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Is healthy hair on your vision board this year? Whether at the expense of silk press or sew-in season, picking out a voluminous ‘fro, or a favorite box dye, your hair is likely to experience some wear and tear at some point in your hair journey. Curlfriend, consider investing in a bond builder!
Bond Builder Crash Course
The first step in your journey is understanding how hair bonds work. Hair is composed of ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds. Heat tools, chemical treatments (yes, color counts), and even brushing (sorry, slick back lovers!) can all weaken these bonds, resulting in excessive breakage, brittleness, or split ends. Bond-building products use unique, patented chemical technology to repair the damage by recoupling and strengthening broken bonds in the hair shaft. According to international hairstylist, content creator and Olaplex expert Tom Smith, “hair bonders literally relink the disulfide bonds in the hair, creating a molecular change that truly reverses the look and feel of various types of damage.”
Image Source: @chloeanabraidy
Compared to other commercial treatments like deep conditioners or protein treatments, bond builders work from the inside out and, when used in conjunction with other products, are believed to revitalize the hair’s strength, structure, and moisture. While haircare professionals have traditionally used the treatments, the market for at-home hair bond treatments is vastly growing. Gone are the days of only getting access to bond builders at a salon.
Do I Need Them?
While experts recommend bond builders for color-treated or noticeably damaged hair, virgin hair can also benefit. If you want to minimize frizz and add some luster back to your curls, it won’t hurt to integrate bond-building treatments into your routine, especially for coarse, dense hair. Due to the intricate blend of amino acids, proteins, and silicone used in bond repair products, healthy, defined, and shiny results can be immediate.
Now that you’ve passed your crash course in hair bond products, we’ve compiled a list of the top-rated bond builders in case you’re ready to make your first purchase.
Popular Products
Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector
Image Source: www.olaplex.com
We can’t discuss bond builders without highlighting the brand that started it all. Olaplex introduced its innovative formula in 2014, single-handedly “inventing the bond-building category” in haircare. The Hair Perfector is a great way to break into the bond-building world. Apply a generous amount and leave it in for at least ten minutes before continuing your wash routine and enjoy your soft, bouncy results.
Living Proof Triple Bond Complex
Image Source: www.livingproof.com
A little research supplemented with a few TikTok videos will show you this Living Proof leave-in hair mask is all the rage in the hair industry. Not only does it claim to make your hair 8x stronger, build all three types of bonds, and visibly reduce split ends in one use, but it also provides heat protection. The mask is priced at $45 and is an investment product for all hair types. The upkeep may be high-maintenance as the treatment says to use weekly.
Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve
Image Source: www.curlsmith.com
The Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve is a tried and true pre-poo treatment that is guaranteed to give you a bang for your buck. Loaded with proteins and bond-building amino acids, the treatment is perfect for repairing and hydrating your hair. Be sure to read the instructions before applying, as Curlsmith recommends different approaches for different hair types. Plus, it’s only $30 at Sephora!
K18 leave-in molecular repair hair mask
Image Source: www.k18hair.com
If you’re chronically online like us, you’ve probably heard of this increasingly popular, expensive bottle. The leave-in molecular repair hair mask does just what it implies, using a molecular formula called K18PEPTIDE to “repair damage from bleach + color, chemical services, and heat.” In the mood to splurge? Try it out for smooth, soft hair!
L’oreal Everpure Bond Strengthening Pre-Shampoo Treatment
Image Source: www.lorealparisusa.com
Looking for a treatment that’s effective but won’t break the bank? This L’oreal Everpure pre-poo is right up your alley. The first step of the collection, this treatment uses citric acid to smooth and repair hair after one wash. It is also vegan, sulfate-free, silicone-free, paraben-free, dye-free, aluminum-free and formaldehyde-free. L’oreal doesn’t discriminate either– the product is said to work on anyone with breakage or weak hair.
