After we waited 10 minutes for that to sink in, she applied Enhance, a curl-defining spray that Lam says contains trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate. That’s a chelator that binds to free metal ions found in tap water. “This helps prevent free radical damage on the hair and reduces hair breakage, which then would correlate to enhancing the curls because healthier hair equals less frizz,” she says.
Regalado spritzed it onto my hair in small sections, brushed it through, then let it sit for another 10 minutes. Many hair treatments (like keratin, for example) take three to six hours because each product involved has to “marinate” for about 30 minutes, so I was pleasantly surprised when Regalado explained that each step of the Olaplex treatment only needs to sit for 10 minutes. (There was no rinsing between steps, either.)
The last product and step of the process is Define, a hair gel that Lam notes is chock-full of moisturizing and hydrating agents like olive oil, coconut oil, and glycerin. Regalado raked it through my damp hair in sections before putting my hair in finger coils. I mentioned that I wanted my hair styled in finger coils while Regalado applied step two. (It’s best to mention your desired style at the start of the appointment or anytime before the last step starts).
The styling step took the longest—and I mean the longest, because Regalado twisted very small—like, pencil-width—sections to achieve an ultra-defined look. She started at 4:30 p.m. and wrapped the last strand around 5:47. The gel seemed fairly light as I watched her apply it, and I was impressed by how well my hair absorbed it. It did give me a little heart attack at first because it went on white, but it disappeared by the time I’d even sat down at the hooded dryer.
The results
The best word I can think of to describe how I felt once my hair was done is: Cute. After my hair finished drying, each twist looked delicate, detailed, shiny, and bouncy—a far cry from the brittle, frizzy curls I walked in with. I never thought my hair could look this healthy.
I can’t help but touch my coils throughout the day. As I’m writing this four days after the appointment, they’re still very much bouncy and defined. They have shrunken a bit (c’est la vie!), and there are a few uncooperative pieces that like to stick up at weird angles, but otherwise, I’ve been able to keep everything in place by wrapping my hair in a satin scarf every night. Oh, and I haven’t had any of that dreaded flaky residue that can come from heavily gelled, well-defined styles like this.
