A woman was left gobsmacked after she immediately saved £90 using a £3 Aldi SpecialBuy. Lucy Williamson rushed to Aldi when she saw the supermarket's newest £3.49 beauty Special Buy.
Aldi is now stocking bottles of shampoo, conditioner and pre-wash hair treatments that look incredibly similar to Olaplex. While they don't contain the bond repair ingredient that has made Olaplex such a cult product
That said, Lucy, who is a reporter at our sister site MyLondon, set out to try the range. Lucy was shocked by the results.#
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She said; "Given I have long, bleached-blonde locks, my hair is always in need of some TLC. But an Olaplex bundle of Shampoo, Conditioner and hair mask can EASILY set you back at least £100. And I don't know about you, but my hair will probably have turned grey by the time I can afford that every couple of months.
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"So when Aldi sent me their Olaplex-inspired range, where prices start from just £3.50, I was quick to lather my hair up."
Here's how it went:
The products
The postman delivered the Aldi Lacura goods
The range is part of Aldi's hair and beauty brand - Lacura. Aldi claim the new Lacura Bonded Shampoo, Conditioner and Pre-Wash Treatment, boast a "nourishing and hydrating formula" that promises to "repair and revitalise dull, damaged and frizzy hair".
The supermarket claims the products are salon quality and 87% cheaper than Olaplex. It is packaged in bottles of a very suspiciously similar look and feel to the well-known Olaplex variety. Just to soften the blow that you are in fact, cheap.
Pre-wash hair treatment (£3.49) A dupe for Olaplex’s No.3 hair perfector (£28 via Lookfantastic), the pre-wash hair treatment is designed to be used as a hydrating leave-in treatment before you wash your hair. It says to leave it in for ten minutes.
Shampoo (£3.49) While it doesn’t contain Olaplex’s hero ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which helps hair bonding, Aldi does note that the cruelty-free formula is made with “premium ingredients.” These include vitamin E, hyaluronic acid and hydrogenated castor oil which are all beneficial for healthier hair.
Conditioner (£3.49) - A whopping £24 cheaper than Olaplex’s No.5 bond maintenance conditioner.
The Verdict
Alexa, wash my hair (if only). As someone who has long hair, hair wash day (which is about three times a week) can be a bit of a chore. So any product which can keep my hair ticking along for a little longer I will welcome with own arms (price dependent).
I stared down the barrel of the pre-wash treatment bottle, which instructed me to apply to damp hair. So I did that awkward thing where you stand half in and half out the shower, flip your head and try to only get your hair wet. With damp socks and T-shirt, I padded out of the bathroom and was ready to apply the treatment.
When it comes to treatments, I need something super hydrating, that spread evenly and leaves hair feeling soft and glossy, and most importantly, detangles. This pre-wash treatment did just that, and the fragrance was STUNNING. It smelt, well, not like it was from ALDI. It smelt like a bougie hair salon. Like the smell of a hair stylist DOUSING you in hairspray and random oil after a cut which you just say yes to, to feel like you're getting your money's worth.
I left the treatment on for 10 minutes or so, taking it as a good opportunity to do some chores (probably ended up 20 minutes) and then jumped in the shower to wash it out. As for the shampoo, a little went a long way. I love a lathery shampoo that makes you feel like you're giving your hair a thorough deep clean.
I have to admit, I hated the feeling of my hair when I had just rinsed the shampoo off. It felt stripped of absolutely everything. So clean, it felt very squeaky. Reminding myself to trust the process, I popped on the conditioner. It had the same, expensive-feeling scent and I could feel the tangles dropping out.
All washed and ready to go, I was hoping it would be a 'hairytale' ending. I left it to air-dry for 10 minutes before blasting it with a hairdryer (without any of those fancy blow dry techniques).
I'm frequently buying different shampoos to find one that doesn't leave my ends dry and my scalp clogged with product. You could say I'm someone who can't hold down a shampoo brand any more than I can hold down a relationship.
But with this Aldi newbie, I reckon it's a winner. My hair was left feeling soft, light and smelling delicious. Even the next day, it's still shiny. The kind of shiny where it makes you want to take selfies. Bravo Aldi, Bravo. 9/10.
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