Hair Treatments
Hair treatments for damaged, dry and colour-treated hair: bond builders, protein treatments, deep masks and leave-in repair. We explain which type suits your hair, how often to use it, and in what order to apply them.Read more →
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Choosing a hair treatment for damaged, dry or coloured hair
A hair treatment is more concentrated than a conditioner and stays on the hair for longer. That extra time is the point: the ingredients get a chance to work before you rinse them out. A conditioner improves how your hair feels today. A treatment targets one issue, such as breakage, dryness, frizz or colour that fades quickly.
Three types of treatment, three different jobs
- Bond builders work inside the hair fibre. Bleaching, colouring and high heat break the sulphur bonds that give hair its elasticity. These formulas reconnect part of that inner structure, so strands snap less easily. They often leave hair feeling strong rather than silky, which surprises people the first time.
- Protein treatments add hydrolysed protein, protein broken into pieces small enough to enter the hair, into the gaps in porous strands. The strand gains body and firmness. The effect is real but temporary: it rinses away over roughly four to eight washes.
- Deep conditioning works on the cuticle, the outer layer. Rich hair masks smooth, soften and add shine for that wash cycle. They do not rebuild structure, and they do not need to when softness is your goal.
The order is fixed for a reason. Bond builder first on damp hair, a protein step next if your hair needs it, then a mask or one of our leave-in conditioners to bring flexibility back. Skip that last step after strong repair and hair can feel rigid.
Where repair routines usually go wrong
Most disappointing results come from stacking, not from weak products. A bond product, a keratin mask and a leave-in that also contains protein in the same wash add up fast. Hair then feels stiff, dull and straw-like, and the usual reaction is to reach for even more repair.
A simple check helps. Gently stretch one wet strand. If it barely stretches and snaps, it needs protein. If it stretches a long way and stays limp, it needs moisture. Two to three weeks of moisture-only care rebalances most hair.
How we choose the hair treatments we stock
We judge a treatment on three things: the form, how much of the repair ingredient is really in the formula, and whether the combination makes sense. That is why pre-shampoo bond steps, rinse-out masks and leave-in repair sit side by side here. They do different jobs, and no single bottle covers all three. We are brand-neutral, so we carry what performs and leave out ranges that repackage a conditioner as a treatment. Every product passes our compliance team, we test in-house, and independent labs spot-check batches. Read how we select our brands.
Who these treatments suit
Bleached, highlighted or relaxed hair gains the most, because that is where internal bonds are broken. Long hair that has not been cut for a year also benefits, since the ends are the oldest part of the strand. If your hair is uncoloured and rarely heat-styled, a weekly mask and a few drops from our hair oils for shine are usually enough.
Be realistic about the result. Repair is cosmetic and temporary: it lasts until it washes out, and split ends cannot be joined back together. Used consistently over four to six weeks, treatments keep hair easier to brush, glossier and less prone to snapping between cuts, which is exactly what most people are after.
Frequently asked questions
A conditioner is a routine rinse-out step that improves how your hair feels straight after washing. A hair treatment is more concentrated and stays on longer, or stays in completely, so the ingredients have time to act. That makes it targeted rather than general: one product for breakage, another for dryness, another for frizz. You still need a conditioner. A treatment sits on top of that routine and is used less often.
Start from the problem, not the packaging. Hair that snaps easily needs structural work. Hair that feels rough and dull needs moisture. This overview shows what each type actually does.
| Type | Works on | Typical use | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bond builder | Inside the fibre | Weekly to monthly | Bleached, coloured hair |
| Protein treatment | Gaps in the cortex | Every 2 to 4 weeks | Porous, stretchy hair |
| Deep mask | Cuticle | Weekly | Dry, dull hair |
| Leave-in treatment | Cuticle, light repair | Every wash | Frizz and tangles |
| Hair oil | Cuticle surface | As needed | Ends and shine |
It depends on how much damage you are working with. Freshly bleached or highly porous hair can take a bond step every one to two weeks during recovery, then less often as strength returns. Coloured hair that is otherwise healthy does well on roughly every three to four weeks. Protein treatments belong in a two to four week rhythm. A moisture mask is the one step that suits weekly use, or twice weekly on curly or over-processed hair.
Shampoo first, unless the label says the product is a pre-shampoo step, as some bond treatments are. Then apply the treatment to damp, towel-dried hair, not soaking wet hair, because water dilutes it. Follow with conditioner or a mask if your hair feels firm afterwards. Leave-in products and oils come last, on damp hair, before heat. Rinsing with cool water helps close the cuticle so the result looks smoother.
Usually too much protein, not too little. Hydrolysed protein builds up faster than it washes out, so a repair mask plus a bond product plus a protein leave-in in the same routine can leave the strand rigid and dull. Pause every protein and bond product for two to three weeks and use moisture-only masks instead. Check ingredient lists before you restart, because protein hides in styling creams too.
No, and any product promising otherwise is overselling. A split end is a physically divided strand, and nothing glues it back together permanently. What treatments can do is coat and smooth the ends so they look and feel sealed, and strengthen the rest of the hair so new splits form more slowly. The visible effect lasts until it washes out. A trim remains the only way to remove a split end.
Probably not as a weekly habit. Bond builders target the internal bonds broken by bleach, colour, perms, relaxers and repeated high heat. If your hair is uncoloured and mostly air-dried, those bonds are largely intact, and a good mask plus a heat protectant will do more for how your hair looks. If you straighten daily or swim in chlorinated water often, an occasional bond step every few weeks is reasonable.
Only indirectly. Treatments work on the strand that has already grown, so they can make fine hair feel stronger and break less, which means less visible loss from snapping. They do not act on the follicle in the scalp. For thinning, people usually combine scalp-focused products with nutrition, and our supplements for hair growth cover that side. Expect any change to take months, not weeks, because hair grows slowly.
