12 Best Bond Repair Treatments to Help Heal Damaged Hair

The buzzy haircare brand Olaplex brings salon-grade concepts to at-home formulas. Like many stylists, Hong adds Olaplex in-salon during bleaching or coloring processes for less breakage and damage. Its active ingredient bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate aims to repair broken disulfide bonds to revive the look and feel of hair. After frequent periods of using hot tools, one GH staffer reaches for this bond builder to replenish her dry ends because she found it immediately yields silky, smooth ends.

Protect colored hair with a haircare line that does so at a fraction of the cost of salon products. The L'Oréal Paris EverPure bond repair pre-shampoo, shampoo and conditioner is made with superstar ingredient glycerin which moisturizes effectively, while emollient cetearyl alcohol softens. Our pros appreciate the brand's sister sulfate-free shampoo and the EverPure line for nourishing dry strands and extending color.

Tame frizz and flyaways with this 2022 Beauty Award that smoothed hair through the next wash. Redken's bonding trio impressed beauty pros with its non-greasy, creamy formula that conditioned bleached, damaged hair. In fact, our review of the company's data revealed the system reduced visible split ends by 82% and 93% of consumers said that their hair felt moisturized immediately. "Results were transforming and long-lasting," one tester adds.

K18’s science-backed peptide hair treatment effectively strengthens chemically damaged hair, earning it a GH Beauty Breakthrough Award. Our pros were impressed by performance data showing that the leave-in formula restored 82% of the strength of overbleached hair samples with two uses. Other GH staffers have seen major payoff from extended use. "Before using K18, my hair always felt rough and a bit like hay, but now I have the softest locks," says Senior Analyst Emma Seymour. "My hairstylist even commented that my hair has never felt stronger at my last trim!"

From hair thickening products to hair powders, Bumble and Bumble consistently performs well in our Lab tests. This weekly bond repair treatment combines moisturizing emollients and humectants. Its main ingredient of honey bond-building complex aims to build new bonds and repair hair from the cortex to the cuticle while the honey ferment is said to improve hair's elasticity to prevent breakage.

Named by Leake as his secret haircare weapon, the Epres Bond Repair Treatment strives to repair hair from the inside out. The one-step bond repair kit offers deep repair for chemical, mechanical and thermal damage between salon visits. It comes with a concentrate mixed with water in a refillable spray bottle. Spray it on, let it sit for at least 10 minutes, then wash your hair and style it as usual. "I recommend doing it once a week. It takes your hair back to healthier, younger days," he adds. One GH staffer said she could feel marked results after just one use.

The Unbreak My Blonde collection caters to those who have any sort of chemical lightening service, not just blondes. The three-part system, consisting of a shampoo, a conditioner and a leave-in treatment, is meant to revive hair damaged by chemical lightening — leaving hair soft and shiny. It's also made with coconut oil to prevent protein loss and strengthen against mechanical damage.

Made with blue sea kale and kelp extract to protect against color fading and breakage, this leave-in conditioner was clinically tested to reduce comb-induced breakage by 50% in just one use, according to the brand's own data. The Color Wow strengthening cocktail protects from hot tools and its anti-static, conditioning formula is designed to soften fine to medium hair types, including porous curly hair.

Those with chemically damaged hair may find a new favorite in the Amika bond repair shampoo and conditioner. It's made with soothing antioxidants like avocado oil and rosemary oil, plus moisturizing humectant glycerin. In a clinical test, the duo left hair 87% more repaired, according to the brand's own data. "It cleans so well," one satisfied shopper wrote. "I double cleanse and don’t feel like my hair is being stripped or dried out with this."

Let IGK's overnight hair mask ease you into beauty rest. The brand claims its vegan silk proteins soften hair while the spray application gives deep hair repair without the mess. Spray on dry hair and brush through immediately before going to bed. Wake up, comb hair and voilà; hair does not need to be washed or re-styled. "Smells great and when you don't want to do a mask while in the shower, this comes in hand," one Ulta reviewer wrote.

Let Shu Uemura's leave-in bond repair treatment work its hydrating magic overnight. Hong recommends it for strengthening hair and preventing further breakage. The star ingredient Japanese rice extract works to soften and detangle. "[It] has tons of hydration and nourishes hair while leaving it in overnight with no rinse," she says. Dry, brittle hair types online seconded the finding: "A little actually goes a long way even with my hair type, which isn't typical. It worked so well at calming my strands making my hair much more manageable and smooth."

Hairstylist Sam Stahl names the BLONDME Detox Shampoo her favorite for "detoxing, strengthening and brightening" hair. Despite its name, the shampoo is formulated with all hair colors and hair types in mind. It also mixes in exfoliating malic acid, which can target dry, dandruff-ridden scalps. For fine, coarse hair types, hairstylist and color specialist Alwyn DiGregorio recommends the brand's Fibre Fibre Clinix Tribond Treatment.