The 8 Best Olaplex Dupes Of 2024, Including A $12 Pick That Instantly Revives Damaged Hair

According to Jay Small, a professional hairstylist and cofounder of Arey, hair is made up of disulfide, hydrogen, and salt bonds. Disulfide bonds — the strongest bonds, which play a role in hair health and elasticity — are broken down by chemical treatments like bleaching, dying, and permanent relaxing. That's where bond builders come in: they penetrate the hair shaft to rebuild these broken structures.

What are bond-building treatments?

Bond builders are often confused with deep conditioning masks and treatments — but these products do so much more than just add moisture and shine. Many of them contain patented ingredients that mimic your hair's chemistry and fortify your strands.

Without a doubt, Olaplex No. 3 is the most well-known bond builder: it quickly reached cult-favorite status after countless professionals claimed it rescued their clients' damaged tresses. But Olaplex came under fire in 2022 after customers claimed the product caused breakage and hair loss — and a lawsuit alleged that the company didn't disclose the fertility-related health risks linked to an ingredient in the product. Despite using "a trace amount of lilial" at a 0.01% concentration, which the company claims isn't a harmful amount, it has since been phased out of the formula.

"Hair consists of many different types of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins," says Madison Kistulinec, a hair colorist and owner of Mad About Hair. "Bond builders essentially dive into the innermost part of the hair — the cortex — find the broken polypeptide chains, and fill in the missing links."

How often should I use a bond repair treatment?

Sarah Potempa, a celebrity hairstylist and founder of The Beachwaver Co., recommends using a bond-building treatment before chemical services so your hair is less vulnerable to damage. That said, Small also says it can be beneficial to use these products afterward — since the cuticle is still open following these chemical services, bond builders can often penetrate the hair and work their magic even more easily.

Keep in mind that if you have super processed or damaged hair, professional bond-building products — the kind only available at your salon  — tend to be more potent, says Potempa. Yvey Valcin, master stylist and founder of Yvey Salon notes that pro repair products are also more likely to balance the hair's pH level, which plays a crucial role in its health, strength, and overall appearance. 

Here are some key ingredients to look for when shopping for bond builders:

• Protein: Hydrolyzed wheat, silk, and soy protein are just a few examples of proteins commonly found in hair products. Small says proteins can restore strength and hydration to the hair. Keka Heron, a hairstylist and board-certified trichologist, notes that keratin is a good protein to look for since it's naturally found in the hair and helps maintain its structure. 
• Peptides: Like proteins, these are held together by amino acids — but according to Heron, they're made up of much smaller chains, which your hair may absorb more easily. For example, Valcin notes that gluco peptide can penetrate the deepest layers of the hair cuticle to help repair damaged strands and split ends.
• Humectants: These agents — which can include glycogen, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, caprylyl glycol, and glycerin — attract and retain moisture in the hair, says Small. 

Sephora

Small, Valcin, and Young all call this product one of their top favorite bond builders, and with good reason: it's easy to use, works on every hair type and color, and you can see and feel immediate results.

According to Valcin, what sets this product apart is its patented peptide, which works at the molecular level to reconnect broken keratin chains that provide the hair's strength and elasticity. K18 also contains humectants like cetyl esters, and hydrolyzed wheat protein.

The only thing I didn't like about using K18 is that you can't use conditioner before applying it — so be aware that your hair will feel pretty parched and tangled after you step out of the shower. That said, smoothing a few pumps of the product through damp hair instantly hydrated my strands and made them much easier to brush through. Better yet, after three consecutive uses, my hair felt silky soft, and smooth, and I noticed far fewer flyaways and frayed ends. Keep in mind that according to Crowell, you won't notice results from bond builders for up to two or three weeks. "It takes time to heal depending on how much damage needs to be repaired," she says.

Ulta

Valcin frequently uses this pre-shampoo rinse-out treatment before clients' chemical services to preserve the integrity of their hair — and a number of reviewers insist that they actually had better results with this than Olaplex.

Bleaching, coloring, and even excessive heat styling can mess with the pH level of your hair — which is why Heron also notes that it can be beneficial to use this after chemical services. Healthy hair has a pH level between 4.5 and 5.5, and Redken's acidic bonding repair system can bring the hair back to this level so it's less prone to damage. Another perk, according to Kistulinec, is that this product contains citric acid — an alpha hydroxy acid that helps reinforce weakened bonds.

The company claims that in a clinical trial, this product reduced breakage by 63%, and made hair 14 times smoother and 90% more conditioned.

Ulta

This product gets Young's seal of approval because it's affordable, convenient to use, and works in just seconds.

