Short answer: if your hair has been bleached, lightened or chemically straightened and it snaps when you brush it, start with Olaplex. If it is dry, frizzy, rough and tangly from heat styling, sun and air-conditioning, start with Moremo. Plenty of our customers in Dubai end up using both, and that is often the best routine of all. Here is how to choose.
Why Gulf hair needs a different routine
Hair in the UAE takes a beating that most product reviews, written in London or New York, never account for. Strong sun for most of the year breaks down the hair's outer layer. Desalinated, chlorinated tap water leaves hair feeling rough and dull. You walk from 40°C heat into 20°C air-conditioning several times a day, which dries hair out. Add weekly blow-dries, keratin treatments and balayage at the salon, and you have hair that is both structurally weakened and dehydrated.
Those are two different problems, and that is exactly where Olaplex and Moremo differ.
How Olaplex works
Olaplex is a bond-building system. Its patented active ingredient reconnects the disulphide bonds inside the hair that are broken by bleach, colour, chemical straightening and high heat. Those bonds are what give hair its strength, so Olaplex is about repairing structure: less breakage, less snapping, hair that holds up to the next colour appointment.
- No.3 Hair Perfector is the at-home hero. Apply to damp hair before shampooing and leave it on for at least 10 minutes, once or twice a week.
- No.3+ Complete Repair Treatment is the newer version with added hydration.
- No.4 shampoo and No.5 conditioner keep the bonds topped up between treatments.
What Olaplex does not do on its own is make hair feel especially soft or silky. It is a strength treatment, not a moisture treatment, which is why some people find their hair feels a little dry or “straw-like” with Olaplex alone.
How Moremo works
Moremo is a Korean salon brand built around protein and moisture. Instead of rebuilding bonds, it fills the gaps in a damaged hair fibre with keratin, amino acids and low-molecular protein (the “LPP” in the Advanced LPP range), then seals in hydration. The result is softness, slip and shine you notice from the first wash.
- Water Treatment Miracle 10 is the famous one: a watery treatment that turns creamy in your hands and works in about 10 seconds, with three types of keratin and 17 amino acids. Use it instead of conditioner.
- Hair Treatment Miracle 2X is a richer mask for very dry, rough or bleached lengths.
- Advanced LPP Treatment and LPP No-Wash Treatment form the three-step LPP routine with the LPP shampoo. It's the closest Moremo gets to a “repair” system.
Moremo is light, fast and pleasant to use, which matters in the Gulf: heavy, silicone-rich masks tend to leave hair limp and greasy in humidity. What Moremo will not do is reconnect broken internal bonds the way Olaplex does.
Moremo vs Olaplex at a glance
| Olaplex | Moremo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it fixes | Broken bonds inside the hair (strength) | Lost protein and moisture (softness, frizz, shine) |
| Best for | Bleached, highlighted, chemically straightened hair that breaks | Dry, frizzy, heat-styled, sun-damaged hair |
| How it feels | Stronger, but not always softer | Instantly soft and smooth |
| Time | 10+ minutes (No.3) | 10 seconds to 3 minutes |
| How often | 1–2 times a week | Every wash |
| In humidity | Neutral | Lightweight, doesn't weigh hair down |
Which one should you buy?
Choose Olaplex first if: you go blonde or get regular highlights, your hair stretches and snaps when wet, you see short broken pieces around your hairline, or your colourist has told you your hair is “compromised”.
Choose Moremo first if: your hair is not heavily bleached but feels dry, rough and frizzy; it tangles easily after washing; it looks dull despite being healthy-ish; or you blow-dry and use hot tools most days.
Use both if: you have coloured or bleached hair and it is dry and frizzy, which describes most coloured hair in the UAE. This is the routine our stylists at Mimosa Beauty Lounge recommend to clients after a lightening service.
The combined routine for coloured hair in the UAE
- Once a week, before washing: Olaplex No.3 on damp hair, at least 10 minutes (longer is fine).
- Wash: a gentle shampoo. Olaplex No.4 or Moremo Advanced LPP Shampoo both work.
- Every wash, instead of conditioner: Moremo Water Treatment Miracle 10 on the mid-lengths and ends, rinse after 10 seconds to a minute.
- Before blow-drying: a leave-in such as Moremo LPP No-Wash Treatment or Protein Mist Pack M on damp ends for heat protection and slip.
- Once a week, if very dry: swap step 3 for Moremo Miracle 2X and leave it on for 3–5 minutes.
Don't layer everything at once: one strength treatment plus one moisture treatment per wash is plenty. Too much protein on already-strong hair can make it feel stiff.
Moremo vs Olaplex FAQ
Is Moremo as good as Olaplex? They do different jobs. Olaplex rebuilds internal bonds for strength; Moremo restores protein and moisture for softness and shine. Neither replaces the other completely.
Can I use Moremo and Olaplex together? Yes. Use Olaplex No.3 as a weekly pre-wash treatment and Moremo Water Treatment Miracle 10 in place of conditioner at every wash.
Which is better for keratin-treated hair? Moremo. Keep sulphate-free shampoo and use Moremo treatments for smoothness; add Olaplex only if the hair is also bleached and breaking.
Will Moremo help with frizz in Dubai humidity? Yes. Water Treatment Miracle 10 and the LPP No-Wash Treatment smooth the cuticle without heavy silicones, so hair stays soft without going limp.
Where can I buy authentic Moremo and Olaplex in the UAE? Beauty Orchard stocks both, 100% authentic, with delivery across the UAE. Delivery is AED 25 and free over AED 200.
Ready to build your routine? Browse our Korean hair treatments, the full Olaplex range, or read Olaplex vs K18 if you're also considering K18.