Hair Journey with Olaplex

by Jaclyn Chan, Level 2 Stylist & Olaplex Educator

My hair journey began at a large salon on Long Island, NY which was compartmentalized, having us choose between cut and color. This would shape our career tracks and it certainly shaped mine. I chose to do cutting and style and spent the following 16 years working hard on my craft. All the while, I would watch my color colleagues work on theirs. The way I saw it was even though we lived in the same neighborhood, we lived in different houses. While we worked side by side, we still had the ability to look through each other’s windows to take a peek at what each other was doing. And even visiting each other’s houses once in a while.

My Olaplex journey began when it was introduced about 4 years ago. It was new and sounded too good to be true: an additive you could place in lightener to protect hair from breakage. We’ve seen so many different products and lines come and go through the salon that we were all skeptical. As the colorists began using the stand-alone treatments comprising of No. 1 & No. 2 as well as placing No. 1 in their lightener before a highlighting service, we heard nothing but positive feedback. Again the excitement was happening mostly “next door”, with us cutters observing from afar. While hair health is just as important to us, we didn’t have a direct connection with Olaplex.

A couple of years went by and I joined a new salon. And once again, I noticed that the colorists there relied on Olaplex. I was able to use it in a few permanent wave services and I absolutely did notice that it delivered strength and softness that doing a chemical service could not deliver alone. This sparked my interest in finding more ways to use Olaplex in my world. I wanted to be part of the conversation!

I began by using No. 2 in my Calligraphy Cuts. Saturating ends and using my Calligraphy pen made my cuts so much more fluid. I truly was able to slice through the hair strands like butter while knowing that the No. 2 was essentially batting cleanup, and rebuilding the broken disulfide bonds that I exposed to the air as I cut. I began seeing Olaplex as a tool I could now store in my toolbelt.

I truly grew a passion for sharing product knowledge with my guests that sit in my chair. From No. 3 which provides bond maintenance at home after experiencing a stand alone treatment at the salon. No. 4 & No. 5, their shampoo and conditioner that not only maintains the bond building but also leaves hair soft and moisturized. To No. 6 & No. 7, the styling cream and oil which can not only be used to heat style but also to air dry with as I have experimented with and had impressive results. I’m also excited to be one of the first stylists in the country to have tried the brand new No. 0, the at-home version of our stand alone treatment, for those times you need a boost at home, much like using a mask for your tired skin.

Another reason I love being an Olaplex Advocate so much is because is that I get to try product before it is released to the public. I also get to create online content for them, which stretches my creative side in different ways. From trying out the No. 0 which is the home version of our stand-alone treatment and creating a tik-tok for the company which they have used across their social media, it has been a fun ride! I also have led classes online on how to use their home styling products, No. 6 & No. 7 in different ways. Especially during quarantine when everyone began styling their hair differently, or not styling rather. It was fun trying to find innovative ways to use the styling cream and oil. And of course, always being a huge fan of No.4, their shampoo and No. 5, their conditioner, which come in a fairly small bottle but just a toothpaste sized amount packs a punch. Cleanses, repairs, AND moisturizes! They cover all the bases in just a few offerings.

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Here I am today. It’s 2020 and so much in my life and career has changed. I went through job loss during the quarantine. I gained a new role as an Olaplex Advocate. I also began a new chapter at a new salon and now am able to do my secret love: color at [salon]718 in Brooklyn. More than anything I am so excited to bring Olaplex to this salon and share the miracle that it is. It truly is insurance for your hair during any chemical service. You wouldn’t bungee jump without making sure that every strand inside that rope is connected? That is how I think about Olaplex and explain it to my guests.

I can’t wait to continue to bring more knowledge about the entire Olaplex line starting from the in-salon treatments all the way to the products that you can take home to maintain and style with. Someone once said, “It takes courage to let go of the familiar and embrace the new.” My hair journey has greeted me with a lot of unexpected change but I think about how Olaplex brought great change to the hair industry. And propelling yourself forward due to change is never a bad thing!

Shop ONLINE today and take your own Olaplex journey OR better yet, book a visit with Jaclyn at our Clinton Hill or Fort Greene locations to get a No. 1 & 2 treatment as a stand alone treatment or power coupled with a Calligraphy Cut or color service.