Can Olaplex Fix Gummy Hair?

No one wants gummy hair, and it’s usually too late when we realize what has happened. You might try all kinds of things to fix it, but nothing seems to get the job done.

Coconut oil and proteins can get expensive, and when they don’t work, it can leave you feeling defeated. The last option for you to try is Olaplex. But the question is – will it even work?

If you want to find out everything on this topic, just keep reading! There is a lot of information out there, and research is your best weapon. So, if you’re suffering from gummy hair and need a remedy – you’re in the right place.

What is Gummy Hair?

Gummy hair is what it sounds like – hair that feels tacky, gummy, and is hard to manage. It’s a symptom of a damaged internal support system in your hair structure.

This can lead to brittle hair, which can break off in clumps or strands.

It also causes hair to have an uneven texture. If you are dealing with gummy hair, then you might notice:

• Unkempt appearance
• Thinning hair
• Brittle hair
• Damaged roots
• Bald patches
• Itching scalp

These symptoms make it clear that something is wrong. However, it doesn’t mean that you should give up. Gummy hair is unpleasant to deal with, but it can be fixed.

With the right treatment plan, you can start seeing improvement in as little as two weeks.

Gummy hair is caused by getting stuck in the cycle of coloring, bleaching, and heat styling your hair. As fun as it is to have cool styles and colors all the time, your hair will suffer from all that processing.

Things like perms and constant dying will damage hair. When this happens, it will become gummy and stringy. 

Those dreams of having that cool color or style can be kissed goodbye. Gummy hair is not a look that anyone wants, and it’s incredibly difficult to hide it.

Thankfully, however, you don’t have to live with gummy hair. There are things you can do to help it!

How Can I Know If My Hair Is Gummy?

You can tell if your hair is gummy, because it will be obvious. Gummy hair results in hair being very hard to comb through, and it will feel rough and/or sticky.

It can also cause hair to split and come apart in small pieces. Once you see these problems, you’re probably already aware that your hair is gummy. But, here are some other ways to tell.

Clumps Of Strands

There is no better way to describe how your hair looks than to say that your hair feels like it’s made of spaghetti. Clumps of strands are a sign that your hair may be gummy. This means that it needs fixing.

Hair That Comes Apart Easily

This is another sign that your hair is gummier than normal. Your hair will be more likely to come apart when you use your fingers to brush it.

Also, if your hair breaks easily while you are styling it, or when you wash your hair, then you know that your hair is gummy.

Brittleness

When your hair starts looking like pasta, it means that it is starting to dry out. With that said, you should avoid brushing your hair straight after washing it, since it could result in breaking.

Instead, wait until your hair is completely dried out. After which, you should gently blow-dry your hair, making sure that it is still wet. You can try applying a leave-in conditioner for added moisture.

Texture That Feels Rough To The Touch

Your hair should always feel smooth and silky. When your hair becomes dry, it can begin to get rough. If you start feeling this sensation in your hair, it’s possible that your hair is gummier than usual.

Itchy Scalp

If your scalp begins itching, then your hair is probably gummy. This is because your scalp has been reacting to the chemicals that are inside your hair. So, to stop the reaction, it’s best to avoid shampooing your hair every single day.

Loss Of Style

If your hairstyle isn’t holding on for dear life anymore, gummy hair could be the culprit and you need to find a different solution.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to fix gummy hair. One of them includes using Olaplex, which is well-known for repairing damaged, overprocessed strands into smooth, health-feeling hair again.

Gummed Up Hair: What To Do About It

Now that you know what causes gummy hair, your choices are either either dealing with it yourself, or seeing a professional hairdresser for help.

Either way, you’ll want to make sure that you choose the right product for your hair type. Below are some tips to keep in mind when choosing one.

The Right Product For Your Hair Type

To determine what type of products you should use, you first need to figure out what kind of hair you have.

There are two main types of hair. Dry hair and oily hair. Dry hair is the most common type.

Because it doesn’t retain much water, dry hair tends to become brittle and break easily. On the opposite end of the spectrum, oily hair is extremely sticky.

It holds onto oil rather than water, so it retains lots of moisture. Both types of hair require different kinds of treatments.

For dry hair, you should look for a moisturizing treatment. Hair masks are great for deep conditioning and hydrating your locks.

A mask helps to lock in moisture by increasing the amount of protein within your hair.

It also gives your hair extra shine. However, it only works well for dry hair since oily hair doesn’t need all that additional hydration.

Oily hair requires a deep cleansing treatment. In order to eliminate any excess oils from your scalp, you should apply a cleanser . Then you need to rinse it off thoroughly.

Once you’ve done that, you should follow it up with a conditioning treatment.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

Can You Use Protein Treatments to Help With Gummy Hair?

The first thing you are likely to hear when you tell someone you have gummy hair is that you do not have enough protein in your routine. While this might be true for many people, it can also be dangerous.

See, if you have too much protein in your hair, that can also be incredibly damaging. Protein overload can happen when you try to fix your hair by using protein treatments and accidentally give your hair too much protein.

