into my hair to let it fully absorb. I wait for about five minutes and finally, thoroughly rinse it out. You’ll be surprised at how soft your hair feels afterwards.

Gently Detangle Your Hair

I’ve had issues with tangles and hair fallout for a while–mostly because my ends are fragile. The only brush that’s ever truly made a difference is my Tangle Teezer. It is budget-friendly and less romantic-looking than a Mason Pearson. On wet curly hair though, I found that nothing compares. I have been instructed not to brush my hair when it’s wet as it may cause breakage–but I do it anyway. I find it difficult not to detangle my strands post-shower. This brush makes this process a lot easier. It is extremely gentle and eliminates tangles without ripping my hair out.

Use a Hair Oil to Nourish Your Strands

After getting out of the shower and giving my hair a quick shakedown with an Aquis Flip turban, I use up to three pumps of Shu Uemura Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Hair Oil. It has been my favorite oil for some time. This product absorbs rapidly and easily into your hair rather than sitting on top of it. It rebalances moisture levels, is smoothing, softening and protects against dryness as well as UV rays. Its silky and velvety formula is made from camellia oil, which provides deep nutrition to the hair fiber. It also has an enveloping and sensual scent. I then let my hair air-dry and flip it from side to side with a quick scrunch all over to add some lift. This is a technique I picked up from celebrity hairstylist Vernon François.

Add Volume with Dry Shampoo

Once my hair is fully dry, I spritz Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones to the strands surrounding my face and on the crown of my head. This adds more lift directly at the root and enhances texture around the front of my curls. There are several reasons why I find this dry shampoo to be better than others. First, this product comes in two formulas–one for light hair tones and another for dark tones. The one for light tones features subtle violet pigments similar to purple shampoo. This helps limit brassiness and brings out the best of light-colored hair. This product is also formulated with argan oil, which keeps hair moisturized and helps protect it from UV rays.

Spray in Some Texturizer

The final step of my hair care routine is spraying Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray. It is a translucent and dry texturizing spray that helps me achieve a fuller and airy look. This spray is perfect for those piece-y ends I consistently covet but can’t always pull off due to (cough) split ends. While I apply dry shampoo to my roots, I use this product from my mid-length to my ends. The formula includes raw silk powders with light-holding polymers to allow the product to adhere instantly to each hair strand. The result is a weightless, full texture that doesn’t weigh my hair–nor my curls–down. Lastly, I fluff up and pull apart various pieces of hair to make it look thicker, longer and give off a ’70s vibe.