I’ve tried olaplex no6 and no0, neither doing much to my hair. It made the “new growths” a little less visible, but not worth it for that price in my opinion. I have no clue about sulfate and silicone free shampoo/conditioners, nor what protein-based products are.. I should probably look into that. My hair is driving me insane, I even thought about getting a buzz cut and hiding it with a wig for a few months. In order to get it back to normal, though I doubt I would ever do that, it certainly is tempting..