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I admit I don’t use clarifying shampoos like the Olaplex N° 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo as often anymore as I used to. Not only don’t I use dry shampoo nearly as much as I used to, but I also found them to leave my hair very stripped and often tangled, making me think it did more damage than good to the health of my hair.
Well, one of the main claims in olaplex version is that it won’t do that, so I had high hopes and figured, with summer approaching the occasional deep clean would be a good idea.
But did the product deliver?
If you are curious about both N! 4C and N° 4P, you can watch my video on them here
What the Olaplex N° 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo claims
What makes healthy hair dull, discolored, dry, unmanageable, or oily? Buildup. Nº.4C Bond Maintenance® Clarifying Shampoo features new technology to reveal your healthiest hair. Optimize your hair repair results by removing more impurities that damage hair. Harsh clarifiers can leave hair like straw. Nº.4C is sulfate-free & pH balanced to maintain hydrated hair and scalp.
Facts about the Olaplex N° 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo
Prize and size
The shampoo is packed in a baby blue bottle, probably to make it easily distinguishable from the original one in the white bottle. It contains 250 ml and is availabe for 28,95 € on the website here.
Texture and smell
Despite coming in a blue bottle, the product itself is clear and has the typical Olaplex scent, maybe a little more subtle than the regular shampoo. It isn’t really runny or creamy, but still easy enough to get out of the bottle and it has a good lather.
How to use the Olaplex N° 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo
The website advises you to use it once a week instead of your regular shampoo, but depending on your hair and your overall routine, that might be too much. I personally prefer to use it based on how my hair feels, which is more like every other week, and use it only on my crown, not through the lengths. Despite the claims I feel it leaves my hair rather stripped and tangled, so I need a rich conditioner or hair mask to follow up.
After that though my hair can go twice as long before needing another wash and every residue of dry shampoo or other styling products has disappeared.
Ingredients of the Olaplex N° 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo
so|h 0 0, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate chel, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Polyquaternium-11, Benzoic Acid pres, Sodium PCA sii|h 0 0, Pentasodium Triphosphate buff|chel, Sodium Lactate buff|h, Arginine sii, Aspartic Acid sii, Pca sii|h, Citric Acid buff, Glycine sii, Alanine sii, Serine sii, Valine sii, Isoleucin, Isoleucine sii, Proline sii, Threonine sii, Histidine sii|h, Phenylalanine sii, Fragrance (Parfum) 
perf, Citral perf, Hexyl Cinnamal perf, Limonene perf|solvHover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
It might not contain sulfates, but pretty much every other mild hair cleansing agent you can think of, which explains why it is so thorough. Then there is obviously Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, the Olaplex key ingredient and Panthenol as well as a bunch of amino acids to help condition the hair. (More info: How does Olaplex work? and The benefits of Panthenol in skincare)
To achieve the typical scent there is also fragrance including Citral and Limonene. (More info: Is fragrance in your products dangerous?)
Does it live up to its claims?
Parts.
I mean, it is probably pH balanced and it is sulfate free, but it surely does not keep my hair healthy and hydrated.
Would I repurchase and which hair types do I recommend the Olaplex N° 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo to?
You know I am a long time lover of both Olaplex N° 3 and the N° 4/ N°5 combo, but the Clarifying shampoo just leaves my hair too stripped to be better than the regular ones I get from the drugstore for a fraction of the price. On top of that using it only once every two weeks will surely not make a difference in bond maintenance. It is probably a good option for very oily hair or hair that a lot of styling products are used on, as it can really get rid of that completely and, with more frequent use, might make a difference in hair health.
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