What is the difference between Olaplex No.3 and No.3PLUS?

No.3PLUS is Olaplex’s current successor to No.3 Hair Perfector, with a three-minute pre-wash routine. Olaplex’s UK site now sells No.3PLUS; follow the directions on the bottle you have.

Should I use Olaplex or K18?

They sit at different points in wash day. Olaplex No.3PLUS is a pre-shampoo treatment you rinse out; K18’s mask is applied after shampoo and left in. Choose by which step fits your routine.

Does Color Wow Dream Coat repair damaged hair?

No. Color Wow positions Dream Coat as a heat-activated anti-frizz treatment for a smooth, humidity-resistant finish, not a bond-repair product.

How often should I use a bond-repair treatment?

Follow the product’s directions. L’Oréal Paris suggests weekly use for its Elvive pre-shampoo treatment; Olaplex and K18 give their own frequencies on pack.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Olaplex?

L’Oréal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Treatment is the budget pre-wash option in this guide, at £16.99 RRP for 200ml. Its formula and claims differ from Olaplex’s, so it is an alternative step rather than a copy.

Best of · Hair · 5 picks

The best bond-repair and anti-frizz hair treatments.

Pre-wash, leave-in or heat-activated? Five treatments compared by where they sit on wash day, how long they take and what the brands actually claim.

By Kaiser Khan, Founder & Editor Updated 25 September 2026 Editorial policy

Quick answer

What is the best bond-repair or anti-frizz hair treatment?

Olaplex No.3PLUS is the best pre-wash bond treatment: a three-minute step before shampoo, £32. K18’s leave-in mask is the leave-in repair pick; Redken’s Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In adds heat protection; Color Wow Dream Coat is the anti-frizz spray for blow-dried hair; L’Oréal Elvive Bond Repair is the budget pre-shampoo.

Selection is editorial and never paid for. Prices are UK guide prices from official pages or named retailers when checked, and may have changed. How we chose.

Our top picks

The shortlist, by what each does best.

Best pre-wash treatment No.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment Olaplex · Pre-shampoo · 3 minutes · 100ml
Best leave-in repair Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask K18 · K18PEPTIDE · leave-in · 4 minutes
Best leave-in with heat protection Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment Redken · Citric acid · leave-in · 150ml
Best anti-frizz Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Color Wow · Heat-activated spray · 3–4 washes
Best budget Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Treatment L’Oréal Paris · Citric acid complex · 5 minutes · 200ml

Side by side

How the picks compare.

Specifications are summarised from each official product page. Read across a row to see where a product fits; the detailed notes below explain the trade-offs.

Best bond-repair & anti-frizz treatments: how the picks compare
Product	Award	Finish	Key spec	Guide price
No.3PLUS Complete Repair TreatmentOlaplex · Pre-shampoo hair treatment	Best pre-wash treatment	Conditioned feel	Pre-shampoo · 3 minutes · 100ml	£32
Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair MaskK18 · Leave-in peptide hair mask	Best leave-in repair	Strengthened, smooth feel	K18PEPTIDE · leave-in · 4 minutes	See official page
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In TreatmentRedken · Leave-in conditioning treatment	Best leave-in with heat protection	Smooth, conditioned	Citric acid · leave-in · 150ml	£27
Dream Coat Supernatural SprayColor Wow · Heat-activated anti-frizz spray	Best anti-frizz	Glassy smooth	Heat-activated spray · 3–4 washes	See official page
Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo TreatmentL’Oréal Paris · Pre-shampoo hair treatment	Best budget	Conditioned feel	Citric acid complex · 5 minutes · 200ml	£16.99

Specifications from official brand pages; prices are UK guide prices from the brand’s official page or a named UK retailer, checked 25 September 2026. Prices and formulas can change.

The picks in detail

Why each one earns its place.

Strengths and limitations are drawn from specifications — texture, finish, shade range, filters, fragrance, price and availability — not from wear testing.

