How long to leave in Olaplex 3 Reddit

Have a question that I've been puzzling on for a few months and hoping someone who knows more about hair science than I do can help me to answer it: over the years, I've used Olaplex 3 on and off and never really noticed much of a difference (For reference my hair is dyed medium/light brown all over with partial blonde balayage, but it's in pretty healthy condition.); HOWEVER, I recently started seeing a new stylist and she suggested that I alternate between Olaplex 8 and 3 every two weeks to keep it healthy and repair any damage from the balayage. I followed her directions, and at first, I didn't notice a difference with either, but then I left the #8 on overnight, and WOWZERS—my hair has never been so soft and healthy-looking!

I'm now tempted to leave the #3 on overnight to see if a longer time on my hair produces a more noticeable result on the lightened areas of my hair esp., but because I know that it works differently than the #8 formulation, I'm nervous to do so...I'm wondering if it's possible to damage my hair by leaving it on over night? I have tried leaving it on for 90 mins and not noticed much of a difference...

If anyone has any insights here, I'd love to hear them. I've googled a bunch and have found a lot about Olaplex 3 in general, but nothing about the potential impact of leaving it on for long periods of time :)

EDIT: wow, you all are incredible! Thank you so much for sharing your advice and experiences--so helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It stops working at some point because all of the bonds that could be formed form within that first hour or so.

First off, olaplex works by reforming the disulfide bonds that make up the proteins of your hair (more or less). Not all of the disulfide bonds are broken from damage, just some number. Either way, there is a finite number of broken bonds available for olaplex to repair. The active ingredient in olaplex is like a helper, it just creates a chemical environment that encourages those broken bonds to hook up again - afterall, they naturally want to be bonded. But that environment doesn't guarantee 100% reformation. Nature likes balance, so all chemical reactions have a kind of natural stopping point at which point the optimal ratio of unreacted to reacted is reached and the reaction stops. That stopping point is rarely 100% when it comes to proteins in the body.

Tl;dr there are only so many disulfide bonds the olaplex will repair and those will all reform within an hour or two. Beyond that, you're just marinating your hair in a pretty salty solution.

So I’ve recently gotten Olaplex Nr.3 and I’m a bit confused what the best way is to use them?

I’ve read a couple of instructions/ recommendations from other internet users

  1. Shampoo, then Olaplex, leave it for 10 minutes or an hour or over night, then shampoo again

  2. Damp your hair a bit, put Olaplex in and let it sit, then shampoo it

  3. Olaplex on dry hair, comb it through, let it sit and then shampoo

What do you think is the best option?

Edit: Thanks for all the input, it helped me a lot, it will be Nr. 2 then :D and I know what the instruction says but most of the time the results are better if you don’t do it like the company suggests. So “just read what it says in the back” isn’t what I was looking for.

Where did you read 90 minutes? That’s wrong. Literally, the bottle says 10 minutes. I just looked at mine. The directions are also very clearly explained on their website, in multiple places.

The Website (https://olaplex.com/products/olaplex-no-3-hair-perfector) also says leave on for a minimum of 10 minutes or longer if you’d like.

The FAQ for No.3 (https://olaplex.com/pages/frequently-asked-questions) says: “For best results with No.3: Apply to damp / towel-dried hair, apply a generous amount of No.3 . Comb through and let process for a minimum of 10 minutes. Then shampoo and condition!”

And further down it says: “OLAPLEX No.3 reaches its max efficacy at 30-45 minutes however OLAPLEX is actively working in the hair as long as the hair remains moist.”

People like to leave it in longer, but there is basically no benefit to doing so.

Edit to add: if you want to use a product in a different way than it is intended, that’s cool (I’m a chemist and have good reason to doubt the improved efficacy of the way many of you use this product, but I’m not here to fight cha.) But, don’t offer the way you use it as advice when someone is asking for the proper way to use it.

If that’s the only one you’re using, just make sure your hair is damp before you apply. If you’re rich I guess you can leave it on for 10 min then rinse, but otherwise you can keep it on for as long as you want (as long as it’s still damp) to get the most for your money.

I like to leave it in overnight (sleep with a shower cap and something on top of that) and then use my hooded hair steamer the next day to reactivate it. Then I proceed with the rest of my wash routine.

I use the entire olaplex system and I can give you a more detailed walkthrough if you’d like.

How long should you leave Olaplex 3 on for?

Step 1: Apply a generous amount to towel-dried hair and comb through. Step 2: Leave on for a minimum of 10 minutes. Keep in mind, the longer it's on, the more effective it is, especially for hair that is compromised. We've seen great results from people who leave it on 30 to 90 minutes!

Can you leave Olaplex 3 on for too long?

You can leave the OLAPLEX N. °0 and OLAPLEX N. °3 in longer! However, the efficacy will diminish past 30-45 minutes or when the hair is dry.

How long to keep Olaplex 3 in reddit?

I shampoo my hair before using it then I towel dry my hair and put the No 3 in. I leave it in for 10-30 minutes.

What happens if you don't rinse out Olaplex 3?

People have used Olaplex 3 for more than 12 hours without ill effects, but that doesn't mean you can expect the same. If you leave Olaplex 3 on for longer than 90 minutes, you could experience several issues, from an irritated scalp to eye irritation, redness, and stinging.