Olaplex Review 2026 — Is It Still Worth It? My Honest Take After Years Of Use
Olaplex had a complicated period between 2022 and 2024 that included a class-action lawsuit (since settled), significant social media criticism, and an FDA review of one ingredient (BHMT, subsequently removed from the formulations). If you’re arriving at this review with concerns about that period, I want to address it directly before getting to the product.
The lawsuit was settled without Olaplex admitting wrongdoing. The ingredient of concern (BHMT) has been removed from current formulations. The reformulated products have been independently assessed and no safety concerns have been raised about the current formulations. I’ve continued using Olaplex through this period and have experienced no adverse effects.
What remains is the product question: does it work, and is it worth the price?
My Experience With Olaplex
I’ve used Olaplex No. 3 (the at-home treatment) weekly for approximately three years, with occasional use of Nos. 4 and 5 (shampoo and conditioner) and No. 6 (leave-in smoother).
My hair context: naturally wavy, coloured every ten to twelve weeks, moderately heat-styled (a diffuser two to three times per week). The coloured and heat-styled combination produces the specific damage that bond repair treatments are designed to address.
The Olaplex No. 3 is an at-home bond repair treatment — it reconnects the disulfide bonds in the hair’s protein structure that coloring and heat processing break. This is a specific claim with a specific mechanism, and the evidence for this mechanism (bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, the active Olaplex ingredient) is genuine rather than marketing language.
Applied to clean, damp hair, left for a minimum of ten minutes (I leave it for 45-60 minutes under a shower cap), then washed out as part of normal washing. The difference in hair texture immediately after use and the cumulative improvement in hair strength over weeks and months of consistent use are observable in a way that purely conditioning treatments don’t produce.
The specific thing it does that conditioners don’t: reduces breakage. The hair that would previously snap during styling or brushing is noticeably more resilient with consistent No. 3 use. This is the observable evidence for the bond repair mechanism working rather than simply conditioning the surface.
Price: £28-30
Available at: Olaplex directly (olaplex.com), Space NK, Sephora, Boots
The No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and No. 5 Conditioner are good haircare products. They’re not as specifically differentiated from other quality shampoos and conditioners as the No. 3 is from other treatments.
For someone committed to the Olaplex system, they’re worth using. For someone who wants the bond repair benefit without switching their entire haircare routine, using the No. 3 treatment weekly alongside a different shampoo and conditioner produces the primary benefit.
Price: £26-28 each
Available at: As above
Olaplex vs K18 — The Current Comparison Question
K18 is the bond repair competitor that emerged during Olaplex’s difficult period and that many people switched to. The two use different mechanisms — Olaplex addresses disulfide bonds, K18’s peptide addresses the broader polypeptide chain — and both have genuine evidence for their approaches.
My experience with K18: the results are faster and more dramatic in the first few uses, and the leave-in format is more convenient than Olaplex’s rinse-out application. The cost per use is higher (K18 is more expensive per application).
For severely damaged hair needing fast results: K18.
For ongoing maintenance and prevention: Olaplex No. 3 is more cost-effective and the cumulative benefit over months is comparable.
Conclusion
Olaplex is still worth buying in 2026. The reformulated products don’t contain the ingredient that prompted safety concerns, the mechanism behind the No. 3’s effectiveness is genuine, and the cumulative benefit of weekly use over months is observable in reduced breakage and improved hair strength. The No. 3 is the specific product worth prioritising. The shampoo and conditioner are good additions but not essential to the benefit.