Davines vs. Olaplex: Which Is Right for Colour-Treated and Blonde Hair?
Olaplex put bond-building on the map. Davines built a reputation for some of the most effective, beautifully formulated colour and blonde care in professional beauty. Both are in our shop. Both are on our shelves and in our treatment room. And clients ask us constantly which one to use.
The honest answer is that they're not really competing. They solve different parts of the same problem. But for blonde and colour-treated hair specifically, understanding what each brand actually does — and which products to reach for — makes a significant difference to your results.
Here's how we think about it.
What Olaplex does
Olaplex is a bond-building brand. That's its entire focus. The technology is built around reconnecting the disulfide bonds inside the hair that get broken during chemical processes — lightening, colouring, perming, relaxing. When those bonds are broken, hair feels brittle, stretchy, snappy, and weak. Olaplex works at the structural level to address that directly.
The at-home range is built as a numbered system, and the products most relevant for blonde and colour-treated hair are:
Nº.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment — $44 CAD
A primer step applied to dry hair before Nº.3. It saturates the hair with active bond-building before the treatment, which amplifies the effect. This is the step that takes the weekly treatment from good to genuinely noticeable. Best for hair that's heavily processed, frequently lightened, or significantly weakened.
Nº.3 Hair Perfector — from $44 CAD
The original Olaplex at-home treatment. Applied to damp hair before shampooing, left on for at least 10 minutes, then rinsed. It reconnects broken bonds and over time — used consistently — makes a real difference to hair that breaks, stretches, or feels structurally compromised. This is one of the most consistently effective at-home repair treatments in the industry.
Nº.6 Bond Smoother — $44 CAD
A leave-in that smooths frizz, controls flyaways, and primes hair for heat styling, all while delivering bond care. Silicone-free. Works on damp hair before drying or straightening. A strong daily leave-in option for colour-treated or chemically processed hair that runs frizzy or dry.
Nº.7 Bonding Oil — from $44 CAD
A concentrated styling oil for shine, frizz control, and heat protection at the finish. A small amount goes a long way — it's finishing polish with bond care built in. Good for blondes and colour-treated hair that wants shine without weight.
Nº.4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo — from $46 CAD and Nº.5P Blonde Enhancer Toning Conditioner — from $46 CAD
Olaplex's blonde-specific duo. The shampoo is a concentrated purple formula that neutralises yellow and brassy tones while delivering bond care. The conditioner continues the toning while smoothing and hydrating. For blondes who want to address brassiness and strengthen at the same time, this is the wash day combination to use.
Nº.4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo — from $46 CAD
A weekly deep-cleansing shampoo that removes buildup, excess oil, and hard water mineral deposits without stripping bond care. If your blonde feels heavy, dull, or coated between appointments, this is the reset step — similar in purpose to a chelating shampoo but with bond-building in the formula.
What Davines does — and how it's different
Davines approaches colour and blonde care from a different angle. Where Olaplex is entirely focused on bond repair as the mechanism, Davines blends bond-building technology with targeted blonde care, colour enhancement, softness, shine, and the kind of sensorial experience that makes the routine genuinely enjoyable. The formulas are Italian, carbon-neutral, and built around the idea that performance and sustainability aren't in conflict.
For blonde and colour-treated hair specifically, there are three Davines lines worth knowing.
Heart of Glass — for blondes
The Heart of Glass collection is Davines' dedicated blonde system. Every product in it uses the Biacidic Bond Complex — a blend that works on the hair's bond structure while simultaneously supporting blonde brightness, shine, and condition. It's repair and colour care happening in the same step.
Heart of Glass Silkening Chelating Shampoo — from $49 CAD
This is the chelating shampoo our colourists reach for when blonde hair starts looking dull, heavy, coated, or darker between appointments. It gently removes hard water mineral deposits and product buildup that regular shampoo can't shift — and it does it without drying. The Biacidic Bond Complex reinforces while it cleanses. If your blonde has lost its brightness and you can't work out why, this is usually the first thing to try.
Heart of Glass Rich Conditioner — $59 CAD
A fortifying conditioner that delivers the Biacidic Bond Complex through every wash. Strengthens, softens, and keeps blonde hair feeling conditioned without heaviness. Designed to be used after the chelating shampoo as part of the regular wash routine.
