Reactivate your knowledge on all things hair bonds and achieve stronger, healthier-looking results for your clients.
Hair bonds and the technologies surrounding them are continuously evolving, and as hairdressers keeping up to date with hair science has never been more important. Having a deeper understanding of hair bonds allows you to confidently educate your clients and recommend the right products and services to protect against hair damage.
In this article, we break down the science of hair bonds – how they work together to maintain strong, healthy hair and why bond protection matters. So you can consult with confidence!
Hair bonds are the forces which hold atoms together to form molecules and compounds. These can be classified into two main types based on their strength. Both strong and weak bonds are essential for preserving the hair's structure and flexibility.
Also known as Covalent Bonds, the strongest bonds in the hair which provide stability and shape.
- Gives hair shape and strength
- Influences whether hair is straight or curly
- Hard to break and provide long-lasting structural integrity
- Can be disrupted by chemical treatments and excessive heat
- Positioned in a chain
- Link amino acids together to form the backbone of Keratin (the protein that strengthens hair)
- Can be disrupted by harsh treatments, excessive brushing or pulling of the strands
Allow for flexibility and adaptability, enabling hair to maintain style and shape under various conditions.
- Formed between water molecules and the hair structure
- Temporary and can break and reform easily
- Allows hair to change shape when wet or after heat-styling
- Can be disrupted by water, heat or environmental stressors
- Formed between charged areas of amino acids in the Keratin structure
- Help stabilise the hair's shape
- Can be disrupted by changes in pH, moisture or chemical treatments
From chemical treatments and heat styling to environmental stressors such as humidity and pollution, there are many different factors that can disrupt hair bonds over time and lead to visibly damaged hair.
When explaining how to prevent hair breakage to your clients, one of the easiest ways to simplify the science is to compare hair bonds to human relationships where different bonds work together to create balance, strength and harmony.
In summary, when hair bonds all work together, strands look and feel stronger, however, once a bond type is compromised, the overall structure can suffer. For example, during colour services – especially lightening – think of it as introducing new dynamics into a relationship. This chemical process can disrupt even the strongest covalent bonds, leading to a weaker structure and potential hair breakage.
These are the solid bonds that help to keep your curls bouncy and your straight locks sleek. Just like how committed partners support each other, covalent bonds keep your hair strong and in shape!
These bonds can easily break and reform, letting you switch up your hairstyle whenever you like. Much like how good friends can adjust to each other's moods and support each other in different situations.
These bonds help to stabilise your hair’s overall look. They ensure everything stays balanced but can get thrown off by moisture or changes in pH levels, just like how stress or changes can affect relationships.
To ensure your clients hair remains vibrant, strong and full of life after colouring, be sure to include a post-colour service using specialist in-salon hair products from FIBRE CLINIX, which maintain the hair’s strength by creating new permanent bonds within the inner hair fibre, locking in the hair’s own keratin for long-lasting hair health.
And for everyday wear and tear, encourage your clients to try our FIBRE CLINIX at-home ranges, with BONDXTEND technology to reactivate results at home!
Stay tuned for the second part of our Hair Bonding series, where we’ll take a deeper look at in-salon products, as well as at-home care regimes that you can recommend to your clients for hair bond protection. Coming soon…
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