Olaplex vs Kerastase: Which is Better?

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Struggling with dry, damaged hair? Learn the difference between Olaplex vs Kerastase so you can pick the right hair care products for your needs!

Whether you’ve recently bleached your hair platinum blonde, or have used your hair straightener one too many times (don’t worry… we’ve all been there), there’s nothing worse than having dry, unhealthy hair!

Luckily, Olaplex and Kerastase are two popular hair care brands known for repairing dry damaged hair.

For real, Olaplex’s Hair Perfector is a game-changer!

Using the right hair care products can drastically transform your hair game from dull & dry to effortlessly gorgeous.

Yet, before you’re left wondering which hair care products to use, you first have to decide which hair care brand to go with!

In this article, we’ll cover the differences between Olaplex vs Kerastase so you pick the right hair care products to achieve beautiful, healthy hair.

What is Olaplex?

Olaplex is a popular hair care brand that is known for helping repair, rejuvenate, and strengthen damaged hair.

Olaplex is relatively new to the hair care market but has gained a cult following for helping restore even the most damaged hair.

One of the main reasons Olaplex is so effective at repairing damaged hair is thanks to its patented ingredient: Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate.

This ingredient does wonders at repairing damaged hair bonds from the inside out.

Olaplex offers a wide product line from their popular Hair Perfector product to three different types of shampoo and more so you’re sure to find products to help strengthen & repair your hair.

What is Kerastase?

Kerastase is a French luxury hair care line that’s owned by L’Oreal.

Unlike Olaplex, Kerastase has been around for some time (it was founded in 1964).

The brand is known for providing high-quality products that help nourish and strengthen all hair types.

Kerastase offers a wide range of products in a variety of different product lines from shampoos, conditioners, styling products, and more.

Because of the countless different product lines, Kerastase customers are able to essentially customize and find the exact products for their specific hair care concerns.

Olaplex vs Kerastase: Differences

Both Olaplex and Kerastase provide high-quality products known for repairing and strengthening dry, damaged hair. However, it’s important to understand that each hair care brand is different and uses different processes to help nourish & repair the hair.

How Does Olaplex Work

Olaplex’s patented ingredient, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, is what sets Olaplex above many other hair care brands today.

That ingredient helps to rebuild the hair on a molecular level by repairing broken disulfide bonds of the hair that may have been damaged.

Therefore, Olaplex uses one-of-a-kind bond-building technology to help repair and strengthen the hair to look & feel its best.

Yet… you may be wondering 1) what are disulfide bonds and 2) how are these bonds broken in the first place?

Disulfide bonds are permanent bonds that essentially give you your hair type. Depending on the number of disulfide bonds you have will impact how curly (or not) your hair is.

For example, the more disulfide bonds you have, the curlier your hair will be.

Disulfide bonds correlate to hair strength, and these bonds can be broken through a variety of means like coloring your hair, using hot styling tools, hair dryness, pulling on your hair, etc.

Olaplex’s entire product line uses this bond-building technology to help repair damaged hair and prevent further damage.

Olaplex is a multi-step hair treatment line. Olaplex No 1 and No 2 are meant to be used in a salon; however, the rest of their products are meant for at-home use.

Here’s a list of Olaplex’s at-home products:

• Olaplex No. 0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment 
• Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector 
• Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
• Olaplex No. 4P Blonde Enhanced Toning Shampoo
• Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo 
• Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner 
• Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother
• Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil 
• Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask 
• Olaplex No. 9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum 

Of course, you don’t necessarily need to buy all these products to achieve healthy, gorgeous hair because lets be honest Olaplex isn’t cheap!

You can pick and choose which products you need the most for your unique hair care needs.

I personally use the Olaplex Hair Perfector, Olaplex’s regular and purple shampoo, Olaplex’s conditioner, and Olaplex’s Bonding Oil.

How Does Kerastase Work

Unlike Olaplex which offers a product line of steps from 0 to 9, Kerastase has a variety of different product lines, which includes:

• Aura Botanica: Contains natural, Earthy ingredients to achieve shiny, nourished hair.
• Specifique: Supports scalp health.
• Blond Absolu: Helps blondes maintain bright, vibrant hair.
• Genesis: Helps with broken hair & hair loss.
• Densifique: Helps thicken and add volume to finer hair types.
• Discipline: Enhances curls and helps to control hair/ tame frizzy hair.
• Nutritive: Restores hair’s hydration and helps achieve a glossier finish.
• Reflection: Enhance hair vibrancy for colored hair types.
• Elixir Ultime: Helps all hair types achieve a shiny, glossy finish.
• Resistance: Strengthens weaker hair types to be strong & healthy.
• Fusio Scrub: Helps exfoliate & cleanse the scalp.
• Chroma Absolu: Adds hydration and helps repair colored hair types.
• Soleil: Protects hair against damaging sources like UV light, salt, & chlorinated water.