Best pre-wash treatment

No.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment

Olaplex

No.3PLUS is Olaplex’s current successor to No.3 Hair Perfector, with a three-minute pre-wash routine in place of the original’s longer leave-on time. It is the most established bond-building step in this guide, and it is rinsed out before shampoo.

Format: Pre-shampoo hair treatment
Finish: Conditioned feel
Key spec: Pre-shampoo · 3 minutes · 100ml

What stands out

A three-minute pre-wash routine, per Olaplex
Rinsed out, so it does not change how you style afterwards
£32 for 100ml; a 250ml size is available
Stocked by major UK beauty retailers

Consider first

An extra step before shampoo on wash day
Different directions from the original No.3 — check the bottle
Repair claims are Olaplex’s own

Read the full product guide Olaplex official page Guide price: £32

Best leave-in repair

Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask

K18

K18’s mask is applied after shampoo and left in, built around the brand’s patented K18PEPTIDE. The routine is specific — shampoo without conditioner, towel-dry, apply, wait four minutes, do not rinse — which suits hair that has been bleached, coloured or heat-styled.

Format: Leave-in peptide hair mask
Finish: Strengthened, smooth feel
Key spec: K18PEPTIDE · leave-in · 4 minutes

What stands out

Leave-in format: no rinsing
A four-minute wait, then style as normal
Vegan, colour-safe and cruelty-free, per K18
Brand directions are precise and short

Consider first

Premium-priced for its size — check K18’s UK site
Shampoo without conditioner before applying, per K18
Clinical figures quoted by the brand come from system use, not the mask alone

Read the full product guide K18 official page Guide price: See official page

Best leave-in with heat protection

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment

Redken

Redken’s leave-in conditions clean, damp hair with a citric-acid bonding complex and, per the brand, heat protection up to 230°C. It suits a routine that goes straight from towel-drying to heat styling.

Format: Leave-in conditioning treatment
Finish: Smooth, conditioned
Key spec: Citric acid · leave-in · 150ml

What stands out

Conditioning leave-in with heat protection up to 230°C, per Redken
£27 RRP for 150ml; a 50ml size is sold
Stays in through styling
Acidic pH, per Redken

Consider first

Several products share the Acidic Bonding Concentrate name — check you have the leave-in
Some retailers still list it under the older “Acidic Perfecting Concentrate” name
Not a pre-shampoo treatment

Read the full product guide Redken official page Guide price: £27

Best anti-frizz

Dream Coat Supernatural Spray

Color Wow

Dream Coat is a heat-activated spray: saturate damp hair, then blow-dry with tension. Color Wow claims a humidity-resistant finish that lasts through three to four shampoos, which makes it the pick for frizz rather than repair.

Format: Heat-activated anti-frizz spray
Finish: Glassy smooth
Key spec: Heat-activated spray · 3–4 washes

What stands out

Humidity resistance claimed through three to four shampoos
Weightless, non-greasy positioning
Two levels of heat protection, per Color Wow
Curly and Extra Strength versions for other hair types

Consider first

Works only with blow-drying under tension
An anti-frizz treatment, not a bond-repair product
Claimed to last three to four shampoos, then reapply

Read the full product guide Color Wow official page Guide price: See official page

Best budget

Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Treatment

L’Oréal Paris

Elvive’s pre-shampoo treatment offers the same pre-wash step at a high-street price: a citric acid complex applied to damp hair for five minutes, once a week, then rinsed. L’Oréal Paris designs it to be followed by the rest of the Bond Repair range.

Format: Pre-shampoo hair treatment
Finish: Conditioned feel
Key spec: Citric acid complex · 5 minutes · 200ml

What stands out

£16.99 RRP for 200ml, often discounted at Boots
Once-a-week, five-minute routine
Widely stocked on the UK high street

Consider first

Contains fragrance (parfum) and fragrance allergens
The brand’s results come from using it with the matching shampoo and conditioner
Another pre-wash step to fit in

Read the full product guide L’Oréal Paris official page Guide price: £16.99

What to look for

Read the label before the award.

