When it comes to professional haircare brands, it can be hard to figure out which one works better without personally trying them all.
Of course, that can become expensive quickly. But before you decide to invest in a professional hair regimen, you can do some research to learn more about them.
You’ve probably heard of Oribe and Olaplex – two of the most highly recommended brands that are sold in beauty stores and hair salons across the nation. Both brands have something special to offer, and both have slightly different product lines that might work better for some people than others.
So, what is the difference between Oribe vs Olaplex? The answer depends on your individual hair concerns and what you are hoping to get out of your hair care routine. Olaplex has a line that is specifically designed to repair over-processed hair, while Oribe sticks to luxury shampoos and conditioners that address unique issues.
In this post, we will go over each brand, their unique product lines and ingredients, and how well each of them works for different hair types. If you’re wondering which one you should invest in, keep reading.
What Is Oribe?
Chances are, you’re already very familiar with the luxury hair brand Oribe, but in case you aren’t – let’s discuss what’s so special about this brand.
Oribe was founded in 2009 and it was one of the first luxury hair brands that were brought outside of the salon and into the mass market. They democratized high-end hair care, and today they’ve expanded their offerings to include makeup and skincare.
One of the first things you notice about Oribe products is the packaging – inspired by fancy perfume bottles, these shampoos and conditioners will class up your bathroom shelves in an instant.
Not surprisingly, their products smell divine. None of that drugstore shampoo smell. Oribe haircare products smell like luxurious perfumes.
But that’s not the only thing they’re known for. These products are truly professional quality and are often used by celebrity stylists. They feature ingredients that are both nature and science-based, including floral antioxidants, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and argan oil.
If you’d like to see real life results, take a look at this review from Emily Martens on YouTube.
Oribe Product Lines
Most of the hair care products that Oribe offers consist of several lines targeting different hair concerns and consisting of shampoo, conditioner, masques, and hair oils.
Their main product lines are:
- Signature Line: developed to work for most hair types, this line features antioxidants, humectants, and proteins. The line consists of a shampoo, conditioner, masque, texturizing spray, heat styling spray, hydration drops, rock hard gel, and others. This is Oribe’s most extensive line.
- Beautiful Color Line: this line comes in gorgeous red packaging and helps extend the vibrancy of your colored hair while conditioning and keeping it healthy. There are also individual products for blonde hair, silver hair, and dark hair within this line.
- Gold Lust Repair & Restore Line: this luxurious damage-repairing line helps restore protein, moisture, and the structure of your locks to return them to their healthiest, shiniest state thanks to its content of healing oils, protein blends, collagen, and Mediterranean cypress. This line contains a shampoo, conditioner, masque, nourishing hair oil, dry shampoo, power drops, and styling spray.
- Serene Scalp Line: this line was developed to improve scalp health, heal dandruff, and soothe the scalp. Formulated with salicylic acid, the Oribe Signature Complex, and citrus fruit extracts, this line consists of shampoo, conditioner, exfoliating scalp scrub, leave-on treatment, and thickening treatment spray.
They also have individual products for deep cleansing, volume, and styling purposes.
What Is Olaplex?
Olaplex is a brand that initially became famous within the confines of a salon. Olaplex came out with a patented product that many colorists love using while color-processing and bleaching hair.
The patented formula rebuild disulfide bonds within the hair, which prevents it from being damaged and weakened by the coloring process.
Today, Olaplex grew into a 9-step haircare formula that begins at the salon and continues at home with products designed to preserve the health and strength of colored hair. The main goal of Olaplex is to help repair hair.
Because of this, Olaplex doesn’t have different lines for different hair types like many other brands. Instead, Olaplex has one line that consists of multiple steps:
- No. 0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment: used to spray as needed to easily deliver the bond-building technology to the hair.
- No. 1 and 2 can only be used at the salon by professional hair stylists. These two products are used during and immediately after a coloring treatment to prevent damage.