Heart of Glass Intense Treatment — from $52 CAD
A weekly reinforcing mask for blonde, highlighted, and grey hair. More concentrated than the conditioner — this is the weekly treatment step that delivers deeper bond reinforcement and brightening. Our stylists use this in the back bar before colour services to strengthen the hair before it goes through the lightening process. At home, it's a once-a-week treatment applied after shampooing.
Heart of Glass Instant Bonding Glow — $69 CAD
A rinse-out reinforcing serum that strengthens in a single application. This is the fast-acting treatment for days when you want results quickly — apply to damp hair after shampooing, leave for a few minutes, rinse. Noticeably smoother, shinier blonde in one use.
Heart of Glass Sheer Glaze — $49 CAD
A brightening thermal leave-in for blonde hair. Applied before heat styling, it provides heat protection while adding luminosity and a finishing glow to blonde. This is the leave-in our team reaches for at the end of a blonde service — it finishes the hair with that clean, expensive-looking shine.
Beautiful Things — the leave-in mask
Beautiful Things Restoring Leave-In Mask — $85 CAD
This is one of the products we recommend most consistently for colour-treated and lightened hair, and it doesn't fit neatly into a single category — it's a leave-in, a treatment, and a repair product in one step. Powered by Biomimetic Botanical Keratin, it restores softness and strength to hair that's been through colour, bleach, or heat without requiring a rinse. Apply to damp hair, distribute through mid-lengths and ends, and style as usual.
The reason we love this for blondes specifically: lightened hair is porous, which means it drinks product quickly and loses moisture fast. The Beautiful Things Leave-In sits on the hair all day (or overnight) rather than rinsing away, which means the repair time is significantly longer than a mask you rinse after five minutes. For clients who find their hair is soft right after a mask but dry again within a day or two, a leave-in treatment like this is often the missing piece.
It pairs naturally with the Heart of Glass collection — shampoo and condition with HOG, then apply the Beautiful Things Leave-In before styling. That combination is available as our Davines Blonde Care Set ($164 CAD).
NOUNOU — for processed, brittle, or chemically treated hair
For colour-treated hair that's dry, brittle, or heavily processed but isn't specifically focused on blonde brightness, the NOUNOU line is the Davines system we reach for.
NOUNOU Shampoo — from $18 CAD
A rich, restorative shampoo built around Fiaschetto Tomato Extract — a sustainably sourced ingredient grown in the volcanic soil of southern Italy that Davines uses for its nourishing and strengthening properties. It cleanses gently while feeding the hair structure rather than stripping it. This is the everyday shampoo for chemically treated, lightened, bleached, or permed hair that needs consistent nourishment at every wash.
NOUNOU Conditioner — from $20 CAD
A deeply nourishing conditioner that delivers the same Fiaschetto Tomato Extract complex through the conditioning step. Softens, smooths, and supports colour-treated hair without heaviness. For hair that's dry and processed, this is the conditioner that actually makes a difference you can feel.
NOUNOU Mask — from $55 CAD
A fast-acting treatment mask that repairs the hair fibre and locks in moisture for processed and brittle hair. Used once or twice a week in place of conditioner. This is the intensive version of the NOUNOU system — deeper repair, more nourishment, used when the hair needs more than daily conditioning can deliver.
So which do you actually need?
The simplest way to think about it:
If your hair feels structurally weak — snapping, stretching when wet, breaking at the hairline, or fragile after bleach — start with Olaplex. Nº.3 weekly, Nº.0 before it if the damage is significant. Bond repair at the structural level is what your hair needs first.
If your blonde looks dull, coated, heavy, or has lost its brightness — start with the Davines Heart of Glass Silkening Chelating Shampoo. The problem is likely mineral buildup, not structural damage, and a chelating shampoo solves it where bond repair won't.
If your colour-treated hair is dry, brittle, and processed but not specifically blonde — the NOUNOU system is where to start. It's the most consistently effective nourishing and repair system in the Davines range for chemically treated hair.
If your hair is soft right after a treatment but dry again within a day or two — the Beautiful Things Restoring Leave-In Mask is the product to add. A rinse-out treatment can only do so much. A leave-in works continuously.
Can you use both brands at the same time? Yes. Many of our clients use Olaplex Nº.3 as their weekly bond repair treatment and Davines for their everyday wash and finish routine. They work at different points in the routine and don't conflict. The combination of structural repair (Olaplex) and daily nourishment and colour care (Davines) is actually more comprehensive than either brand alone.
If you're not sure where to start, ask your Moda stylist at your next appointment. We know what we used on your hair and what it needs — and everything we reach for in the chair is available to shop.
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