Within each of these 13 product lines, each includes multiple products that specialize in that specific product line’s purpose.

For example, the Reflection product line is especially targeted to help colored hair types maintain their gorgeous, vibrant hair color.

Therefore, Kerastase is fully customizable in terms of being able to choose from a variety of different product lines and pick a product line that most aligns with your unique hair goals.

Whether you have colored hair, frizzy hair, fine hair, whatever the case may be, Kerastase offers several product lines so you can choose one that best suits your needs.

This is the primary difference between Olaplex and Kerastase. Olaplex is a multi-step treatment while Kerastase has various product lines so you can choose one product line that most fits your needs.

Olaplex vs Kerastase: Similarities

It is rather difficult to directly compare Olaplex vs Kerastase as they in general have different product structures.

Olaplex uses one product line with multiple steps whereas Kerastase has multiple product lines with different products within each line.

That being said, both hair care brands are similar in terms of providing quality products that can help effectively repair damaged hair.

Read on to discover some product comparisons between Kerastase vs Olaplex shampoo and conditioner, Olaplex vs Kerastase oil, and more!

Kerastase vs Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner

Starting with Kerastase vs Olaplex shampoo and conditioner, each has quality products to help cleanse, nourish, and strength dry, damaged hair.

In this comparison, I’ll be referring to the shampoo and conditioner products in Kerastase’s Resistance product range.

Olaplex’s No. 4 shampoo is a moisturizing and reparative shampoo designed to help all hair types.

Like the rest of Olaplex’s products, the Olaplex shampoo contains their patented ingredient (Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate) which helps rebuild broken hair bonds so the hair looks and feels its best.

While the shampoo is great for all hair types (including color-treated hair), Olaplex also has a purple shampoo (No. 4P) and clarifying shampoo (No. 4C).

So, if you have color treated hair and are looking to maintain its vibrancy and keep it from looking dull, consider looking into Olaplex’s purple and clarifying shampoos.

All three of Olaplex’s shampoos are priced at $30, making it a reasonable price point for the quality of the product.

Olaplex’s No.5 conditioner helps repair and maintain hair bonds to feel strong and healthy.

This conditioner, like the shampoo, contains its popular bond building technology to help repair and strengthen your hair bonds.

This product can be used by all hair types (including color treated hair) to help rehydrate dry, damaged hair.

It also is priced at $30.

Kerastase’s Resistance Strengthening Shampoo for Damaged Hair is a shampoo that is especially great for rehydrating dry, damaged hair.

This shampoo contains a Pro-Keratine Complex which is mix of proteins and amino acids essential to help rebuild the hair structure.

So, if you are especially struggling with dry, damaged hair, you should consider the Resistance product line by Kerastase.

This product is also priced at $35, making it just a little above the Olaplex shampoo price.

The Kerastase Resistance Strengthening Conditioner for Damaged Lengths & Split Ends again helps repair dry, damaged hair.

This product works great with all hair types and can help seal splits ends for visibly healthier, longer hair.

It contains Creatine-R and Ceramides which both help to repair and strengthen the hair from the inside out.

Priced at $44, this conditioner by Kerastase is above the Olaplex conditioner price tag.

Olaplex vs Kerastase Serum

Hair serums help nourish, hydrate, and protect the hair from potential damaging effects.

Olaplex vs Kerastase serum are each great products for repairing damaged hair and protecting it from further damage.

The Olaplex No. 9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum is a hair serum designed to protect the hair from breakage, tangles, and future damaging effects like pollutants and heat.

Essentially this hair serum helps protect the hair from damaging effects while working to repair the hair to look shiny and healthy.

To use Olaplex’s hair serum, simply apply a little to damp hair, working up from ends to roots. You can use it either after washing your hair or on certain days you feel like you’ll need more hair protection (i.e. being outside all day in the hot Sun).

This product is priced at $30.

The Kerastase Resistance Hair Serum for Extremely Damaged Hair helps repair dry, damaged hair, while also working to provide heat protection up to 450 degrees.

The product helps rehydrate the hair to achieve soft, silky hair that’s healthy.

To use Kerastase’s Resistance hair serum, apply a small amount to damp hair, massaging from ends to roots.

The product can even be used on dry hair as a means to manage flyaways and add moisture and a smooth finish to the hair.

This product is priced above 40 bucks on Amazon.

Olaplex vs Kerastase Oil

Hair oils can help add essential shine and hydration to the hair to look healthy and glossy.

