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 light rinse-out mask built on cationic conditioners and fatty alcohols with low-weight emollients.
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 Weightless Nourishing Hair Mask for Fine to Medium Hair into 6 standout parts. Each bar shows what the build earns.
The conditioning base (Cetyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-37, Cetearyl Alcohol) 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 (Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride) soften the hair and seal in moisture.
Hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids (Arginine, Polyglutamic Acid) are added to coat and temporarily fill rough spots on the hair surface.
Humectants (Propanediol, Glycerin, Panthenol) pull in water and keep the hair feeling soft.
Silicones add slip and shine and help cut combing damage. Amodimethicone, Dimethicone do that here.
Optional
75 / 100. We have not found a shelf product that closes more of the gap yet.
89 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 rinse-off conditioning mask with a similar base.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
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, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-37, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Propanediol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Fragrance/Parfum, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-6, Quaternium-22, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, C15-19 Alkane, Dimethicone, Panthenol, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Glucomannan, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Polyimide-1, Cetyl Esters, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Arginine, Lactic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Sorbitol, Citric Acid, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Citral, Polyglutamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Hydroxide, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 (CI 15985)
We split Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Hair Mask for Fine to Medium Hair into 6 standout parts worth 100 points in total. The build earns 75 of a possible 89. 89 is the most we claim, because some standouts have no close retail equivalent.
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Bond Building Mask by Not Your Mother's is our closest single-product match at 75 out of 100 for $10.99 (8 fl oz). It shares Cetyl/cetearyl alcohol + behentrimonium chloride, Lightweight emollient.
Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Hair Mask for Fine to Medium 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: Polyquaternium-37, Hydrogenated ethylhexyl olivate. 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