Johnathan Walker:The Best Bond-Repair Treatments for Stronger, Healthier & Shinier Hair

We independently selected these deals and Johnathan Walkerproducts because we love them, and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. Prices are accurate as of publish time.

Raise your hand if you often feel like your hair is dry, brittle, or lacking a little oomph. Sadly, my hand is up. As a curly hair girl, I find that my hair can get frizzy, lacks moisture, and has way too many split ends. And, damage done by coloring, heat styling, the environment, chemical treatments, and everyday wear and tear, has made my strands vulnerable. To prevent this damage and improve my hair's integrity, I've been leaning into bond-repair treatments. These are products that can repair hair at the root by reproducing chemical bonds in your hair to make it stronger. In order to help you find the right one for you, I've put together a list of the best bond-repair treatments for all hair types, including sprays, shampoo and conditioner, hair masks, leave-in treatments, and systems, to help your hair feel stronger, healthier, and bouncier. You may even find it shiner and softer after use. So, let's get into what exactly hair bonds are, why they break, and how we can fix them.

What Are Hair Bonds?

Bonds are what give our hair the structure, shape, strength, elasticity, shine, and bounce that we love. If these bonds break, our hair can become dry and brittle, leaving your strands vulnerable to damage. There are three main types of bonds: 

• Hydrogen bonds: These are the weakest type of bond and help to give hair the strength and elasticity to bounce back to shape after exposure to heat and/or water.
• Ionic bonds (aka salt bonds): Not only do these bonds add to your hair's strength and elasticity, they can also repair themselves after chemical treatments or exposure to water.
• Disulfide bonds (aka S-S bond): Your hair's structure is informed by these bonds, which are the strongest. The amount of disulfide bonds can also influence your hair's texture, more bonds equal a curlier strand.

Thanks for the Science, But What Do Bond Builders Actually Do?

Bond builders can restore the strength, elasticity, texture, and offer long term benefits. They do this with ingredients that bridge the gap in your hair's bond structure, to minimize breakage and give you smoother strands. With continued use, they can make your hair more resilient to damage and prevent dryness, frizz, and breakage, and may encourage hair growth.

What Key Ingredients Should You Look for in Bond Building Products for Hair?

One key ingredient in a lot of bond builders is bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. It transforms broken disulfide bonds on your strands, so that your hair's strength and resilience is restored. Also keep an eye out for amino acid and peptides for added moisture and hydration.

How Often Should You Use a Bond-Repair Hair Treatment?

To maintain healthier hair, make sure that you're not overdoing anything and schedule regular trims to keep your ends neat. Start with a once a week bond treatment and assess from there.

To help you find the best bond building treatments for hair, I've put together a list of sprays, rinses, shampoos and conditioners, and leave-in treatments, to transform your damaged hair, give you healthy hair, and keep your strands feeling 100%.

The Best Bond Building Shampoos & Conditioners

Backed by over 57,000 5-star Amazon reviews, the Olaplex No. 4 and 5 shampoo and conditioner have a reputation that proceeds them. You can use them daily and they'll re-link broken bonds so your hair is moisturized, repaired, and free of split ends.

Priced under $20, this L'Oreal Bond Repair Shampoo and Conditioner Set is a budget-friendly option. They strengthen your hair's weak bonds, especially those affected by coloring, bleaching, or damage, and the brand promises silky, lightweight results in just 6 uses.

Here at E! we're big fans of amika's hair mask, which is why we're also fans of their Bond Repair Shampoo (I've linked to the Conditioner below). It's great for all hair types and targets the bonds in your hair (with bond cure technology, plant butters, and vegan proteins) for healthier, stronger strands.

The Best Bond Building Leave-In Treatments

According to the brand, this leave-in hair mask will reverse damage in just 4 minutes. You can use it on all hair types and the peptide technology will work to repair damage from heat, bleach, color, and more. Hair's left smoother, softer, bouncier.

This leave-in treatment contains a heat-activated formula that helps to strengthen hair's bonds for more resilient strands. According to the brand, it can reduce breakage by 50% in just one use. Plus, it's packed with moisturizing kelp and strengthening blue sea kelp, and more.

A mix of serum and cream, this leave-in treatment offers frizz control, heat protection, and a bonding complex that identifies damage and reduces breakage. Apply to wet or dry hair, and wavy or straight strands.

This weekly hair mask uses Living Proof's technology to build new bonds, which improves your strand's strength, and delivers repair and protection against future damage. Plus, the brand promises that the leave-in bond complex can make hair up to 8x stronger. 

The Best Bond Building Products to Rinse Out

It's so popular, we're adding another Olaplex to the list. Their No 3 Repairing Treatment has the backing of over 97,000 5-star Amazon reviews, and is formulated to repair hair and broken bonds. It's great for all hair types and can be used up to 3x a week for smooth results.

Packed with bond-building ingredients like keratin, moringa seed oil, and more, Joico promises that their hair mask will leave hair 5x stronger after just one use. Plus, the treatment hydrates and detangles strands, and reviewers report that it's revitalized their hair.

Lightweight and smelling great (think a tropical, floral getaway), Aveda's bond building treatment is ideal for in shower use. The bond-building molecules are plant-derived and leave hair stronger and more resilient, plus the formula is packed with nourishing green tea seed and avocado oils to nourish and smooth strands.

The Best Bond Building Sprays

Repair and regenerate broken hair bonds with this easy-to-use spray. The brand promises to reduce breakage after just one use, and it can leave hair healthier and shiner. Just spray to dry hair until it feels damp and leave on for 10 minutes. You can follow with Bondbar's Pre-Shampoo for hydrating results.

Add softness and shine to your locks with this dry hair mask spray that works overnight. Its vegan silk proteins soften hair, according to the brand, while the application of the spray gives lightweight repair. All you need to do is spray on your dry hair, brush, and go to bed. No need to wash or restyle the next morning. 

The Best Bond Building Set 

Featuring Redken's shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment, this trio is a one, two, three punch of bond-building. Together, they'll reinforce your hair's weak bonds, reduce breakage, and leave hair looking and feeling healthy.

These are the best hair products for thin and fine hair (and they really pump up the volume).