This is more of a first impression rather than a full review of Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask as I have only used it once. I will update at the end of the post in a month or two with more photos (3-month update at bottom of this post).

The No. 8 mask is Olaplex’s newest product for all hair types and textures and particularly for damaged hair. This hair mask claims to repair, add shine and moisture, smooth and add body to damaged hair. The No. 8 mask is different from the No. 3 Hair Perfector in that it is to be used after shampooing in place of conditioner once a week. No. 3 is a treatment used on damp hair that is then shampooed and conditioned.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua/Eau), Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima, (Avocado) Oil, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Bromide, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Quaternium-80, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Seed Extract, Ceramide AP, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Arginine, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Jojoba Esters, Panthenol, Squalane, Carthamus Tinctorius (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Histidine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Phosphatidylcholine, Citric Acid, Sodium Lactate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Bis-Cetearyl Amodimethicone, Fragrance (Parfum), Citral, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene

The mask contains dimethicone as the second ingredient. As mentioned in my review of the Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil, from what I’ve read on different sites, dimethicone 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. The mask is formulated with plant oils, ceramides, amino acids and the bonding technology Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate that rebuilds broken and weakened bonds in the hair due to chemical and mechanical damage.

Directions: Apply to clean, damp hair from mid-lengths to ends. Work through with fingers. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly; style as usual. Start with one pump for shoulder-length hair; use more for longer or thicker hair and less for fine or short hair. Use sparingly on roots. To be used once a week.

For deep repair, Olaplex recommends using No. 0 and No. 3 along with No. 8 once a week. This could also be followed with No. 7 on damp or dry hair.

I have fine, frizzy, dry hair that I have not gotten colored or cut in a long while, but I am getting breakage towards the front hair and the shorter side pieces, particularly when brushing, that I hope the Olaplex mask can improve. After last getting my hair colored, I have had a band of frizz/damage that looks different from the rest of my hair which I hope will also improve with continued use.

Above is one pump of the hair mask. It is concentrated and thicker in texture and spreads through the hair easily. I sectioned my hair in two halves and applied one pump to each section after shampooing and towel drying. I left the mask on for 15 minutes under a shower cap, then rinsed and air dried (after using the Aquis hair turban). While finger combing the product in, the hair detangled quite nicely. While rinsing, the hair felt very silky.

Above, after one use, my hair is much less frizzy and feels soft with improved fly-aways. The ends of the hair look generally better. I do not really have an issue with body, but the mask left movement and added bounce and my hair was not weighed down. My hair felt softer and more silky than when using the Briogeo moisture mask (though likely due to the silicone in Olaplex No. 8) and not as soft as when using Redken All Soft shampoo and conditioner, though again, has less frizz. My hair has more shine, I expect partially due to my hair being smoother.

So far, I like the Olaplex Bond Intense Moisture Mask and have noticeable results after one use in terms of hydration and frizz. I will update here after I have used the mask for a month or two.

Update – July 12, 2021:

I have continued to use Olaplex No. 8 for 3 months, once a week. I usually wash my hair every 3 days and I noticed that after using the Olaplex, the silky feeling disappeared after the first day and my hair felt normal (rather dry). Between one use of the Olaplex, I used Briogeo’s moisture mask to compare and the hydrated soft feeling on the hair lasted until wash day (maybe because there is no protein in this mask)? My hair looks wavier, though I’m not sure looks necessarily better. I’m hoping repair is taking place inside the hair that would not necessarily be visible. I was having breakage around my front and back hairlines which I am still having despite using No. 8 and a silk pillowcase; I just started using a silk sleep bonnet, so hoping that will help.

I’m not sure about this mask; maybe since my color damage is not recent, this will not help as much (though it is said to improve hydration and mechanical damage as well. I will note that when I went blonde, my hairdresser used the in-salon Olaplex and I later used Olaplex No. 3 and I still had to go back to brunette and cut off a lot of damaged hair (here and here).

I recently got the relatively new K18 hair mask and will be using that next. Follow for upcoming review.

Thanks for reading.