When you give your hair too much protein, it throws the moisture and protein levels in your hair off balance. By having too much protein and too little moisture, hair actually becomes more brittle and gummy.

Why does this happen? Because protein is coated around the outer layer of hair, which creates a stiff coating, much like a shell. When the protein coats the hair, it will harden, which then makes it very easy to break.

When this damaged hair gets wet, it is stringy and almost sticky. This makes it incredibly difficult to comb through.

What is Olaplex?

Olaplex is an incredible hair treatment that has become immensely popular over the last few years.

Its active ingredient is Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleatecan, and it’s used to restore damaged hair and give it that shine back.

This ingredient is the main active component in the entire Olaplex line of products.

It helps rebuild disulfide bonds within hair, which are crucial to hair health and often damaged by thermal, environmental, and chemical damage (i.e. overprocessing).

It is this element that does all the heavy lifting in relinking the broken bonds and repairing hair. When applied, it can transform your hair into everything you wish it could be.

To top it off, you don’t need to be worried about a number of other chemicals that cannot be pronounced.

Aside from a few basic ingredients like water, Olaplex is a very straightforward and useful product, free from sulphates, parabens, and phospates. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free.

Olaplex For Gummy Hair Treatment

Olaplex contains natural ingredients that promote hair growth by stimulating the follicles. In addition, it helps prevent damage to the hair shaft and improves the overall health of the hair.

Here are some of the benefits that come with using Olaplex:

• Promotes new hair growth
• Boosts hair density
• Fights against dandruff
• Helps prevent split ends
• Reduces thinning
• Makes hair more manageable
• Improves the quality of hair

Top Olaplex Products and Their Uses

There are many Olaplex products, so where are you supposed to start? Before we get into these amazing products, it’s important to know three things: Olaplex products are cruelty-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

There is nothing not to like about them! On top of that, you won’t find any harsh chemicals that will damage your hair, because that’s what it’s there to fix! 

This brand uses a numbering system to identify products. A couple of them are for professional use only (such as No. 1 and No. 2), so we won’t go over these on this post.

We’ll be going through all the products that you can use at home below. If you think that one of them might sound useful to you, why not check them out? 

Olaplex No. 0 – Intensive Bond Building Treatment 

Olaplex No. 0 is ideally used as a primer in combination with Olaplex No. 3, but it can be used as a standalone product in and of itself.

It increases the bond between the hair and the proteins. This product can also help repair hair as it is, but it is not its main purpose.

This allows for better penetration when applying the next step. You want the bond to be strong before you apply the rest of the treatments. 

The first thing that you should do after washing your hair is to apply Olaplex No. 0. This is a great way to ensure that the hair is well-prepared for the next steps. It also prevents the hair from drying out too quickly.

This Olaplex has the highest concentration of the bond-building molecule, so it’s the best place to start.

All you need to do is soak your hair in the treatment for around 10 minutes. Then, get into the shower and saturate your hair with Olaplex No. 3 (below).

Olaplex No. 3 – Hair Perfector

Olaplex No. 3 can be used weekly to help protect your hair. It works best if you take good care of your hair. That means keeping up with regular trims, deep conditioning, and massaging your scalp regularly.

You simply shampoo your hair with Olaplex No. 3 once every week or two. After you wash your hair, wrap it in plastic wrap, or put it in a cap. Leave it in for around 30 minutes and then rinse it thoroughly.

You can leave this product on your hair overnight if you like, but the effectiveness drops after 45 minutes. Once the product has been in your hair for as long as you want, simply rinse it off with some lukewarm water. Do this at least twice per month to keep your hair healthy. 

The No. 3 is great for helping to prevent split ends, and will give you strong and shiny hair. It has the ability to transform your gummy, dry hair into something that will practically be unrecognizable. After trying it, you will never want to go back!

Olaplex No. 4 – Bond Maintenance Shampoo

The No. 4 shampoo is a nourishing product that is also infused with the bond-building molecule used in the Olaplex line. This shampoo will help with repairing gummy hair and making sure that it stays healthy.

It’s important to remember that this product can replace the usual shampooing routine. You can use it whenever you wash your hair, and it is safe to use frequently.

This product is to be used like a regular shampoo, focusing the shampoo at the roots. You don’t have to worry about clogging your drains because this product is made using biodegradable ingredients.

This product helps restore moisture to damaged hair. It is designed to make sure that your hair stays soft and manageable while being protected against breakage.

It leaves your hair feeling clean and healthy. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Olaplex No. 5 – Bond Maintenance Conditioner

This everyday Olaplex conditioner should be used in place of your regular conditioner right after shampooing. Although this product is not especially potent, it is perfectly suited to hair care, no matter how often you wash.

If you use this conditioner with your gummy or damaged hair, it will certainly improve in no time. 

As with all Olaplex products, this conditioner helps repair broken bonds within hair. As it works to strengthen hair, it will also enhance hair color. When this happens, your hair will be glossier and more vibrant than ever.

