IT’S no secret that beauty products can cost a small fortune sometimes, so when one woman discovered her monthly outgoings had soared to £12,025 she knew exactly what to cut out.
Jess Miller confessed she’d been forking out at least £40 per month on Olaplex for her long locks and knew she needed to make a change if she wanted to save money.
Her hunt for a replacement lead her to a dupe for the haircare brand from none other than B&M.
The Plex System shampoo and conditioner costs just £2.49 each, which is a whole lot cheaper than Olaplex, which usually retails for around £23 per bottle – ouch!
Jess also got her hands on a hair mask from the bargain brand, bring her total up to just £7.47.
“It’s a huge saving if I like these products,” the hair fan said in a viral TikTok she shared recently.
So far, Jess said she’s only used the products twice but they did leave her hair looking and feeling great.
Although she confessed she doesn’t know if they’ll be as good in the long run as her trusty Olaplex, things were looking pretty positive.
The Plex System Cleansing Shampoo – Bond even has a lush coconut scent, which Jess said she loves.
That said, the beauty fan revealed she ends up using slightly more product when she washes her tresses, since the product “doesn’t lather up as much as the Olaplex.”
Onto the conditioner, and after a rocky start the dupe turned out to be a total winner as well.
Jess explained that as she applied the product to damp hair it did feel slightly “tacky” at first, but after rinsing and drying her locks they felt amazing.
If you’re looking for a deeper condition though, the hair mask was the star of the show.
“If you’re thinking about swapping from Olaplex to this then I would definitely buy the hair mask because it does make a big difference,” she said.
Overall, the beauty lover admitted she’s a huge fan of the swap, and not just because of how much money it’s saving her.
She asked followers to send her any other bargain hair products they swear by so she can try them out too, and many agreed the B&M dupes are great.
“I used these and the shampoo is lovely and lasted me ages.
“I didn’t really use the conditioner but the hair mask and the serum they have a really good too,” one commented on the post.
“The Aldi dupes are really good, about £4 each, I swapped them months ago,” a second added.
“Pantene Bone Repair is really good too,” another said.
But not everyone was convinced the cheaper alternatives would work in the long run.
“I’ve used this, they were good but after a while it does dry your hair out so much,” one person warned.
And someone else wrote: “As a hairdresser the cheaper hair products the cheaper quality and ingredients, some will build up and have silicone in them.”
“Sine things I couldn’t trade in and Olaplex is one, always wondered what the dupes are like,” someone else mused.
IF your purse is feeling tighter than ever before and you're looking to save cash on your make-up routine, have you ever thought of trying out beauty dupes?
Here’s five of the best recommended beauty buys that are almost identical to the posh versions, but for a fraction of the price.
FACE BASE: If you can’t afford Charlotte Tilbury‘s £52 Magic Cream, why not try a dupe that costs just £5.49 from Superdrug?
TONE IT UP: If Drunk Elephant’s £62 Protini moisturiser is out of your price range, you’ll need to check out the new dupe in Home Bargains.
TINTING IT: With Fenty’s ‘game-changer’ skin tint costing an eye-watering £29, a popular supermarket’s affordable alternative might just be the thing for you.
GET COVERED: At £29 for a Tarte concealer, the new Primark dupe is much more affordable at just £3.50.
SPRAY YAY: For those wanting to smell fresh, without the price tag, Aldi’s new Prada and Chloe perfume dupes cost a fraction of the price.