The ingredient that sets this product apart is lamellar water, a much-hyped technology that specifically targets damaged areas of the hair, and then repairs them by depositing thin layers of proteins and amino acids. Since it only distributes the active ingredients where they're needed, it doesn't overcoat or weigh the hair down, making it a great fit for anyone with fine hair. As an added bonus, the product also contains humectants, like propylene glycol. Reviewers say it tames frizz and makes their hair feel softer, shinier, and more manageable.

More is not always better with bond builders, says Young, so always follow the manufacturer's directions on frequency — and when in doubt, ask your stylist for guidance. Valcin recommends using these products once a week if your hair is moderately damaged, or twice a week if your hair is more severely damaged.

Amazon

Crowell says this product is great for preventing damage for all hair types because it contains nourishing ingredients that can strengthen and hydrate the hair as well as increase elasticity. Not only does it combat dryness and frizz, but it also provides heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Hyaluronic acid, one of the key ingredients in this cruelty-free formula, can hold around 1,000 times its weight in water — meaning it can lock in moisture, and help fill in the cracks of a damaged, porous hair shaft. This product also contains plant-based protein to strengthen the cuticle and minimize breakage from styling and brushing.

In a clinical trial, 87% of women who used this product reported that their hair felt more resilient after just one week. Reviewers say it absorbs quickly and doesn't weigh fine hair down — plus, they claim that they've noticed less breakage, split ends, and frizz after using it regularly.

Living Proof

Shelton calls this weekly leave-in treatment her holy grail bond builder — because it contains not only nourishing peptides to protect your hair from heat damage but also a cuticle-sealing agent that makes your tresses more manageable when styling. 

There's limited info on the patent-pending technology, but Living Proof claims that it can rebuild broken bonds in the hair while also creating new ones. According to the company, clinical trials showed that the product makes hair eight times stronger.

While you don't necessarily need to use heat for this product to work, Shelton says using a blow dryer or styling iron can help activate the ingredients and lead to even more impressive results. According to reviewers, a little goes a long way — and just one use leaves hair smoother, shinier, and far less frizzy.

UNITE

My former longtime hair stylist recommended this product to me after I complained that my hair often felt dry, brittle, and frizzy after bleaching. 

RE:UNITE is formulated with multiple humectants — including panthenol, glycerin, decylene glycol, and caprylyl glycol — to help prevent hair from losing moisture. It also contains styrene sulfonate copolymer, an ingredient used in a lot of conditioners and heat protectants that adds shine to the hair.

This product is meant to be used in the shower on shampooed hair and then rinsed out — and I try to leave it in for at least 10 minutes for the best results. I love the refreshing herbal scent, but more importantly, my hair felt smoother and looked more lustrous after just one use.

Amazon

Goldwell is, without a doubt, one of the most reputable hair care brands. But that's not the only reason Crowell swears by this particular product. It contains an algae extract bond builder that helps form hydrogen and ionic bonds in the hair, as well as a healthy dose of peptides to penetrate the hair shaft, target damage, and increase moisture.

It's lightweight, has a pleasant citrusy scent, and it's easy to use, too: you just work a quarter-size amount through towel-dried hair and leave it in.

According to the company, trials showed that it can reduce breakage and split ends by up to 99 percent. Reviewers say that with regular use, their hair feels healthier and thicker — and some say that this product helped them to grow their hair out longer by warding off breakage.

Epres

This line was developed by Eric Pressly — one of the chemists who invented Olaplex — and Lim calls its lightweight bond repair treatment her current go-to for repairing damaged strands.

Since the formula is newly patented, there isn't much information available about what's inside, but the company claims that it contains molecules to relink disulfide bonds. One advantage to Epres' formula is that it's acid-free, meaning it won't alter the pH of the hair. 

Personally, I appreciated that it's super simple to use: you just mix the concentrate with water in a spray bottle, shake it up, and saturate your hair with it. You can leave it on for as little as 10 minutes — but I like to leave it on overnight when my hair is in need of extra TLC.

One reviewer claims this product helped bring their severely damaged hair back to life after bleaching after just one use, and another says they noticed significantly less hair shedding with regular use

In rounding up the best Olaplex dupes, I relied on recommendations from the aforementioned industry experts as well as:

• Tiffany Young, a certified trichologist and founder of ThinHairThick
• Yolanda Crowell, director and master stylist at G2O Spa + Salon
• Sara Lim, a hairstylist, color educator, and owner of SLIM + PACIFIC salon 
• Courtney Shelton, a hairstylist and colorist at Ease Hair Studio

I also relied on my own experiences, having used Olaplex No. 3 multiple times before and after getting my hair highlighted, as well as several other alternative products listed below.

Finally, I focused solely on color-safe products that are free of potentially problematic ingredients like sulfates, parabens, silicones, formaldehyde, and phthalates.