No. 6 – Bond Smoother

Olaplex No. 6 is a bond soother. It is a standalone product that is a leave-in cream. The No. 6 product is an incredibly moisturizing and strengthening smoother.

It will strengthen damaged hair, as well as reduce the amount of time needed to blow dry hair. It’s the perfect product for styling, and is amazing at smoothing hair.

With this product, flyaway is a problem of the past. Any frizz you were dealing with before is gone for up to 72 hours, so it’s a favorite!

The best part? No. 6 is so lightweight that you’ll barely even notice it in your hair! It will give you that shine as well as the bounce we all crave. 

No. 7 – Bonding Oil

The finishing touch to the perfect hairstyle is bonding oil. This will lock in the moisture and keep your hair looking great all day.

The Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil is ideal for adding extra shine and luster to your hair. Its unique formula contains vitamin E, which promotes growth and prevents breakage.

This product will help build up the hair bonds, while looking great in the process. Despite being an oil, it never makes your hair look greasy.

You can say goodbye to the gummy hair, and say hello to the supple and shiny new hair. This oil won’t weight down your hair, either! 

As an added bonus, this product can be used as a heat protectant, too. Before styling, you can just put some on your hair, and do as you typically would. You can then use a heat styling tool on a temperature of up to 450

It protects your hair from heat temperatures of up to 450 °F. If you didn’t know, this is the maximum temperature that the majority of styling tools have. It doesn’t get much hotter than that for styling!

No. 8 – Bond Intense Moisture Mask

The Bond Intense Moisture Mask by Olaplex is a weekly hair mask you can use to make the most of your locks. This mask is thought to increase shine, moisture, and smoothness to a noticeable extent. It does, however, have silicone in it.

Despite this, it is water-soluble. This means that the silicone will not suffocate hair, and it can be washed away by water. 

Non Olaplex Methods For Fixing Gummy Hair

If you don’t have the funds to splash out on Olaplex, there are a few other things you can do to help your hair! No one should have to deal with gummy hair, and these tips will help you fix it.

Trimming

Getting a trim will help gummy hair more than you could imagine. While it’s a bit of work, it allows your hair to grow back naturally, and without any damage.

Trims will get rid of the ends of your hair, but they do encourage them to grow out. As your hair grows out, it will become thicker.

Trimming will get rid of the majority, if not all, of the gummy hair. That will leave you with healthy hair, instead of having to go through the entire process again.

Moisturize

A good way to prevent gummy hair is to hydrate your hair as often as possible. Using a moisturizer or serum will help seal in what moisture your hair has already stored inside. Doing this helps to prevent the hair from drying out.

Dehydrated hair is one of the first things you will notice when your hair is getting damaged. After that, you will notice the gummy feeling.

Before it gets to the point of gumminess, make sure that you take care of your hair and moisturize it enough. Using hair masks and leave-in serums will do the job.

Reduce Harmful Styling Techniques

One of the worst things you can do with your hair is use a lot of styling. Chemical, environmental, and thermal damage is very common, and can have unpleasant side effects when it comes to your hair.

Using a high-heat setting on your flat iron, curling tongs, or blow-dryer can cause long term damage to your hair. When using these products, follow the instructions on the packaging carefully.

Also, avoid using extreme heat on damp hair. Once your hair dries, it’s difficult to repair.

If you notice your hair is becoming gummy, it would be a good idea to take a break from the curling iron and straighteners. Even spending too much time in the strong sun could make things worse. You can apply an SPF to your hair when spending time outside, if you want to be safe. 

This also means that you will need to stop doing chemical treatments on your hair. Chemical treatments can be terrible for hair.

This includes dying and the use of relaxers. It’s better to enjoy the hair on your head, rather than damage it in the process of trying to change it too much.

Hair-Strengthening Supplements

One of the most important supplements you can take for your hair are Omega fatty acids. You can find these in fish oil capsules, which are readily available at most health food stores. These are great for keeping your scalp moist, and protecting against any future issues.

You can also buy vitamin B5, which helps strengthen your hair follicles. If you’re looking into taking this supplement, you might want to consider how it affects your heart. Make sure to check the label before buying.

Final Thoughts

Gummy hair is a horrible experience, but there are ways around it. Now that you know what causes it, and what to do about it, hopefully you will protect your hair a little more.

It’s crucial to maintain a healthy hair shaft in order to reduce hair breakage. Weakened hair will lead to hair breakage, and from there it’s easy for our esteem to plummet. 

Before your hair gets gummy, consider taking a moment to think of your hair routine. Is there a chemical process you frequently get? Is that leading to over processed hair?

If you think your treatments, whether they might be standalone treatments or regular ones, are impacting your hair negatively, stop. Olaplex 3 and the other Olaplex products can do a lot, but they are not magic.

Ensure that your hair care routine gives your hair everything it needs in order to thrive. Don’t overdo it, however. Remember – too much of a good thing can still be bad. Take care of your hair!