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What Are Hair Bonds?

Key Takeaways

  • Your hair is made of keratin and held together by disulfide bonds, salt bonds, and hydrogen bonds.
  • Disulfide bonds shape and strengthen hair. Broken or weakened disulfide bonds can damage your hair.
  • Repair hair bonds at home with OLAPLEX No.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment and OLAPLEX No.3 Hair PerfectorTM.

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What Are Hair Bonds?

You may have heard bloggers or influencers talk about hair bonds, but what are they? Learn more about hair bonds and why they're so important for the health and appearance of your hair.

Hair Bonds Explained

Let's start with the basics. Keratin is the primary base of every hair strand, and it's held together by bonds like hydrogen bonds, salt bonds, and disulfide bonds. Disulfide bonds are important because they give your hair strength, structure, and stability. Disulfide bonds can also contribute to the shape and texture of your hair.

When hair is healthy, disulfide bonds are secure and intact. But these bonds can be broken by damage associated with bleach, dyes, sunlight, heat styling, brushing or pulling on your hair, and more.

You can't see weakened or broken disulfide bonds with the naked eye, but you may notice the effects of broken bonds. If hair appears dry, brittle, or frizzy, disulfide bonds may be broken. Other signs are split ends, lackluster color, and thinness.

Can You Repair Broken Hair Bonds?

Yes! It's possible to repair broken hair bonds and restore healthy hair with the right haircare products. Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, the heart of the patented OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology®, can help repair broken bonds on a molecular level and rebuild hair strands. Try these OLAPLEX products that can help repair broken bonds:

OLAPLEX No.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment

Nº.0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment contains patented OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology®. When used with OLAPLEX No.3 Hair Perfector™, this spray jumpstarts repair deep within the hair strand while strengthening and rebuilding hair bonds.

OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair PerfectorTM

OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair Perfector™ is a pre-shampoo treatment that features patented OLAPLEXBond Building Technology® to help repair and strengthen your hair. Nº.3 reduces breakage while strengthening hair. You can use Nº.3 alone or paired with OLAPLEX Nº.0 for maximum at-home repair.

OLAPLEX No.1 Bond Multiplier® and OLAPLEX No.2 Bond Perfector®

OLAPLEX No.1 Bond Multiplier® and OLAPLEX No.2 Bond Perfector® can help lessen damage during chemical processes and repair bonds. These professional treatments are for salon use only, so you'll need to find a certified stylist near you to repair your hair with these products. Learn more about in-salon OLAPLEX treatments.

Tips to Minimize Hair Bond Damage

While hair bonding treatments can help repair damaged tresses, the right haircare habits can minimize damage in the first place. Follow these tips to help prevent hair damage:

  • Skip the hairdryer. Instead of using a hairdryer, let your hair air-dry when you can. If you want to towel-dry your hair, avoid rubbing your hair with the towel. Wrap your hair in a towel to absorb the water instead.
  • Don't brush wet hair. If you have straight hair, let your hair air-dry a bit before gently combing it. If you have curly hair, comb your hair while it's damp with a wide-tooth comb.
  • Limit heat styling. Try using heat-styling tools less frequently, and use the lowest heat setting.
  • Protect your hair. Use OLAPLEX No.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum before using hot tools to protect hair from heat up to 450ºF (232ºC). You can also try OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil, which also protects hair from heat up to 450ºF (232ºC) and helps control frizz.
  • Gently shampoo your hair. Avoid friction when you wash your hair by gently massaging shampoo into your scalp, then let the water wash it away. You don't need to rub shampoo in your hair. Then always follow with conditioner.
  • Get a trim. Trimming damaged hair can actually help prevent damage. Split ends can travel up your hair cuticle and wreak havoc, so try to see your hairstylist every eight weeks to cut away damaged ends.

Repairing hair bonds and preventing damage is possible with the right products and haircare routine. Take our Hair Quiz to get an OLAPLEX routine designed just for you.