Sali Hughes on beauty: how to repair your hair in three minutes – no scissors or faffing required

There are few brands one can credit with having changed the beauty game, but the launch of Olaplex just over a decade ago invalidated the assertion that the only way to fix damaged hair is to cut it.

It used a patented ingredient (the unpronounceable bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate) to strengthen and rebuild all types of hair bonds ravaged by bleach, colour and other chemical or heat treatments.

Having looked at bonds under a microscope, I think it’s easiest to think of them as tiles on a roof: when they’re in good nick, they’re even, smooth and regular; when not, more jagged, missing and letting in rain.

Hairdressers raved about Olaplex, clinical and consumer trials agreed, rival and new brands jumped on the bonding trend and launched countless – sometimes inferior, occasionally credible – variations on the theme. And yet for me, even the promise of stronger, healthier hair could never quite tempt me to undertake with any regularity the unholy faff of using Olaplex’s hero product, No3.

This pre-wash repair cream went on wet un-shampooed hair and then one had to amuse oneself – grubby, dripping and rapidly cooling – for 20-30 minutes while it went to work, before re-entering the shower to shampoo. I’d rather my hair snapped.

Clearly I wasn’t the only one who needed Olaplex to fix more than damage. Enter the new No3 Plus (£32) and its drastically improved method of use, that, in my case, makes all the difference between compliance and neglect. My very fine, bleach-damaged hair now gets the same proven results in three minutes.

I shampoo, gently wring, apply No3 Plus, tend to leg shaving and ablutions, then shampoo again and condition as normal. Painless. I’ve used it for three months and it works.

If you actually enjoy the self-care ceremony of slower-acting, intensive masks, 98 Beauty’s Hydra Bond Hydrating Masque (£35) feels reassuringly luxurious and hard working. British formulated and independent, it treats hair with bond strengthening proteins, natural oils and a beautiful fragrance that lingers long after drying. It’s very easy, but takes 20 minutes to work, so I save it for bath nights and settle into a podcast.

For those with damaged hair but zero shower time to spare, Living Proof can still lay claim to the lowest effort bond repair treatment of all. Its Triple Bond Complex (£45) is raked through damp hair then activated by the heat from your dryer. No prewash, no rinse.