Kim Kardashian West is known for many things: her addictive TV show, her booty, more recently, her ultra zen meditation playlists, and of course, her platinum blonde hair.
As someone who is clearly not a natural blonde, achieving this colour isn’t easy. Anyone who’s tried to go ghost white before—or colours their hair at all, for that matter—will know the damage it can cause and how hard it can be to make your lifeless locks shine again. So what’s Kimmy K’s secret? Olaplex.
Chances are, you’ve head of Olaplex before. It’s that miracle treatment your salon uses to save your hair. Described as a ‘Bond Multiplier’, it links broken bonds in your hair during and after chemical services to prevent breakage and strengthen the strands, and it’s a game-changer for the beauty industry.
We sat down with the founder of Olaplex, Dean Christal to chat about—and better understand—this new wonder product. From how it works to how you can use it at home, here’s everything you need to know to give your hair a long life.
Amodrn: How was Olaplex created?
Dean: Olaplex was created by two of the top polymer and materials scientists, Dr. Craig Hawker and Dr. Eric Pressly. Neither of them had any background in hair or cosmetics, but we had many conversations about issues in the beauty industry and how one of the biggest problems was preventing damage to hair during chemical treatments. After more than a year of experimenting and testing, they developed Olaplex.
Who should use Olaplex and why?
Everyone should use Olaplex because your hair is constantly being damaged. Everything from blow drying, to straightening, to even brushing your hair can weaken and damage your hair, and Olaplex prevents and repairs that damage.
Olaplex No. 1 and No. 2 are used by hairdressers during your lightening, coloring, and perming. Always make sure your hairdresser is using Olaplex in your professional services because using Olaplex in a lightening or color service prevents damage from ever occurring. Olaplex No. 3 is our take-home product that should be used once a week to strengthen and repair the hair.
Which Olaplex users give us major hair-inspo?
Olaplex is lucky enough to have a number of A-List celebrities that use Olaplex but Kim Kardashian is one that really brought Olaplex to the mainstream. Whether it’s protecting her hair during highlights or assisting on a platinum transformation, Kim is always using Olaplex, and we love her support for the brand!
What are three things you would tell an Olaplex user?
- Make sure you’re using Olaplex in your in-salon services. Ask for it by name or visit the Salon Locator on Olaplex.com to find an Olaplex salon near you.
- If you’re in need of inspiration, visit our Instagram account or search #olaplex. We have the biggest hair account in the industry and some of the best work out there!
- Don’t skimp on the No. 3 treatments. If you don’t have time for a full treatment, put No. 3 on your ends while drying your hair — it’ll still give you great benefits.
What’s next for Olaplex?
New products and reaching more stylists. We have a few amazing retail products in the pipeline and are hoping to develop a few other professional products as well. We also have learned that many stylists — even with all of our success — are still not using Olaplex or not using it in all of their services. That’s something we want to change.
