Klairs is a Korean skincare company that makes the 2-in-1 cotton pads. In the box are two types of cotton pads, a 5-times compressed cotton pad and a sponge pad, 60 each.
I had been using regular cotton rounds for toner and found they absorbed too much product, so used my fingers to pat in product. I bought these on a whim to get free shipping with a skincare order.
From the Klairs website: Compressed cotton pad – 100% cotton for soft, smooth skin. A certified 100% pure cotton pad designed for the Klairs toner, compressed 5 times with the waterjet process. Wipe away irritants and gently exfoliate for soft, smooth skin. Use before other skin care products to help aid absorption. Increase hydration, decrease product waste. Sponge pad – Increase hydration, decrease the amount of product used. Air laid pulp fabric designed to act like a sponge. Doesn’t absorb the product fully, but soaks up the toner to effectively deliver the full hydration to the skin. Rather than wiping, use a patting motion to calm and cool irritated skin.
Directions state, after cleansing, saturate the compressed cotton pad with toner and gently wipe the skin. After this, apply toner to the sponge pad and pat on the face.
The cotton squares measure 6 x 6 cm with the sponge pads 2 mm thick and the cotton pads 1 mm thick.
The compressed cotton pads are thin with textured lines and don’t absorb much product (unlike normal cotton rounds) and they exfoliate the skin a bit, of course, being more gentle than physical scrubs, and quite good for getting rid of flaky skin from use with Retin-A and removing leftover makeup and cleanser residue after cleansing. These aren’t super gentle when using Retin-A or wiping around the eyes. The cotton pads don’t break down nor do they leave lint.
The sponge pads are a bit thicker and soak in the product rather than absorbing it, with most of the product being dispensed out to the face when patting in. Toner almost seems to multiply as I pat it on the skin. The sponges work best with watery formulas and not as well with thicker formulas; thin gel products work okay as well. I like to use the sponges as spot masks; apply essence or serum to the sponge and place on the area of the face to be treated. As an under-eye mask, I cut the sponge in half, apply a serum or eye cream, then stick it in the fridge for later use. The sponges work much better than the fingers for even distribution.
These toner mate cotton pads are more expensive than cotton rounds, but aren’t too small to be used when cut in half.
I will continue to purchase these, but might get softer cotton pads for use around the eyes. I love the sponge pads and wish they were sold separately as I use them for masks as well.
The No. 7 Bonding Oil is the newest addition to the Olaplex line. This is a lightweight, concentrated oil that claims to increase softness, shine and manageability, repairs damaged hair, strengthens and protects hair structure and improves color vibrancy while minimizing frizz. It also provides heat protection up to 450 degrees.
The first ingredient is dimethicone which, from what I’ve read on different sites, is a cheaper silicone that is not water soluble and is hard to remove. However, Olaplex says they use a high quality, low molecular weight, water soluble dimethicone that easily washes away and does not build up in the hair. I was surprised to see corn oil listed, as this is not an oil I think of for use on hair, but corn oil prevents dryness by locking in the hair’s moisture. It contains vitamins K and E and omegas 3, 6 and 9. In addition to other oils, this has propandiol, a conditioning humectant. The Bonding Oil also contains Olaplex’s bond builder that helps repair disulfide bonds that are broken down during a chemical service.
Directions state to tip the bottle upside down and tap on the bottom to dispense a few drops to damp or dry hair. This can be mixed into the No. 6 styling cream (or leave-in conditioner or other styling aid) and/or applied after using Olaplex’s new No. 8 moisture mask.
As a side note, I’ve been using silicone-free products in my fine hair for about a year mainly because, if I use a silicone-containing conditioner, the silicone seals moisture in the hair, but doesn’t allow other treatments to penetrate the silicone (apparently), so anything I put on my hair after using that conditioner would be useless I gather. Over the last few months my hair has gotten so dry and looks quite damaged despite my best efforts (though I do need a haircut; I haven’t gotten anything done with my hair for about 8 months). I’ve also had breakage. I’ve been thinking about adding silicone back to my hair and thought this bonding oil would be a good place to start.
The oil is easy to get out of the bottle. It has a light scent that doesn’t really linger. This feels like a dry oil that is not heavy. Above, I rubbed it on my arm for a couple seconds and it doesn’t leave an oily residue, but leaves a smooth-feeling sheen.
Above, in the before photo, I air dried my hair and combed through it a bit, then added about 8 drops for the after photo. There is an immediate smooth feeling to the hair (due to the dimethicone) and it looks a bit less frizzy and less poofy with a bit of shine.
