Common Bond

The bevy of hairstyling products for the new DIY hair-bonding trend promise great-looking locks and a whole lot of chatter…

By Adriana Ermter

You’ve heard the word ‘bonding.’ Years ago, you probably said it to explain time spent with family or friends. Back then, it was the catchphrase – so much so that even my mom expressed it regularly, saying: “Oh, you’re bonding,” every time I’d hang hang out with my sisters. When this would happen, we’d roll our eyes before turning our attention back to the Mission Impossible movie we were watching on DVD. (Yes, DVD, not Disney+. It was that long ago.) Well, the word is back, but this time in relation to our hair. And not because we’re spending quality time admiring it in the mirror. 

Hair bonding is the latest haircare trend that has everyone talking, from popular hair influencers on TikTok such as Leila Nikea and Abbey Yung to real-life hairstylists with millions of followers on Instagram like @HarryJosh and @GuyTang. It’s not to be confused with hair extensions, which can also be bonded (a.k.a. attached) to your existing locks; this bond is all about creating lush, healthy and strong hair. And with every glossy hair toss and reference to a drug or department store shampoo or conditioner on social media, the interest in bonding flourishes. So much so that a 2023 report by New York City-based AI beauty trend-tracking company Spate (founded by ex-Googlers Yarden Horwitz and Olivier Zimmer) noted that luxury label Olaplex with its bond-building products was ranked the year’s most searched hair-care brand, with a monthly average of 663,200 searches. Because, after all, who doesn’t want great style? 

Hair bonding 101
“Over the past few years, there has been a shift in consumer interest around hair and scalp health, and a big part of this is the accessibility to information and education on TikTok,” affirms Kristin Oliver, a senior brand manager with Dove. While the technical information about hair bonds – how they live within each shaft of our hair, act as the molecular bridges holding our strands together to ensure strength, resilience and elasticity, and serve as the scaffolding that determines our hair’s texture (straight, wavy, curly, etc.) and manageability – may not always be discussed, restoration of hair growth and health through bonding products is a very hot topic. “We know that women and men want expert hair-repair solutions that they know are going to work for them and [for] their hair type,” says Oliver.

Who needs to bond?
Specifically, bonding is beneficial for a hair type that can be described as broken, brittle, aging and/or dull – which, believe it or not, applies to all of us. Fact is, we weaken our hair bonds every day, and the damage that ensues manifests in a number of ways. It could show up as all-over frizz or split ends after using the blow dryer or flat iron one too many times; or as a dry, dull texture after days spent outside in the sun, sweating in spin class or swimming in salt water and chlorinated pools. Or, if you’ve just had a chemical-based relaxer, perm or colour service, it might appear as a flat, matte shade of blonde, red, black, blue, pink, brown or any hair colour. 

“Everything you do breaks the bonds in your hair,” confirms Teresa Bator, an Olaplex advocate, balayage hairstylist, and founder of her eponymous hair studio based in Vancouver. “You may not see the damage right away, but it’s there, and eventually your hair will feel coarse and dry and the ends or your layers will look thin and raggedy. Your hair will just hang and not have any swing or bounce. It happens easily, too, because we’re rough with our hair. Even over-combing or brushing it when it’s wet can damage it.” So we can put to bed the age-old theory that 100 brush strokes per day achieves healthy shiny locks. 

Traditionally, these hair conundrums were resolved four to six times a year with a good cut at a salon and an intensive treatment administered by a professional stylist. But with increased access to home hairstyling, heat-based tools like hot rollers, electric Blue Ray scalp massagers, curling brushes and more – combined with a global hair colouring market that is, according to a 2023 report by Market Reports World, projected to grow from US$25 million in 2023 to US$30 million in 2029 – consumer demands have changed. We want more and we want it now, preferably in the comfort of our own home.

Between YouTube haircutting and styling tutorials, DIY home hair-colouring kits and in-salon services, “people are experimenting with different styles, colouring or bleaching,” explains Oliver. “With all of this experimentation and wanting to still have strong and shiny hair comes the need for bond-strengthening products to support all of those damage-causing activities.” 

Salon-strength solutions
Not surprisingly, leading haircare companies like L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, Nexxus, Shea Moisture, Marc Anthony, Olaplex, Function of Beauty and Dove have responded. Their efficacious products, delivering everyday salon-quality results in the comfort of your own home, have democratized access to advanced, once in-salon only, haircare solutions. 

