Bond repair is the big buzzword in hair these days and there are tons of bond repair shampoos, conditioner, hair masks and treatments flooding the market. For so long, the only remedy for damaged hair was to cut it off, but bond repair products can give your hair, whether it’s been damaged by heat, chemical damage, or color damage, a new life.
However, with the popularity of bond-building products and the blockbuster sales of Olaplex and K18, a number of products claiming to repair and rebuild broken bonds have flooded the market, but they are not all equal. The best and most effective bond building products use amino acids to repair from deep within the hair, instead of simply strengthening or protecting the hair from future damage.
Using a bond repair shampoo can make a huge difference of your hair, especially if used in conjunction with a good treatment. So if you’re already using bond repair treatments in the hopes of restoring your hair to health, we’ll go over what bond repair shampoos really work to help you maintain your bonds.
Bond repair shampoos typically use amino acids to repair broken bonds deep in the cortex of the hair. Because bond builders work deep inside of the hair, they repair the hair from inside out, leaving the outside of the hair shinier, softer, and with a much healthier appearance.
Yes, bond repair shampoos can typically be used daily or as often as you shampoo your hair. Bond builders can’t really be overused in the way that say, a protein treatment can. Still it’s important to not use more than the recommended amount as directed on the bottle in order to get the best results and not lengthen the processing time for the product.
Yes, you can still see some benefit, even if your hair is not color-treated or visibly damaged. It’s common to suffer from some damage whether it be from heat or the environment, so a bond building shampoo or treatment can still help your hair. If you aren’t suffering from a lot of damage though, you aren’t likely to have as transformative results as someone whose hair is dull and dry.
Olaplex has become synonymous for bond building thanks to their revolutionary patented ingredient: Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate. Their shampoo is excellent for maintaining bonds and doing away with frizz and flyaways. Their sulfate-free free formula helps prevent future damage and split ends and is great for those with color-treated hair.
I’m gonna go ahead and say this is the best drugstore bond repair shampoo (and conditioner). It uses a amodimethicone, a kind of silicone with amino acids that sticks to your hair and repairs weak bonds. It is a moisturizing shampoo that is also great for dry scalps.
Amika’s The Kure line has a shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, hair cream, and repairing treatment. Their shampoo and conditioner from this line are among their most popular products with its promises to both repair damage and prevent future breakage.
Amika uses their own bond cure technology, along with plant butters, vegan proteins, and sea buckthorn which is a natural ingredient containing fatty-acid omega 7 which they include in many of their products. This shampoo and conditioner set makes damaged hair much more manageable and soft with just one use.
The Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo is an absolute beast of shampoo for damaged hair. It uses amodomethicone to rebuild bonds in the hair while also being a super conditioning shampoo that makes hair wildly soft and smooth. It also includes citric acid which strengthens weak bonds in the hair. This is a great shampoo to protect against color fade. Their whole Aciding Bonding Concentrate line is amazing for repairing bonds in hair dealing with physical, chemical, and heat damage.
Alterna’s Restructuring Bond Repair Shampoo is a great repairer and strengthener that protects hair from damage while also defending against aging. It fights aging-related dullness as well as chemical and heat damage which tends to make hair look and feel older.
Their Caviar bond enforcing technology fills cracks in the cuticles to make hair smoother and shinier. It also has maracuja oil which conditions the hair and reduces breakage.
IGK always comes out with solid hair products that seem to fly under the radar and their Pay Day Shampoo for instant repair is no exception. Their bond-building technology uses a naturally-derived peptide (a short chain of amino acids) that repairs hair and makes it feel incredibly soft.
It also uses Vegan Silk Extract which is a protein that provides a layer of protection around the hair, and alma oil which nourishes your scalp and strengthens your hair strands from the root.
A good bond repairing shampoo is a great complement to bond repairing treatments. They help to maintain the rebuild bonds with the same amino acids that repair them in the first place. Even if you don’t have a lot of visible damage or color-treated hair, using a bond repairing shampoo can help repair your hair from unseen damage and leave it with increased softness and shine.
