Today I’m going to go into depth, but the treatment really deserves me to. I think that those of you who usually follow me can confirm that I had never shown off such long yet well-looked after hair beforehand. It’s no easy feat: my hair is extra-fine and with the colour and highlights I need to take good care of it to keep it looking heathly.
The results are the sum of the following steps: 1 – choosing the right expert professionals who have known how to listen to me and give me whatever my hair needed at any given time, and 2 – using suitable haircare cosmetics and treatments.
I have been going to Vanitas Espai for months. For me it is the best beauty salon in Barcelona when it comes to the extremely wide range of personalised treatments on offer for its clients. It’s not just about cutting your hair right or applying the right colour or highlights; it goes further beyond that. I demand an outstanding level of service when it comes to all kinds of haircare treatments with the best cosmetics brands so that the health of my hair comes above all. The results are clear to see.
Among the treatments that I have recently had is the Olaplex treatment: “It is a three-step treatment (the first two are applied at the hair salon) which includes the key patented active ingredient which works at a molecular level to find the broken disulphide bonds in the hair, caused by chemical, thermal or mechanical damage. It stems from an additive that cancels out the negative reaction that oxygen has with the disulphide bonds on chemically treated hair types which leads to breakage, cementing the broken bonds once again.” To sum up, Olaplex is able to restore hair’s natural health by reinforcing your hair’s structure, strength and integrity thus ‘resetting’ damaged hair so-to-speak.
Bear in mind it’s not a conditioning treatment: it doesn’t contain and silicones that coat your hair. It’s not a protein-enriched treatment either. It’s a regenerative treatment that minimises the damage done to hair as caused by chemical processes (hair dyes, pre-lightening, perms, straightening…), heat damage (from straighteners, curling tongs…), or mechanical processes (using a hairdryer), no matter how minimal they may be, and it helps to strengthen it by repairing the disulphide bonds from the inside.
The step-by-step guide: Steps 1 and 2 (Bond Multiplier and Bond Perfector) are two processes which must be carried out by a professional. The first one works by reconnecting the hair’s fibre. Having applied the product, it should be left to work for 15 or 20 minutes and then be rinsed out. Once applied it should be left in for 15 minutes before washing the hair. Step 3 (Hair Perfector) requires the product be taken home and, once a week, the product should be applied to damp towel-dried and left on for 5 minutes. It will make our hair feel much stronger. Even so, if any of you are planning on having highlights done, using it three times on three days in a row the previous week would be highly recommended. That way, your hair will be prepared, and it will make it much more resilient.
The aim of Olaplex is not so much to hydrate our hair (because that’s why there are so many other moisturising options). The desired effect would be to restore the hair’s health and, in addition, help to ensure it is more protected against possible future aggressions (as mentioned previously).
What hair types is it recommended for? It’s compatible with all hair types, from those that have been chemically treated to those that are untouched. Nonetheless, it is a basic much-needed fix for people who have decided to have a chemical treatment applied to their hair: from a semi-permanent hair toner or dye to a keratin treatment to a pre-lightening treatment and so on.
If you want to try out the treatment, go for the original one which is Olaplex. Many salons will try to convince you that other brands with similar names will, according to them, give you the same results. It’s not true. Miracles don’t exist, and you really get what you pay for. If you’re going to get it done, have it done properly.
At Vanitas Espai they are pioneers in the application of this treatment in Barcelona. They also use it by mixing it up with the pre-lightening treatment of highlights or hair dyes in order to not end up damaging your hair. When I had my ‘woodlights’ done (an exclusive technique offered by Vanitas Espai and created by their team of colourists), they gave me the Olaplex treatment so as to protect my ultra-fine hair.
I was actually reading about Olaplex a few days ago: “Two leaders in the chemical world created a new ingredient that has become the key part for haircare stylists and colourists. For example, it is now possible to rinse out hair that has previously been straightened or has been curled via a perm.”
“Among the first celebrities that made the wonders of it known is Kim Kardashian, and she did so by switching her dark locks to a bleached blonde shade. In Spain, Nieves Álvarez, one of the celebrities who tried it out before her appearance at the 2018 Goya Awards. You just have to look at her to see the virtues of this ritual. The thing is it has been proven to work with any hair type. Everyone’s hair is made up of keratin protein, which has sulphur and disulphide bonds. Whenever you choose to have a colour or style transformation, its natural bonds are broken, which is why the hair gets weaker and weaker. Olaplex acts as an additional nexus amongst the sulphur atoms, which is how the damage caused by breakage and hair dye is reduced.”
To sum up, for me it’s important to take care of my hair as much as possible to keep it soft, glossy and healthy.
Coat: Samsoe & Samsoe FW18. Fanny pack: Rough Studios FW18 all for Tomates Fritos. Info: 932092617. Jersey: Zara FW18. Pant: Rabens Saloner FW18. Ankle boot: Loewe (old).
Photography: Patricia Bonet.
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