Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector: a Guru Score of 73%

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

~Approved

"In addition to the k18 mask I still use the Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector. I use both, but on alternating washes. Olaplex has more of an immediate effect while K18 seems to have really improved the health of my lengths."

All 4 takes from Doctor Anne

k18 Hair Mask Review: Is It Better Than Olaplex for Damaged Hair? | Doctor Anne

"I still use both, once a week Olaplex No 3 as a prewash treatment with a bond building conditioner by L'Oréal afterwards. Olaplex focuses on rebuilding broken disulfide bonds, which are responsible for the strength and elasticity of the hair. Olaplex has the better immediate effect on my hair, leaving it silky and smooth, and with the amount of damage my hair has, it surely won't hurt to use a multitargeted approach."

My most loved skincare 2024 - Holy grail routine | Doctor Anne

"In addition to the k18 mask I still use the Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector. I use both, but on alternating washes. Olaplex has more of an immediate effect while K18 seems to have really improved the health of my lengths."

So many skincare empties - Everything I used up in 2024 | Doctor Anne

"I finished one large pot of Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector. 2024 was the year where I finally found a good rhythm of when to apply this prewash hair mask and I am pretty happy with the results, so I repurchased already."

My most loved skincare 2023 - Holy grail routine | Doctor Anne

"Instead of a hair mask I use it."

Alexandra Anele

1.43M subs

~Approved

"I kind of want to just look at gift sets cuz the gift sets have been fire recently absolutely"

Nipun Kapur

401k subs

~Approved

"Olaplex No. 3 is a product that I have used since 2019. It's a leave-in molecular mask and I think that is one reason that my hair strand, my actual texture hair, is still very healthy despite all the abuse."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

~Mixed

"Olaplex No. 3, which is the one that a lot of people say you should be using because it's the most potent, was never designed as the conditioning treatment that everybody's treating it like. They're assuming that Olaplex is a conditioning treatment that will make hair softer and more manageable, but it's only really meant to change the structure of the hair without any sort of coating. You're not supposed to drench your hair in it, put it in a bun, put it in a hat, then sleep with it. I used to work in a salon and Olaplex was a huge part of our bleaching treatments. Depending on the hair type, we'd be like, we're not going to do your hair unless you allow us to use Olaplex, because it can snap, it can break. It was a system, it was part of a process. When people started using No. 3 on their hair when they didn't even have color in their hair or anything like that, I was confused. Treating it like a leave-in conditioner, I don't think that's really how it goes."

All 2 takes from James Welsh

What Went Wrong With Olaplex? From Breakthrough to Backlash - Behind The Beauty

"Olaplex's Number 3 Hair Perfector contained this ingredient, which was obviously a big problem as the hair perfector was a bestseller for the brand, so the idea that it might cause fertility issues was incredibly damaging to the brand's image. Olaplex CEO Ju Wong released a statement saying that lilial was only used in their hair perfector for fragrance purposes at a concentration of 0.0119% and that it wasn't an active or functional ingredient, whereas the ingredient was given to rats in ridiculously large amounts which weren't realistic in the real world. She also pointed out that the study had rats ingest lilial whereas that isn't what humans do, you don't eat your shampoo, you rinse it off."

Biore's Bizarre Tiktok Ad, Olaplex Sales Plummet & Wild Deodorant Ads Get Banned - Ugly Beauty News

"Olaplex No. 3, which is the one that a lot of people say you should be using because it's the most potent, was never designed as the conditioning treatment that everybody's treating it like. They're assuming that Olaplex is a conditioning treatment that will make hair softer and more manageable, but it's only really meant to change the structure of the hair without any sort of coating. You're not supposed to drench your hair in it, put it in a bun, put it in a hat, then sleep with it. I used to work in a salon and Olaplex was a huge part of our bleaching treatments. Depending on the hair type, we'd be like, we're not going to do your hair unless you allow us to use Olaplex, because it can snap, it can break. It was a system, it was part of a process. When people started using No. 3 on their hair when they didn't even have color in their hair or anything like that, I was confused. Treating it like a leave-in conditioner, I don't think that's really how it goes."

Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector?

A leave-in pre-wash hair mask designed to rebuild broken disulfide bonds and restore strength and elasticity to damaged hair.

Is Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 73%.

What is Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector's Guru Score?

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector holds a Guru Score of 73%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 independent expert reviewers we have collected.

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