Olaplex Routine Builder: How to Use Olaplex Hair Products in Order

How the Olaplex hair products routine builder works

Your hair and your main goal are enough to build a routine; the other three answers fine-tune it. Fine hair or a volume goal points to the volumizing shampoo and conditioner and the lighter mask. Curly or coily hair points to the curl shampoo, conditioner and gel. A cooler blonde tone on lightened hair adds the purple toning pair. Build-up adds a weekly clarifying wash, and washing less often adds a dry shampoo for the days in between.

The builder never changes the brand’s steps or times. It only chooses which products fit your answers, then shows each one with its directions and a link to the page they came from. If a step isn’t on the brand’s page, the builder says so instead of filling the gap.

The order on wash day

The brand’s directions set a clear order. No.3PLUS goes on wet hair in the shower before shampoo, stays on for 3 minutes and is rinsed out. Then comes the shampoo, lathered and rinsed, and the matching conditioner on mid-lengths and ends for 1 to 3 minutes. Once a week, the brand suggests a mask in place of conditioner, left on for 3 to 5 minutes. After washing, the leave-in conditioner goes on damp hair, followed by your stylers, and the No.7 oil can go on damp or dry hair, before heat styling or after it.

Between styling products, the brand’s pages don’t set an order. Many people go from the lightest texture to the heaviest and finish with oil, which is a common habit rather than a rule from the brand.

How often to use each step

The brand’s directions say No.3PLUS can be used every 1 to 3 washes and even daily, and its FAQ adds that once or twice a week is enough. So if you wash most days, every second or third wash is plenty; if you wash once a week, use it every time. The clarifying shampoo is for weekly use, or as needed, in place of your usual shampoo. The masks are weekly, in place of conditioner. The oil can be used daily, and the dry shampoo as needed between washes.

The shampoo bottles also give a sense of amounts: the brand bases its counts on about 2.5 mL of shampoo and 5 mL of conditioner per wash. That’s roughly half a teaspoon and a teaspoon, less than many people expect, so it’s worth starting small and adding more only for long or thick hair.

Choosing Olaplex hair products for your hair type

For fine or flat hair, the brand makes a volumizing shampoo and conditioner, labelled No.4Fine and No.5Fine, and a lighter mask called the Weightless Nourishing Mask. For medium hair, the everyday No.4 and No.5 are the starting point. For thick or coarse hair, the Rich Hydration Mask and the leave-in conditioner come into the routine, and the leave-in directions suggest two pumps rather than one. For curly or coily hair, the brand’s curl shampoo and conditioner pair with the No.10 curl gel, applied to wet hair in sections and scrunched upward.

Your goal adds the finishing products. Softness brings in the leave-in and the No.9 serum on damp hair; smoothness brings in the No.6 styling cream; shine brings in the No.7 oil. The builder keeps the list short on purpose. More products don’t always mean a better routine, and a shorter one is easier to stick to.

Color, toning and build-up

If your hair is lightened, blonde or gray and you want a cooler tone, the builder adds No.4P and No.5P. The brand says to leave the toning shampoo on for 2 minutes and to use the conditioner as needed, so many people alternate with their regular shampoo. The labels on both ask for a patch test before first use and warn against using them on lashes or brows, so follow that before you start.

If your hair feels coated from styling products or hard water, the builder adds No.4C, the clarifying shampoo, once a week or as needed. For colored hair, the builder also shows the order for No.0, an occasional extra step the brand pairs with No.3PLUS: No.0 on dry hair for 10 minutes, No.3PLUS combed through on top for another 10, then rinse, shampoo and condition. If you have a recent color service, ask your colorist when to start.

Between washes

If you wash two or three times a week or less, the builder adds the No.4D dry shampoo for second-day roots: shake, hold it 6 to 10 inches away, spray the roots, wait 30 seconds and massage in. The leave-in conditioner can also go on dry ends between washes, and a drop or two of oil refreshes shine on dry hair. That’s it. There’s no need to repeat wash-day steps on days you don’t wash.

Olaplex hair products before a wedding

If you’re getting married or have a big event, start any new routine at least four weeks ahead. That gives you several wash days to learn how your hair responds, how much product it needs and whether anything makes it feel heavy or flat. Don’t try a new product the week of the event, and tell your stylist what you use, because oils and heavy creams can change how hair holds curls and pins. For an updo, your stylist may ask you to skip oil on the day so the style grips better.

Wash your hair the day before or the morning of the wedding, as your stylist suggests, and keep to your usual routine. The goal on the day is hair that behaves the way it does every week, not something new.