Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate vs Olaplex — A Working Stylist's Honest Comparison
The two biggest bond-repair brands in haircare are Redken and Olaplex. We use both in the salon. Most clients only know about Olaplex because of the marketing budget.
Here is the honest, no-brand-loyalty comparison: which one works better, which one is better value, and which one is right for your hair.
The short answer
For most clients, Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate (ABC) is the better day-to-day system. It is gentler on coloured hair, easier to use, conditions properly without dryness, and stretches further per bottle.
Olaplex still wins for severe chemical damage — the kind where the hair is snapping when wet and the mid-lengths are mushy. The original Olaplex No.3 treatment is the most powerful bond rebuilder on the consumer market.
Most clients need ABC, not Olaplex. Most clients buy Olaplex because they have heard of it. That is the gap we want to close.
What "bond repair" actually means
Hair is held together by chemical bonds — disulphide bonds, hydrogen bonds, and salt bonds. Bleaching, lifting, chemical treatments, and heavy heat styling break these bonds. Broken bonds cause the symptoms we associate with damage: brittleness, frizz, snapping, mushy texture, and accelerated colour fade.
Bond repair products contain chemistry that rebuilds these bonds. Real bond repair is fundamentally different from conditioning. A conditioner smooths the surface of the hair. A bond repair product rebuilds the internal structure.
Both Olaplex and Redken ABC are real bond-repair systems. The chemistry is different, which is why they perform differently.
How Redken ABC works
The hero ingredient is citric acid, applied at a specific concentration and pH that re-strengthens the bonds on the surface of the hair and seals the cuticle in the same step. The acidic pH itself is doing structural work — the acid environment encourages bonds to re-form on the hair shaft.
The system is a shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, and intensive treatment. The shampoo and conditioner are the daily-use base. The leave-in and treatment are for hair that needs extra support.
Shop ABC Shampoo · Shop ABC Conditioner · Shop ABC Leave-In
How Olaplex works
Olaplex uses a patented active called bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which reconnects broken disulphide bonds inside the hair shaft. The signature product is Olaplex No.3, a pre-shampoo treatment applied to damp hair for 10 minutes before washing.
The brand has expanded into a full shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in range (No.4, No.5, No.6, No.7), but the original No.3 treatment is what made Olaplex famous and is still the most powerful product in the line-up.
Where Redken ABC wins
For most coloured-hair clients. ABC is the gentler everyday system. Coloured hair benefits from the acidic pH on every wash — it improves colour life, smooths the cuticle, and rebuilds surface bonds gradually. Olaplex No.4 and No.5 are good shampoos but not significantly better than ABC for normal colour-care use.
For ease of use. ABC is a regular shampoo and conditioner routine. No pre-shampoo waiting time, no special treatment days. Apply like any product and move on. Olaplex No.3 requires you to set aside 10+ minutes on damp hair before showering — clients skip it after the third week.
For value. ABC bottles are 300ml of shampoo or conditioner at a similar price point to Olaplex's 250ml equivalents. The leave-in goes further per use because you only need a small amount.
For hair that feels conditioned afterwards. Olaplex products are functional but the conditioner is on the lighter side. ABC conditioner genuinely conditions — clients with dry ends report softer hair after ABC than after Olaplex.
Where Olaplex still wins
For severe chemical damage. If your hair is snapping when wet, your mid-lengths feel mushy, and bleach has genuinely broken the internal structure, Olaplex No.3 is the most powerful repair treatment on the consumer market. Use it weekly until the structure rebuilds, then transition to a maintenance system like ABC.
For one-off rescue treatments. The patented chemistry is genuinely better at rebuilding bonds quickly when you need rapid recovery before an event or photoshoot.
The protocol we recommend
Day-to-day for coloured hair: ABC shampoo + conditioner every wash. Add the leave-in if you blow-dry frequently or your hair feels rough.
For genuinely damaged hair: Olaplex No.3 weekly as the rebuild treatment. ABC shampoo + conditioner the rest of the week as maintenance. The two systems complement each other — Olaplex rebuilds, ABC maintains.
For occasional damaged-hair recovery: ABC Intensive Treatment weekly — the Redken in-system version of No.3. Less powerful than Olaplex on the most severely damaged hair but enough for most mid-range damage.
The most common mistakes
Buying Olaplex when you do not actually need it. If your hair is dry, frizzy, or fading but not actually snapping or breaking, you do not need bond repair — you need moisture and surface care. Buy ABC or a hydrating system like Kérastase Nutritive instead.
Using Olaplex No.3 with the wrong shampoo. Following a bond-repair treatment with a sulphate-heavy supermarket shampoo undoes most of the work. The treatment system needs sulphate-free maintenance products on the wash days in between.
Using both systems at full strength simultaneously. Over-conditioning is real. Pick one system as your base; layer the other only when needed.
The stylist's verdict
For most clients, Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate is the better day-to-day system. It is easier to use, conditions properly, and costs less per ml.
Olaplex still earns its spot for severe damage and rescue use. If your hair is genuinely broken, No.3 is the most powerful treatment available without a salon visit. But if you bought Olaplex because of the marketing and your hair is not actually damaged, you are over-spending for results you would get from a regular colour-care system.
Match the product to the actual damage level. That is the trick.
FAQ
Can I use Redken ABC and Olaplex together? Yes. Many of our clients use ABC shampoo + conditioner as the daily system, with Olaplex No.3 as the weekly rescue treatment. They work well in combination.
Is Redken ABC sulphate-free? Yes — both the shampoo and conditioner are sulphate-free and safe for coloured hair.
How long until I see results from ABC? Surface smoothness from wash one. Structural bond improvement is cumulative — most clients report noticeable change at the four-week mark.
Does Redken ABC work on uncoloured hair? Yes — bond repair is useful for heat-damaged hair regardless of colour history. Anyone who heat-styles daily benefits from the acidic-pH cuticle care.
Where can I buy Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate in NZ? UKIYO carries the full ABC range with free NZ shipping over $99.
11% off your first order with code WELCOME11. Free NZ shipping over $99.
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