MY hair has been fine and lifeless for the majority of my life.
But now that I’ve hit the perimenopause at 41, things have gone to another level.
In addition to lack of volume, I’ve been experiencing fairly dramatic hair loss, which also wasn’t helped when I went on Mounjaro and lost six stone.
I asked my hairdresser for advice, and she suggested that I look into getting the Olaplex shampoo and conditioner.
However, they don’t come in cheap – and would have cost me a whopping £56 for just one bottle of each, or £50 if you buy the set.
So I decided to give Lidl’s dupes a go, saving myself an incredible £49.52 in the process.
I also went for a fairly big chop, as some of the split ends were just too dead to try and save.
Olaplex was originally a professional-only product used in salons during colour treatments, with its proprietary, patented Bond Building Technology helping millions with their damaged locks.
Over time, the brand expanded into retail, offering its products for at-home use.
But the high price point meant that dupes quickly started emerging, with Lidl’s being one of them.
The Cien Bond Repair No. 1 shampoo and No. 2 conditioner come in at just £6.58 for both and, at first glance, look strikingly similar to the Olaplex originals – with their bold, capitalised labels and numbers.
According to the product description, the two-step system was “developed to strength and repair the appearance of damaged hair”.
“It increases shine, reduces frizz and improves manageability,” the store added of the system.
And with users gushing that their locks felt vastly better in as little as four washes using the two products, I was keen to give it a go.
The first thing to note is that it smells incredible – both fresh and also, somehow, expensive – and I was able to get a good lather when I used the shampoo for the first time.
Despite the fact I have very fine hair, it also gets greasy fairly quickly, so I usually double shampoo every other day.
And when I washed out the Bond Repair following the first wash, I could feel that my hair was responding well, as it felt soft and detangled when I washed it out.
The conditioner was next.
The story behind Olaplex
OLAPLEX hair care products continue to hold attention in the beauty world nearly ten years after their launch.
In 2014, Olaplex came to life with Dean and Darcy Christal.
The company’s products reportedly aim to help repair broken bonds in the hair by targeting five types of damage: chemical, heat, mechanical, environmental, and lifestyle changes.
The Santa Barbara-based company started in a California garage and is now sold in over 100 countries.
Olaplex Holdings Inc. was bought by the private equity firm, Advent International, in 2019.
Drs. Eric Pressly and Craig Hawker developed the base formula for the product.
They are credited with the “invention,” – adding Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate – according to the Olaplex website.
“Hair wasn’t just healthier; it took on a completely different quality — blondes were brighter, brunettes more radiant, and redheads more vibrant.”
While some budget conditioner can feel thin, the Cien one doesn’t at all – it’s really thick and is clearly good quality.
I only use a little conditioner anyway, due to my locks getting greasy, and concentrate it on the ends of my hair.
The real test was when I was out the shower and started blowdrying my hair.
Again, I usually just let my hair air dry, as I thought this was better for it, but apparently that’s wrong – it can actually cause more damage.
So, armed with a decent heat protectant, I got to work.
I didn’t use any volumising products in my hair beforehand, and was immediately impressed with how much movement I had in my locks as they dried off.
With my new ‘lob’, it’s important to get as much volume as possible into the ‘do, so the Lidl shampoo and conditioner worked a treat.
Not only did my hair feel big and bouncy, it also felt soft, and more manageable.
Time will tell if the Olaplex dupes help my hair loss in the long term, but I did notice there was less on the floor of the shower once I’d finished.
Overall, I was really impressed, and the shampoo and conditioner are well worth popping in your basket next time you hit Lidl.