Meticulously formulated to repair and fortify damaged hair bonds, each serum, clarifying scrub, mask and soothing cream harnesses the power of innovative ingredients to rejuvenate hair from within, addressing the root cause of damage and imparting strength and vitality to every strand. Bond-building ingredients such as amino acids, proteins, silk, peptides and bondamide work to re-establish broken bonds and shield hair from future damage. Shampoos enriched with these agents gently cleanse hair while reinforcing weakened bonds. Conditioners provide intense hydration and repair, sealing the hair cuticle to prevent moisture loss and minimize further damage, while masks, treatments and styling products penetrate deeply into the hair shaft to fortify, enhance and protect the hair’s integrity at a molecular level. 

“These products repair your hair because their formulas’ ingredients are more intense than regular products and they’re very moisturizing, and there’s such a difference when you add moisture to your hair and scalp,” explains Bator. “You’re maintaining your hair’s health properly.” 

The benefits are 10-fold, adds Oliver. She says the Dove Bond Strength range of haircare products can simultaneously reduce issues like frizz and split ends and increase shine, nourishment and bounce. “All while reversing the visible signs of three years of damage after one single use.” 

Here are seven of IN Magazine’s favourite hair bonding products

Dove 10-in-1 Bond Strength Serum Mask
($12 for 260 g, available at Shoppers Drug Mart)This repairing mask penetrates the hair cuticle to reduce visible signs of extreme damage. It repairs and nourishes, reduces fly-aways and split ends, detangles, adds the appearance of strength, restores bounce and shine, smooths strands and protects against future breakage. 
Claim to bonding fame: Specially formulated for dehydrated and damaged hair that is prone to breakage. Its formula of bio protein care and peptides works to reverse 10 visible signs of damage – from boosting glossy shine and restoring bounce to detangling and smoothing for low-maintenance styling – in 60 seconds.

Function of Beauty PRO, Straight + Wavy Hair Bonding Leave-in Treatment
($38 for 127 mL, available at Sephora)
This versatile leave-in treatment can be applied to wet or dry hair. Its innovative texture combines the performance of a deep penetrating serum with the rich smoothness of a cream for a luxurious haircare experience. 
Claim to bonding fame: A blend of babassu oil, amaranth extract and adaptive f3 bonding complex infuses moisture and shine while targeting signs of damage to reduce breakage. Plus, it provides frizz control for up to 24 hours and heat protection up to 450°F.

L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, Absolut Repair Molecular Shampoo
($42 for 300 mL, available at Sephora)
This sulfate-free shampoo is ideal for hair that has been damaged from chemical treatments, colour or heat. It penetrates deeply to repair the hair’s molecular structure from the inside out. 
Claim to bonding fame: Its exclusive technology – two per cent peptides bonder, a patented ingredient that repairs hair damage by rebuilding the hair’s molecular structure and five amino acids, a protein that strengthens and deeply nourishes hair – visibly fights two years’ worth of damage in just one use.

Marc Anthony Repair Bond + Rescuplex Defrizzing Smoothing Cream
($14 for 149 g, available at Shoppers Drug Mart)As its name suggest, this cream smooths hair while providing frizz control and protection against humidity. It also strengthens hair, hydrates it and adds shine. 
Claim to bonding fame: The cream’s formula is so effective – with its proprietary Rescuplex complex and blend of hydrolyzed quinoa, vitamin E and rice bran and rosemary oils – that a pea-sized dollop combed through damp hair can rebuild bonds and soothe a dry scalp and hair.

Nexxus Amino Bond Shampoo, and Conditioner
($19 and $20, respectively, for 400 mL, available at Shoppers Drug Mart)
Silicone and sulfate free, the shampoo gently cleanses, and the conditioner thoroughly hydrates damaged hair. 
Claim to bonding fame: Both products contain the brand’s ProteinFusion, a blend of keratin protein and five amino acids (glutamic, cysteine, histidine, serine and glycine), which all collaborate to smooth, strengthen, minimize breakage and restore moisture, shine and elasticity.

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector
($41 for 100 mL, available at Sephora)
A 10-minute leave-in, pre-shampoo treatment that reduces breakage and visibly strengthens the hair to improve the way it looks and feels. Its use should be followed by a shampoo and conditioner.
Claim to bonding fame: The brand, created by two PhDs of chemistry, is the OG of hair bonding. No. 3 Hair Perfector – its hero product – contains bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, a patented bond-building technology that provides structural repair to damaged hair. 

Shea Moisture Amla Oil Bonding Oil
($69 for 100 mL, available online at www.amazon.ca)
A lightweight, multi-benefit oil that strengthens, moisturizes and protects against further damage. It can be used on its own or after shampooing and conditioning the hair. 
Claim to bonding fame: Ideal for brittle, fragile and broken hair, the oil is fuelled with amla oil and Fair-Trade raw shea butter, which coats the hair’s cuticles to smooth frizz and lock in moisture.

ADRIANA ERMTER is a Toronto-based lifestyle-magazine pro who has travelled the globe writing about must-spritz fragrances, child poverty, beauty and grooming.