8 Bond Repair Treatments For Stronger, Healthier Hair
The latest frontier in hair care, these treatments promise to reverse hair damage and give you the soft, silky tresses of your dreams.
ICYMI, bond building and repairing products are all the rage right now in the online and offline beauty and hair space. These products employ innovative technologies to restore the hair bonds present within our strands, namely: covalent or disulfide bonds, ionic or salt bonds and hydrogen bonds.
Here are eight bond-building and repairing products you can use right now to have a good hair day, every day.
Related article: BAZAAR Beauty Awards 2023: Best Haircare And Hairstyling Tools
Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector Treatment, $51
We can’t talk about hair bond repair products without mentioning the pioneer, Olaplex. The brand’s patented innovation employs bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate to repair broken disulfide bonds. Besides this pre-shampoo treatment, Olaplex also has a line of shampoos, conditioners and styling products, all containing its signature ingredient.
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, $100
A recent entrant into the Singapore market, K18 also has its own patented bond-repairing ingredient. Dubbed the K18Peptide, polysorbate 20,sh-oligopeptide-78 has been found to reconnect both polypeptide chains and disulfide bonds of the hair. The pH of the formula has been optimised for efficacy, allowing the leave-in treatment to work in just four minutes. K18 also offers shampoos and a hair oil.
Amika The Kure Intense Bond Repair Mask, $38.79
Underscoring Amika’s The Kure bond repair line is the bond cure technology, which uses a proprietary blend to restore hydrogen bonds. This wash-off hair mask is further enriched with borage oil, shea butter, mango butter and sea buckthorn oil to deeply moisturise and add shine to your tresses. The Kure line includes a shampoo, conditioner and leave-in treatments.
Related article: Achieve Thicker, Fuller Hair By Tackling The Root Of The Problem
The Inkey List PCA Bond Repair Hair Treatment, $23
The affordable hair mist from The Inkey List is a good place to start for those just dipping their toes into the realm of bond repair. It uses 10 percent Granrepair Powerbond technology to repair ionic and hydrogen bonds while protecting disulfide bonds. The formula is bolstered with other technologies such as black oat-derived Aquarich, sunflower seeds-derived Heliogenol, Crodasone and betaine to condition, smooth, add shine and protect from damage.
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo, $40.29
Redken’s bond repairing technology uses a combination of citric acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid, and the Bonding Care Complex to reinforce weakened hair bonds. The signature complex is only found in the shampoo, conditioner and Intensive Treatment of the Acidic Bonding line. The shampoo, for example, is sulfate-free and protects against colour fade. The acidic nature of the products is said to help rebalance hair to its natural acidic pH levels.
L'Oréal Paris EverPure Bonding Shampoo and Conditioner Kit, $28.03
The EverPure collection from L’Oréal similarly employs its Bonding Care Complex with citric acid - three and 11 percent for the shampoo and conditioner, respectively - to rebuild weakened hair bonds. This set of sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner can also be used with coloured hair. Those with severe damage can consider supplementing the duo with the pre-shampoo treatment.
Related article: 20 Best Shampoos For Asian Hair To Solve All Hair And Scalp Issues
Living Proof Triple Bond Complex Hair Strengthener, $54.50
As the name implies, the Living Proof leave-in hair treatment works to build hydrogen, ionic and covalent bonds in the hair with its patent-pending technology. Used once a week, apply onto clean, damp hair and allow it to sit in the hair for at least 10 minutes before styling. It is best to blowdry after as the heat is necessary to activate the covalent bond repair. Otherwise, only the ionic and hydrogen bonds will be restored.
Goldwell Dualsenses BondPro+ 60Sec Treatment, $21.50
For those who are strapped for time, this Goldwell rinse-off treatment promises to work its magic in a minute. The Inter-Amino-Bond-Builder technology uses red and brown algae extracts to form ionic and hydrogen bonds while peptides and amino acids add to the reparative quality. The MicroPROtec Complex ensures that the actives are distributed quickly and evenly while shielding against colour fade. Goldwell’s Bond Pro line also contains shampoo, conditioner and leave-in treatments.