01 / Hair
Before shampoo
The current No.3PLUS routine differs from the original No.3.
Olaplex — No.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment ↗A routine with a purpose.
Decide whether you need a wash-day treatment, conditioning after washing or a styling effect. A pre-shampoo treatment is rinsed out; a leave-in stays on; a styling spray may need heat. The order and instructions are as important as the ingredient name.
Start with the job
Which one fits?
02 / Hair
After washing
A leave-in adds a conditioning step before styling.
Redken — Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment ↗03 / Hair
A styled finish
Check whether the finish depends on blow-drying.
Color Wow — Dream Coat Supernatural Spray ↗Where it fits in your routine
Read the full product name and place it in the right part of wash day. Adjust quantity to density and length. Choose a repeatable routine instead of layering several treatments with incompatible directions.
Before you buy
No.3 and No.3PLUS are different formulas with different timings. A repair claim does not establish heat protection. Check each styling product’s instructions separately.
Shortlists
The best hair picks.
Best-of guide · 5 picks
Best bond-repair & anti-frizz treatments
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.
Read the guide ↗The hair edit
Explore the options.
Compare the role, finish and limitations. Each guide links to its original source and review date. Selection is editorial; no hands-on testing is implied. Product images are brand or retailer packshots, credited on each guide.
2026 formula update
Olaplex · Hair
No.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment
The current successor deserves its own page: the shorter routine should not be confused with the original No.3 instructions.
New to our edit
Redken · Hair
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment
Adds a leave-in option to a treatment-heavy hair shelf. Useful when you want a conditioning step that stays in during styling.
Olaplex · Hair
Bond Shaper Curl Rebuilding Treatment
Professional-only salon treatment — desk context for curl rebuilding; not a retail cart item on this site.
Olaplex · Hair
No.3 Hair Perfector
At-home bond care for Hair as silhouette weeks — weekly maintenance before shampoo, not a salon-only step.
Living Proof · Hair
Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
Hair-as-silhouette support — keeps texture workable between call times.
Color Wow · Hair
Dream Coat Supernatural Spray
Humidity-proof polish for Hair as silhouette — the London line stays sleek when weather works against the outline.
K18 · Hair
Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
Leave-in peptide mask for Hair as silhouette — keeps chemically worked length workable between salon weeks.
L’Oréal Paris · Hair
Elvive Bond Repair Pre-Shampoo Treatment
An accessible weekly pre-wash step for colour- and heat-worked hair between salon visits.
Useful answers
Hair, explained.
Are all bond-care products used before shampoo?
No. Some are pre-shampoo treatments, others are conditioners, masks or leave-ins. Follow the exact product’s directions rather than using the range name to decide.
Does a leave-in replace a styling product?
Only if it also provides the styling effect you want. A conditioning leave-in and a product designed for hold, volume or humidity resistance may do different jobs.