The original, what makes it special, the shelf parts we use and how to get closer. Add or swap parts and the score updates.
The original · Olaplex
$44 · 6.76 fl oz
A rich rinse-out mask of plant oils, butters, fatty alcohols and cationic conditioners that coat and soften dry or thick hair.
Prices and listings checked Oct 28, 2026. Amazon prices change; the link shows today's price.
Step 2 · The build
Not Your Mother's
Partial credit means the part only partly matches that standout.
The 100 points
We split Olaplex Rich Hydration Hair Mask for Dry or Medium to Thick Hair into 5 standout parts. Each bar shows what the build earns.
The conditioning base (Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Behentrimonium Chloride) is what coats and detangles the hair after the rinse. A shelf formula with the same kind of base does the same job.
The brand's bond-building active (Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate) is the headline claim. No shelf product in our lines contains it.
No close retail equivalent: we credit at most 40% of these points.
Oils and butters (C10-18 Triglycerides, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil) soften the hair and seal in moisture.
Hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids (Arginine) are added to coat and temporarily fill rough spots on the hair surface.
Humectants (Propanediol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol) pull in water and keep the hair feeling soft.
Optional
73 / 100. We have not found a shelf product that closes more of the gap yet.
87 is our ceiling. Bond-building active has no close retail equivalent, so we cap it at 40% credit.
Step 3 · Buy
One link per part. Each opens the retailer in a new tab.
Your build
Running total $10.99
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Snapshot prices. Each link shows today's price.
One bottle instead of a build. Sorted by match score; scores use the same standouts as above.
Not Your Mother's
Why it is close. A deeper, oil-richer mask in the same price tier of effort; no direct ingredient match to Olaplex's oils.
Not an affiliate link.
The Ordinary
Why it is close. A plain conditioner base, the cheapest way to get the same cationic conditioning.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Running total
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Not Your Mother's
The Ordinary
Running total
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The Ordinary
In a lab test on hair colored with oxidative dye, adding conditioning agents (a silane/panthenol blend, PEG-12 dimethicone, or hydrolyzed silk and milk protein) cut protein loss and combing damage compared with dye alone.
da 2018 · J Cosmet DermatolA combing test found bleaching raises hair breakage and that nearly all anti-breakage products on the market pair silicones with cationic polymers.
Haake 2009 · J Cosmet SciIn a controlled comparison, coconut oil reduced protein loss from damaged and undamaged hair when used before or after washing; sunflower and mineral oil did not. This applies to coconut oil itself, not to a blend that contains some.
Rele 2003 · J Cosmet SciSpectroscopy on bleached hair treated with maleate-based repair agents saw the agents interact with the hair and give a more regular surface, but found no sign of new disulfide bonds. The test did not use this product.
Di 2021 · Int J Biol MacromolAqua/Water/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dodecane, C10-18 Triglycerides, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Propanediol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil, Myristyl Myristate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Brassica Glycerides, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Dioctyldodecyl Dodecanedioate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Ethyl Oleate, Fragrance/Parfum, Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Quaternium-87, Isopropyl Alcohol, Lactic Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Gum, Propylene Glycol, Maltodextrin, Chlorphenesin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Sclerotium Gum, Arginine, Silybum Marianum Seed Extract, Succinic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Citral, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, TBHQ, Sodium Hydroxide, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 (CI 15985)
We split Olaplex Rich Hydration Hair Mask for Dry or Medium to Thick Hair into 5 standout parts worth 100 points in total. The build earns 73 of a possible 87. 87 is the most we claim, because some standouts have no close retail equivalent.
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Deep Hydration Mask by Not Your Mother's is our closest single-product match at 73 out of 100 for $10.99 (10 oz tub). It shares Fatty alcohol + behentrimonium base, Castor oil.
Olaplex Rich Hydration Hair Mask for Dry or Medium to Thick Hair costs $44 for 6.76 fl oz. The closest dupe costs $10.99, a saving of about $33.01. Prices change, so check the seller page.
No. Dupes share the key actives but can differ in concentration, vehicle and supporting ingredients. Missing from this one: Avocado and sunflower oils, Brassicamidopropyl dimethylamine. See our methodology for how we score.
Olaplex · bond-repair
$10.99our build, 1 partOriginal $34, build $10.99.
Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · conditioner
~$18.78our build, 2 partsOriginal $34, build ~$18.78.
Neutrogena + Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · dry-shampoo
~$17.98our build, 2 partsOriginal $30, build ~$17.98.
Not Your Mother's