Where it sits on wash day

Pre-shampoo treatments are rinsed out; leave-ins stay on; heat-activated sprays need blow-drying. Pick the step your routine can actually accommodate.

Repair or frizz?

Bond-building treatments target damage from bleach, colour and heat. Anti-frizz sprays manage the finish and humidity. They are different jobs, and many routines need only one.

Read the exact name

Olaplex No.3 and No.3PLUS have different directions, and Redken sells several Acidic Bonding Concentrate products. Follow the instructions on the bottle you own.

Heat protection

Only some treatments protect against heat. Redken states protection up to 230°C for its leave-in; Color Wow describes two levels of heat protection. A pre-wash treatment is rinsed out before styling.

Claims are system results

Brands often test treatments alongside their own shampoo and conditioner. Treat percentages as brand claims about a full routine, not a single product.

Fragrance

High-street hair care is usually fragranced. Check the ingredient list if you react to fragrance allergens such as limonene or linalool.

How we chose

Desk research, stated plainly.

This guide is desk research. We compared bond-repair and anti-frizz hair treatments using the brands’ published formulas, ingredient lists, specifications and directions, together with UK prices from official pages or named retailers on 25 September 2026. None of the products was tested in a laboratory or worn by our editors for this guide.

We grouped treatments by where they sit on wash day — before shampoo, left in after washing, or activated by heat — and recorded timings, heat requirements, fragrance and UK price. The original Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector was left out because Olaplex has replaced it with No.3PLUS in the UK.

Awards describe fit — the job a product is best suited to — rather than a single overall score. Brand claims are reported as brand claims. No brand paid for inclusion, and shopping links elsewhere on the site do not influence which products appear here.

Questions

Best bond-repair & anti-frizz treatments, answered

What is the difference between Olaplex No.3 and No.3PLUS?: No.3PLUS is Olaplex’s current successor to No.3 Hair Perfector, with a three-minute pre-wash routine. Olaplex’s UK site now sells No.3PLUS; follow the directions on the bottle you have.
Should I use Olaplex or K18?: They sit at different points in wash day. Olaplex No.3PLUS is a pre-shampoo treatment you rinse out; K18’s mask is applied after shampoo and left in. Choose by which step fits your routine.
Does Color Wow Dream Coat repair damaged hair?: No. Color Wow positions Dream Coat as a heat-activated anti-frizz treatment for a smooth, humidity-resistant finish, not a bond-repair product.
How often should I use a bond-repair treatment?: Follow the product’s directions. L’Oréal Paris suggests weekly use for its Elvive pre-shampoo treatment; Olaplex and K18 give their own frequencies on pack.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Olaplex?: L’Oréal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Treatment is the budget pre-wash option in this guide, at £16.99 RRP for 200ml. Its formula and claims differ from Olaplex’s, so it is an alternative step rather than a copy.

Sources

Where the facts come from.

All sources checked 25 September 2026. Spotted an error? Email desk@thecastindex.com or read our corrections policy.

Keep exploring

What is the best bond-repair or anti-frizz hair treatment?

The shortlist, by what each does best.

How the picks compare.

Why each one earns its place.

No.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment

What stands out

Consider first

Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask

What stands out

Consider first

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment

What stands out

Consider first

Dream Coat Supernatural Spray

What stands out

Consider first

Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Treatment

What stands out

Consider first

Read the label before the award.

Where it sits on wash day

Repair or frizz?

Read the exact name

Heat protection

Claims are system results

Fragrance

Desk research, stated plainly.

Best bond-repair & anti-frizz treatments, answered

What is the difference between Olaplex No.3 and No.3PLUS?

Should I use Olaplex or K18?

Does Color Wow Dream Coat repair damaged hair?

How often should I use a bond-repair treatment?

Is there a cheaper alternative to Olaplex?

Where the facts come from.

More best-of guides.