- No. 3 Hair Perfector: weekly at-home treatment that reduces breakage and strengthens hair
- No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo: great for daily cleansing while strengthening and repairing hair bonds
- No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner: pairs perfectly with the bond maintenance shampoo
- No. 6 Bond Smoother: leave-in styling conditioner that smoothes and strengthens the hair
- No. 7 Bonding Oil: highly concentrated nourishing oil that moisturizes, restores, and repairs damaged hair
- No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask: a reparative mask that delivers extra strengthening and bond-repairing benefits to struggling hair
- No. 9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum: an anti-damage hair shield that adds shine and helps hold styles longer
You’ve probably noticed a theme: strength. Olaplex products are great for strengthening damaged hair because of their unique patented bond-repairing formula.
If you’d like to see real results, take a look at this review from Audrey Victoria on YouTube.
Oribe Vs Olaplex – Which One Is Better?
Now that you are familiar with each brand, it’s time to discuss which one is better for you. Ultimately, this depends on what your individual hair needs are.
Here are a few things that stand out about each brand:
Best For Chemically-Damaged Hair: Olaplex
Based on our review of the two brands, we found that Olaplex is much better for those who have extremely damaged hair, especially if the damage was a result of color or chemical processing.
The patented technology found in Olaplex does not exist anywhere else, and it is one of the few things that can truly restore the structure of the hair that was damaged by harsh chemicals.
Note that you don’t necessarily have to use the entire 10-step line to get results from Olaplex.
Best Shampoo Options For All Hair Types: Oribe
Although Olaplex shines when it comes to extremely damaged and over-processed hair, we found that Oribe provides the most options for all hair types.
Oribe has a shampoo for everyone. If you’re looking for a simple daily shampoo – try the Signature line. If you’re looking to reduce dandruff, try their Serene Scalp line. Their Gold Lust and Repair shampoo is one of the most gentle and nourishing formulas we’ve tried.
When it comes to shampoos and conditioners that can target different hair issues, Oribe takes the first place. While the Olaplex shampoo is good, they only offer one type and it doesn’t cover the range of hair needs that Oribe does.
Best Natural Ingredients: Oribe
Oribe also shines when it comes to using natural ingredients in their formulas. They really know how to leverage nature.
From their signature complex containing watermelon, lychee, and edelweiss flower – to the oils and plant essences, they add a little bit of nature to each product to enhance its performance.
Olaplex, on the other hand, uses a lot of potent compounds in their products, which are mainly lab-created. Although Olaplex incorporates natural ingredients, like jojoba oil, in some of their formulations, this ingredient is usually added in small quantities.
Best Hair Oil: Olaplex
Both brands have an award-winning oil. For Olaplex, it’s their No. 7 Bonding Oil, and for Oribe, it’s their Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil.
While they both perform really well in nourishing and hydrating the hair, ultimately we found the Olaplex oil to be slightly better. First of all, it’s more budget-friendly, and secondly, it contains that patented bond-building technology that helps restore the hair’s structure.
Oribe And Olaplex Award Winners
Instead of choosing one over the other, why not try both? Each brand has its own strengths, so you could start by trying their award-winning products and enjoying the best of both worlds.
Here are some of their most popular products that have won awards and praise from customers and beauty organizations.
Olaplex:
- Olaplex No. 8 Intense Moisture Mask (2022 Glamour Award Winner)
- Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector (#1 product in Prestige Haircare)
- Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo (Allure Best of Beauty Award 2021)
- Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil (bestseller)
Oribe:
- Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil (Allure Best of Beauty Award 2019)
- Oribe Imperial Blowout Transformative Styling Creme (Allure Best of Beauty Award 2021)
- Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray (Elle Beauty Awards 2022)
- Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo and Conditioner (bestseller)
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to decide between Oribe and Olaplex, that’s a hard choice. Both brands are very professional and deliver great results, hands down.
Ultimately, it depends on your hair goals. If the goal is to repair damaged hair and prevent damage from color processing, Olaplex has what you need. If you’re looking to target other issues while feeling pampered and luxurious, Oribe’s got you covered.
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