In this section on Olaplex vs Kerastase Oil, I’ll switch to talking about the Kerastase hair oil from their Elixir Ultime product line.

The Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil is a styling oil designed to increase shine, softness, and hair color vibrancy.

This is a great product to use to help the hair look glossy and shiny no matter the occasion.

Simply take a few drops of oil and apply to damp or dry hair and style your hair.

This product is priced at $30.

The Kerastase Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum is a lightweight hair oil designed to add shine and hydration to your hair while reducing frizz.

Great with all hair types, this product helps smooth and nourish the hair to look glossy, soft, and shiny.

Olaplex vs Kerastase Hair Treatments

When comparing Olaplex vs Kerastase hair treatments, each can go a long way in terms of repairing and strengthening the hair to look & feel its best.

These treatments can be especially great to help restore weak, damaged hair to look and feel healthy and strong.

The Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3 is arguably one of the most popular Olaplex products known for its transformative results at improving the look and feel of the hair.

Specifically, this product helps reduce hair breakage and restore the hair to its healthy appearance.

So, if you struggle with dry, damaged hair (i.e. you bleach your hair!) this can be a game-changer to achieve healthier hair.

This product isn’t a conditioner or a shampoo. Rather its a product you use on damp hair and then rinse off with shampoo and conditioner after 15-30 minutes have passed.

Note: I oftentimes leave this product in for hours to try and maximize the results!

Priced at $30, this product is great for achieving silky smooth hair, especially if you are currently struggling with  dry, damaged hair.

The Kerastase Resistance Strengthening Hair Mask for Damaged Hair is a hair strengthening mask that helps restore weak, damaged hair.

You can use this as a conditioner or as a weekly hair mask.

To use, simply apply a good amount of the product after shampooing your hair. Then, leave on for at least 5 minutes (30+ minutes for more intense results) and rinse out afterwards.

This product is priced at $60, which is double the price of Olaplex’s Hair Perfector!

Olaplex vs Kerastase Pricing

Because both Olaplex and Kerastase offer high-quality products, neither hair care brand is “cheap”.

That being said Olaplex is more affordable than Kerastase.

Most (if not all) of Olaplex’s products sit about at $30.

However, Kerastase prices (for the most part) exceed that and are more expensive. However, Kerastase is a luxury brand, which does explain for the hefty price tag.

If you are comparing Olaplex vs Kerastase solely on price, Olaplex is the better option.

Olaplex vs Kerastase: Which is Better?

Both Olaplex and Kerastase are great hair care brands that provide a range of quality products to help restore and strengthen your hair.

While there’s no clear “winner” in terms of deciding between Olaplex vs Kerastase, there are certainly many differences that can sway your vote one way or another.

The first being price.

Kerastase is significantly more expensive than Olaplex– and Olaplex is by no means cheap to begin with!

So, if you are looking for products that are more affordable, consider going with Olaplex. All their products are priced at $30.

That being said, it’s important to understand that Kerastase is a luxury hair care brand so you are paying for the quality and long-standing reputation of the brand.

Kerastase also offers more products and thus more versatility when it comes to finding a set of products for your exact hair care needs.

This is because Kerastase has a variety of different product lines that each specialize in solving a unique hair care need (i.e. hair vibrancy, repairing damaged hair, etc.).

Olaplex, however, only has one product line with 9 different products or steps involved.

While Olaplex’s products are geared towards all hair types, if you have specific hair concerns and want more customizable options when picking your hair care products, consider going with Kerastase.

FAQs

Should I use Kerastase or Olaplex for curly hair?

Both Kerastase and Olaplex are great hair care brands for curly hair types.

While Olaplex is designed for all hair types, Kerastase does offer a product line especially for curly hair types (Kerastase’s Discipline product range).

Therefore, because Kerastase does have a product line for curly hair, consider trying Kerastase’s Discipline product line.

Is Kerastase better than Olaplex?

At the end of the day, it’s tricky to directly say Kerastase is better or worse than Olaplex because they offer entirely different product structures.

Olaplex offers one product line with 9 steps suited for all hair types. Meanwhile, Kerastase offers 10+ different product lines (each containing multiple products) for different hair needs.

Therefore, if you have a specific goal in mind that requires more custom-like products (i.e. you need products that will help your colored hair maintain its vibrancy) consider going with Kerastase.

This is because Kerastase’s wide selection of product lines each specialize in different things so you are sure to find a product range right for your exact needs.

However, if you want a hair care brand that’s a bit more affordable, while still giving you high-quality results, and you don’t have any specific need for your hair care products (other than maybe strengthening damaged, dry hair), consider trying Olaplex.

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