The before photo above was after using a clarifying shampoo and moisturizing treatment and after, 8 drops of the Olaplex oil. Again, the hair feels smoother in the after photo. It’s harder to see results on this curlier hair.
I’ve used the oil on towel dried hair as well to see if the hair detangles with a wide tooth comb and the Bonding Oil on it own. It’s better than combing with wet hair and no product, but using a leave-in conditioner detangles and combs through better.
My flat iron glides through the hair much nicer and with less friction with the application of the oil.
I wash my hair about every 5 to 6 days and can use the Bonding Oil morning and night with no buildup or heaviness on the hair between wash days.
Again, my hair is quite dry, damaged and poofy and my hair seems to absorb this quite fast, so there aren’t really amazing visible results in the photos (of course, I haven’t been using this for long). I can only assume that the hair is getting repaired from the inside due to the bond repair technology. My 4-inch grown out hair with no color feels better than my colored hair with the Olaplex use.
I’ve used the oil for about 3 weeks, morning and evening, and my hair is softer and more manageable. I apply after using a leave-in conditioner and/or heavier hair oils on towel dried hair to seal in moisture. I’ve been getting breakage at the back, underside layers of my hair when I wash it and I think, with the use of the Olaplex, there is less breakage.
I’ll try and update the photos here after I get my hair cut and colored in a couple weeks to see if there is a more visible difference using the No. 7 oil after I get a few of those dry, damaged inches off my hair.
Update (October 26, 2019):
The above photos are a couple weeks after a color, cut and keratin straightening treatment. For the first photo I blow dried my hair and applied Olaplex No. 7 after. The second and third photos are air dried hair with the after photos showing application of the hair oil. The hair looks smoother with less fly-aways and a more “finished” look.
I like that the Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil creates an immediate smoothness and softness on the hair and I can feel results rather than see a dramatic difference at this point. My hair might be too dry and damaged and this product is so light, I feel like I could use a lot of this oil before my hair would actually feel moisturized. I’ll likely continue to purchase for the bonding technology, heat protection and smooth feeling on the hair as a nice last step in my hair routine to seal moisture in. Time will tell if there is long term improvement.
I store my skin care, hair care and makeup on Ikea Raskog carts and wheel them into my closet. This keeps products out of humidity, temperature changes and light in the bathroom.
Below are my routines using some favorites, finishing up others and adding in some new products to try out and review. For reference, I have oily skin prone to breakouts, blackheads, large pores and hyperpigmentation. My hair is frizzy, dry and damaged. I like natural-looking makeup.
Morning Skin Care Routine:
Mask and cleanse with NIOD Sanskrit Saponins.
Tone with Soon Jung pH 5.5 Relief Toner.
Mist with Caudalie Grape Water and pat in The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics.
Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid every second day.
Biossance Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel.
Saturday Skin Waterfall Glacier Water Cream mixed with The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder (every second day).
The Ordinary Mineral UV Filters SPF 30.
Your Best Face Skincare Quench Lip Treatment.
Evening Skin Care Routine:
Double cleanse with The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser and Biossance Squalance + Tea Tree Cleansing Gel.
Exfoliate with Amarte Daily Exfolipowder.
Tone with Soon Jung pH 5.5 Relief Toner.
Mist with NIOD SDSM.
Biossance Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel.
Treat with Retin-A.
Morning and Evening Neck Skin Care:
Cleanse as above.
Mist with Caudalie and Marine Hyaluronics.
Dior Capture Youth Age-Delay Advanced Creme mixed with L-Ascorbic Acid.
Biossance 100% Squalane Oil.
Add suncare in the morning.
Evening Lip Care:
As-needed lip scrub with white sugar, L-ascorbic acid, The Ordinary Marula Oil.
Marine Hyaluronics.
Quench.
Squalane oil.
Weekly Skin Care Routine:
Steam.
Foreo Luna 2 for combination skin.
Choice of mask/Foreo UFO.
Shower Skin Care:
Dry brush before shower.
Cleanse with Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash with salicylic acid.
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA.
After Shower Skin Care:
Mist with Akita Rose Water mixed with L-ascorbic acid.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration.
Biossance Squalane Oil.
Christophe Robin Intense Regenerating Balm with Rare Prickly Pear Oil on extra dry spots; knees, elbows, heels.
Shower Hair Care:
Wash and condition every 5 days with Briogeo Banana + Coconut Superfoods Shampoo and Conditioner.
Scalp massaging shampoo brush.
Every couple weeks wash with Briogeo Scalp Revival Micro-exfoliating Shampoo and deep condition with Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask.
Raiyne On Beauty 