There’s a reason that one bottle of Olaplex no.3 is sold every 3.5 seconds, so if I hear along the grapevine that there might be a verifiable alternative to one of the brand’s bestselling conditioners, you know I’m going to be running to test it.
While the Olaplex hair repair system really is the ‘GOAT’ (greatest of all time, for those not in the know) for dry, coloured or damaged hair, I’m certainly open to discovering a cheaper alternative. Olaplex sets itself apart from competitors with a signature bond builder system that targets the hair’s disulfide bonds; these hold together the proteins along the hair shaft, and Olaplex’s unique system sets out to boost the disulfide bonds’ strength.
It’s hard to beat the Olaplex no.5 bond maintenance conditioner (£17.64, Amazon.co.uk) but a product from affordable beauty brand The Ordinary, which contains one of the same key ingredients, is the latest potential alternative to come to my attention.
The product in question? The Ordinary’s behentrimonium chloride 2% conditioner (£6.95, Beautybay.com). The ingredient? Behentrimonium chloride. In layman’s terms, behentrimonium chloride works to reduce static and repair damage by penetrating the hair shaft. So, is this mouthful of an ingredient enough to put The Ordinary’s budget conditioner side-by-side with its tried and tested Olaplex counterpart? That’s what I’m here to find out.
How I tested
I’ve used Olaplex multiple times over the years, be it the no.3 hair perfector (£17.59, Amazon.co.uk) or the no.7 bonding oil (£19.55, Amazon.co.uk), so I knew going into this what outcome I should be looking for: glossy hair, with any immediate signs of damage reduced and a soft, smooth finish. I shampooed as usual, rinsing and repeating, before applying a generous amount of The Ordinary behentrimonium chloride conditioner into the mid-lengths and ends of my hair. I combed it through thoroughly before leaving two to three minutes for the product to take effect, then rinsing it as usual.
The Ordinary behentrimonium chloride 2% conditioner
The Ordinary’s behentrimonium chloride 2% conditioner is, really, quite the ordinary conditioner in appearance and smell. It’s fragrance-free (I might have preferred a fragrance here), has the same texture as any other conditioner I’ve used and combed through my wet hair with ease.
Where the praise comes in though, is in the condition it leaves your hair post-wash and dry. After drying, my hair felt baby-soft, broken strands appeared smoothed down and the normally coarse hair at the base of my head felt glossier. I was really impressed with the product and, aside from the lack of fragrance, would say it stands up to Olaplex’s no.5 conditioner.
The only qualm I had was that my hair looked more satin-y than glossy but, really, is that even a complaint? I simply applied a little hair oil to finish and went about my day. And, if The Ordinary comes out with an Olaplex-rivalling hair oil, I’ll be straight to the checkout.
Buy now £6.95, Beautybay.com
The verdict: The Ordinary behentrimonium chloride 2% conditioner
This conditioner really did improve the state of my hair, and in just one wash, too. For £6.95, it’s cheaper than most high-street conditioners (a lot of which go hand-in-hand with some nasty, stripping ingredients) and most of those don’t contain the exact ingredient as bestselling brand Olaplex. While I can’t say this product is exactly the same as Olaplex no.5, with more than £10 between them, I’d say it’s a pretty good alternative, and I was certainly impressed with the softness of my hair post-wash. The Ordinary, you can have my money, especially when payday’s far from the horizon.
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