For Adults · Sources checked 6 October 2026 · General education.
Start with how you wash and handle it
If your lengths feel rough or keep tangling, start with the basics you can repeat. On a standard wash day, work shampoo mainly over the scalp, condition after washing, and ease out knots gently. Follow a treatment's specific sequence when it differs. Fine hair may need conditioner mainly at the ends; dry or curly hair may need it through the lengths. Choose for your texture rather than somebody else's routine.
American Academy of Dermatology: healthy hair tipsGive a repair product a specific place
Original OLAPLEX No.3 is a pre-shampoo treatment that is rinsed out; use the timing on that bottle, not the newer No.3PLUS directions. K18's leave-in mask goes on towel-dried hair after shampooing without conditioner. Its brand directions say to wait four minutes and not rinse it out. Choose a sequence you can follow. These are two separate examples, not instructions to combine both in one wash.
OLAPLEX original No.3: exact retailer listingK18: leave-in mask directionsMake the rest of the routine kinder
Blot or wrap wet hair gently instead of rubbing it hard. Reduce repeated hot-tool passes and tight styles that pull. If you colour or chemically treat your hair, talk with your hairdresser about spacing services and managing breakage. Ongoing thinning, patches or scalp problems are a reason to speak with a clinician.
American Academy of Dermatology: habits that damage hair