If you bleach your hair, you're probably well-versed in Olaplex. Sure, you might not know exactly how the magic strengthening treatment works to repair your stripped strands, but you know if you don't use it at least once a week, you'll never hear the end of it from your colorist. Because of Olaplex's success, you may have noticed other brands are coming out with similar treatments. Case in point: L'Oréal Professionnel Smartbond, which debuted in salons this month. So the question is, how similar—or different—is this new treatment to the OG bond strengthener?
L'Oréal Professionnel Smartbond is a two-part, in-salon treatment that protects and strengthens hair during the coloring and/or lightening process, and is touted to brighten and soften dyed hair over time, whereas the in-salon (and at-home) Olaplex system rebuilds the damaged disulfide bonds (the stuff that gives your hair elasticity) that are broken during the chemical process.
Although both treatments sound super similar, as both work inside the hair shaft to renew colored-treated strands, there are still vast differences between the two, says cosmetic chemist Joseph Cincotta.
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"[With the Smartbond system], the malic acid is added to the color and absorbs into the hair shaft during the chemical process," says Cincotta. "It does not react with the broken bonds in any way as the Olaplex does—it acts as a lubricant between protein chains to make hair not as brittle and to give it more elasticity."
Olaplex, on the other hand, works via chemical reaction to rebuild strength by mending disulfide bonds, according to Cincotta. "When you go through the coloring process, some of the bonds that are responsible for the strength of the hair are broken," he says, "and once they’re broken, the hair loses strength and is more susceptible to breakage."
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Because Olaplex is already trusted in the hair-color world (Hollywood's top colorists—including Tracey Cunningham who works with Emma Stone, Lily Aldridge, and more—swear by the stuff), L’Oréal Professionnel had more than 700 stylists and colorists, including "lived-in color" master Johnny Ramirez, test the stuff during development. The result? Nothing less than a few praise hands emoji.
"Smartbond really helps me achieve any color correction without drying or damaging the hair in any way, shape, or form," says Ramirez. "It makes the hair soft, strengthens the hair, and doesn’t slow the [coloring] process down at all." According to Ramirez, Smartbond can also be added to gloss to condition the hair. "A lot of the time, you have all these other products that you mix with your bleach or glosses, and they move the color sometimes," he says. "Smartbond doesn't move the color at all."
For those who are looking to brighten and protect recently dyed strands, beginning this month, L'Oréal Professionnel Smartbond services will be available in salons, starting at $25. And an at-home conditioner using the Smartbond technology will become available in January for $28.
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