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Side by side

OLAPLEX No.7 Bonding Hair Oil vs OLAPLEX No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • No.7 Bonding Hair Oil — protein-sensitive hair
  • No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum — maximum slip

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Price, size & price per ounce
$29.99 1 oz · $30.84/oz
$29.99 3 oz · $10.00/oz

Compared at different sizes — 3 oz against 1 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 95% of the 175 hair oils we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a serum $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 53% of the 79 serums we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Shine system
High A silicone or oil blend does the shine work here. Your hair
Slip / detangling
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Oils and butters
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Dull-looking haira recognised shine system is present
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Hair that reads dullno recognised shine system in the list
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Finisheroil
Finisherserum
Where to buy
Brand website · Ulta · Amazon …
Target
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientNo.7 Bonding Hair OilNo.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum
Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate
Detangles
#6Supporting
#6Supporting
Propanediol
Moisturizes
#7Supporting
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#25Below the 1% line
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#28Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#16Below the 1% line
#29Below the 1% line
Citral
Fragrance
#18Below the 1% line
#26Below the 1% line
Water
Neutral
#12Below the 1% line
#1Leading
Citronellol
Fragrance
#20Below the 1% line
#27Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

No.7 Bonding Hair Oil

No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum

Full ingredient list — No.7 Bonding Hair Oil (20)
Full ingredient list — No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum (30)

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

No.7 Bonding Hair Oil

Lightweight formula requires only a small amount per application to achieve visible results.

Effective frizz reduction and smoothing across all hair types with long frizz control.

Provides visible heat protection while delivering shine and leaving hair stronger healthier looking.

Product has pleasant fragrance that reviewers describe as fabulous and enhances experience.

Oil delivers dramatic shine improvement making hair shiny and glossy without appearing greasy.

No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum

Provides effective heat protection while delivering moisture and protecting from heat damage.

Serum makes hair feel excessively heavy like bacon grease and never fully dries out completely.

Serum effectively solves frizz problems with excellent frizz reduction and smoothing results.

Lightweight serum formula does not weigh down hair or leave greasy buildup on fine hair.

Despite nourishing claims product actually dries hair out making it brittle and straw-like.

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$10.00/oz vs $30.84/oz — OLAPLEX No.7 Bonding Hair Oil costs about 3.1× more per ounce than OLAPLEX No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum.

No.7 Bonding Hair Oil

Against 175 hair oils with a computable unit price.

No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum

Against 79 serums with a computable unit price.

Value readNo.7 Bonding Hair OilNo.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Upper-mid price for a serumSits in the middle of the range for serums per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

No.7 Bonding Hair Oil · No.9 Bond Protector Heat Protection & Frizz Reduction Nourishing Hair Serum · All hair oils in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 6 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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