Olaplex Explained: What It Does and Who It's For
One of the most talked-about treatments in any salon, and one of the most misunderstood. Here's what it actually does.
Olaplex is a bond-building treatment that repairs broken bonds inside the hair shaft — the kind caused by colour, bleach, heat and everyday wear. It doesn't smooth frizz the way keratin does; its job is internal strength and resilience, which is why it's most often used alongside colour services or on hair that's been through a lot.
What Olaplex Actually Does
Hair gets its strength from internal bonds holding its structure together. Colour, bleach, heat styling and even sun and salt water all break some of these bonds over time — that's a large part of what "damaged hair" actually means at a structural level. Olaplex works by relinking those broken bonds, rather than simply coating the hair to make it feel smoother for a wash or two.
Who Benefits Most
Anyone who's recently bleached, lightened or chemically treated their hair tends to see the clearest difference, since that's when the most bonds are broken at once. It's also genuinely useful as ongoing maintenance for hair that's regularly coloured, heat-styled, or exposed to Bali's sun and salt water — though the more damage there is to begin with, the more noticeable the result.
Olaplex vs Keratin: Different Jobs
These two get confused constantly, because both show up as "the treatment that fixes frizzy or damaged hair." Keratin is a smoothing treatment — it changes how your hair behaves day to day, taming frizz and cutting down styling time. Olaplex doesn't smooth hair in that way; its job is structural repair from the inside. Plenty of guests benefit from both, just for different reasons.
Can You Add Olaplex to Colour?
Yes, and this is one of the most common ways it's used. Adding Olaplex during or after a colour service helps offset some of the bond damage that lightening or tinting causes in the first place, which is particularly relevant for any noticeable colour change.
What to Expect at Piccolina
We offer Olaplex as a stand-alone or express treatment, and as an add-on to colour services. If you're not sure whether your hair would benefit more from Olaplex, keratin, or both, that's exactly what your consultation is for.