Guest Column: Amanda Lyberger, @thehairygodmotherr
“Opa-lex? What’s that?” my client asks, pointing at a sticker on my mirror.
“Oh, Olaplex? It literally saved my life.” I’ve always been dramatic, but my hair means a lot to me. As someone who has tortured their hair on a regular basis since the age of 15, I was greatly intrigued by the concept of a product that PREVENTS bleach damage. Four to five years ago, a fellow skeptic stylist and I went in on a tester kit together in pursuit of scientific discovery. Thankfully, a friend had just cut off her dyed black mullet and I still had the ponytail in my closet. ‘
We then tested Olaplex vs. no Olaplex on the dyed jet black hair, processing for 30 minutes per process with Wella blondor+40 volume developer. Once we had done three processes on each swatch, the difference was clear. The swatch without Olaplex had basically disintegrated. The swatch with Olaplex was blondest blonde, and intact.
I used to have dyed box black hair (a colorist’s worst nightmare), and after I saw the wonder of Olaplex, I decided to leave the dark side to pursue my childhood dream of having aqua mermaid hair. After a two day process of lightening my raven locks, we finally broke through that horrific shade of orange we all know and love. AND… my hair didn’t feel like straw! I was amazed. The added Olaplex cost a pretty penny, but that day I would have paid $500 a bottle for something that would give me another shield against damage.
Once this product opened up my world, I decided that my clients deserved the added protection, too. Raising my prices to accommodate for the cost of Olaplex on lightening services was hard, as I was a newly independent booth renter. After I explained what Olaplex did, my clients realized that I was trying to provide them with a higher quality service, and everyone appreciated it. Some salons prefer to charge an add on cost for Olaplex, but I made my choice to just include it in my price for a number of reasons- one of which being that I am terrible at retail sales. Now, thanks to Olaplex, I’m able to create new looks on clients several times a year without compromising the integrity of their hair. I’m able to lighten without ruining curl patterns, and give pastel shades to naturally dark hair clients.
Fast forward a few years, and the Olaplex Gods answered my prayers. They had come out with an Olaplex shampoo and conditioner. It’s been several months and my hair is longer and feels better than it’s felt since I was 15. The newest additions to the Olaplex family are the Bonding Oil (No. 7) and Bond Smoother (No. 6), which are also new styling favorites for me. At this point, I would say that if Olaplex came out with kool-aid, I’d drink it.
-Amanda Lyberger, @thehairygodmotherr
