Hair Bonds 101: What They Are and How to Repair Them

If you’ve ever had your hair dyed, bleached, or permed – you may be familiar with the importance of hair bonds. Hair bonds are the formation of the overall hair’s structure, and keeping these bonds intact is crucial to the health of your hair. The good news? Bond repair doesn’t have to take place in the salon. Our new innovative, at-home, leave-in treatment brings salon-level repair straight to the comfort of your home. 

What are hair bonds? 

Each hair shaft is made up of microscopic keratin proteins that are chained together by chemical bonds. These bonds act as bridges between protein molecules, linking them together to form long molecular chains throughout the hair. When hair is damaged, these bonds are broken, causing the molecular chains to be disrupted. 

Types of bonds in the hair

There are three types of bonds in the hair – ionic, hydrogen, and disulfide bonds. Each type has a special role in the composition and strength of the hair shaft. Let’s take a look at the three types of hair bonds. 

+ Hydrogen bonds are the weakest and most flexible bonds of the hair. They are responsible for adjusting the hair’s shape and retaining hydration and moisture in the hair shaft, which is crucial to maintaining elasticity in the hair.
+ Ionic bonds, sometimes referred to as salt bonds, are temporary bonds in the hair. They contribute to the strength and elasticity of the hair. 

+ Disulfide bonds are the strong, permanent bonds that determine the hair’s natural shape, stability, and texture. They are mainly responsible for protecting the hair from external damage. 

 What breaks bonds in the hair? 

Broken bonds in the hair are what cause visible signs of hair damage and breakage to show. Each type of bond has its own unique effects on hair damage. 

+ Hydrogen bonds can be easily broken by water and heat. When hair becomes wet, hydrogen bonds are temporarily broken, allowing for the shape of the hair to be easily manipulated. When heat is applied, these bonds are also broken, which allows hot styling tools to alter the shape of the hair.
+ Ionic bonds, or salt bonds, may be broken by changes in the hair’s pH levels. Balancing the pH of the hair can restore the bonds back to normal, even after they are broken. 
+ Disulfide bonds are broken by chemical treatments such as bleaching or dyeing the hair, as well as permanent styling methods. The breakage of disulfide bonds may result in hair that appears frizzy, porous, and weak. 
 
While maintaining all three types of hair bonds is important to keeping hair healthy, the most crucial is the disulfide bond. Disulfide bonds are the building blocks for keratin structures – the protein that makes up the hair. Extra prevention and repair is important to keep disulfide bonds, and hair in general, healthy and strong. 
 

Do I need a bond repair treatment? 

You may not think your hair is in critical need of a bond repair treatment, but the truth is that all hair types and textures benefit from strengthening the hair’s bonds.  A bond repair treatment may be beneficial if your hair is experiencing any of the following signs of damage:

                        + Lack of shine
                        + Rough texture
                        + Frizziness or dryness
                        + Split ends or breakage
                        + Visible effects of heat styling tools
                        + Visible effects of hair bleaching or dyeing processes

                        + Visible damage due to other chemical treatments

If you’re lucky enough to not have experienced any of these signs of hair damage, the best step you can take is preventative maintenance. Healthy hair will still highly benefit from a bonding treatment, which will help protect against damage before it occurs.  

How to Strengthen and Repair Hair Bonds 

The Mane Agent | Advanced Molecular Bond Repair is the latest innovation in treating bond damage and restoring healthy hair. Unlike other leave-in treatments, this advanced formulation also works to transform the hair deep inside the hair shaft. 

The proprietary technology works to repair the hair’s structure by covalently bonding to broken disulfide bonds between proteins in the hair to restore the hair’s shape and texture. It also seals loose ionic bonds and locks in moisture to strengthen hydrogen bonds within the hair. 

The advanced formulation works to build long molecular chains within the hair shaft, linking broken and damaged keratin fibers back together. By filling gaps and voids within the hair shaft, this bond repair treatment improves levels of porosity, increases humidity resistance, and helps maintain a healthy oxidation rate during chemical treatments. 

The added bonus? The Mane Agent | Advanced Molecular Bond Repair is activated with heat as well as the oxidation that occurs in your day-to-day routine to repair your hair and improve shine and softness. It’s a lightweight, easy-to-use, all-encompassing hair treatment - just spray on the lengths of towel-dried hair and style as usual! 

 

REFERENCES: 
  1. Robbins, C. R. (2012). Chemical and physical behavior of human hair. Springer. Springer Berlin, Heidelberg. Retrieved January 13, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25611-0. 
  2. Sinclair, R. D. (2015, December 16). Healthy hair: What is it? Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings. Retrieved January 13, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15526559 
  3. Zviak, C. (2008). The Science of Hair Care. (C. Bouillon & J. D. Wilkinson, Eds.)Canadian Cosmetic Cluster. Informa Healthcare. Retrieved January 13, 2023, from https://www.canadiancosmeticcluster.com/uploads/3/7/9/8/37984461/epdf.pub_the-science-of-hair-care.pdf. 
  4. Gavazzoni Dias, M. F. R. (2015). Hair cosmetics: An overview. International journal of trichology. Retrieved December 29, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387693/  
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