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Hello, fellow naturals! I’m Liz. I have multi-textured, Type 4, low-porosity natural hair, and this year, I’ve been having a bit of a setback with my curls. You know that dreaded feeling when your curls aren’t exactly curling the way they used to? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me.
Here’s the deal: I’ve been using heat more lately to do blowouts, but I started to notice that my curls, while they were intact, were a bit more limp and frizzy, possibly having a little heat damage. So, after searching the internet for help, I stumbled upon the magical world of ✨bonding treatments✨.
What's a bond-repair treatment? These are haircare products that are formulated to repair damaged, over-processed, or dry hair — and they can be used to prevent split ends and breakage. These treatments have been used in salons and professional settings for a long time, and lately, they've become more available for consumers at home. Bond-repair products have come in just about every form, including shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, and hair oils.
Consultant trichologist Anabel Kingsley told Today that bonding treatments can strengthen the disulfide bonds in your hair, which provide elasticity and strength. These bonds can be damaged by using heat and/or chemical processing.
So, if you use heat or chemical processing on your hair regularly, a bond-repair product could be a great option for your routine. While there are several bonding treatments available, Kingsley says that a pre-shampoo treatment typically works best, and she tells her clients to use them once or twice a week (depending on the damage) but ultimately recommends following the manufacturer's instructions.
A quick search on TikTok, and you’ll find countless reviews and how-tos, with creators reviewing bond treatments from brands like Olaplex, K18, and Redken who have some of the most popular products on the market right now.
For my pick, I went with the Redken Acid Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment, which is a pre-shampoo treatment. But before I tested it out, I looked into what the brand says it will do first.
Redken's Intensive Treatment contains citric acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that lowers the pH in haircare products and has a ton of benefits for the health and appearance of hair.
While other bond-repair treatments can also be great options, there were specific reasons why I chose this one:
1) I watched quite a few videos, and I saw this treatment being used on several hair types, including other Black women with a similar hair texture to mine.
2) I was *very* impressed with the immediate results and positive reviews I saw online.
3) Bond-repair treatments can get pretty pricey, and this one also comes in travel-size for $13, which I kept in mind if I wanted a smaller size instead.
In terms of the product's bond-repair benefits, Redken's website says the Intensive Treatment uses citric acid to "reinforce weakened bonds" in the hair, and it's said to reduce breakage and leave the hair "2x stronger" and "14x smoother."
Just note: This treatment is just one step of Redken's Acidic Bonding Concentrate haircare regimen, which also includes a shampoo, conditioner, liquid mask, and perfecting leave-in. According to Redken, the full system, which works for all hair types, helps to "strengthen and repair damaged hair" and protects the hair from color fading and breakage.
And, apparently, with the system, you can start seeing results, like improved curl definition, after ONE USE. (At this point, I was very curious.)
But for this review, I'm testing the Intensive Treatment alone to see just how effective it can be as a pre-shampoo treatment with my usual wash-day routine — especially with all the benefits it's said to have on its own.
✨ Here's what I'm looking for as I test the pre-shampoo treatment:
1) FEEL: How does my hair feel after the treatment? Softer? Less dry and more moisturized?
2) APPEARANCE: How do my curls look after the treatment? Is there less frizz and more definition?
3) STRENGTH: Do I notice less breakage after the treatment?
I'm starting with previously blow-dried hair that's definitely ready for a wash. My hair felt a little dry, and since my natural curls have been in a stretched-out state for a while, I was curious to see if the treatment would help bring them back to life.
1️⃣ STEP ONE: Following the instructions, you'll need to apply the treatment on damp hair. So, I used a spray bottle filled with water to wet my hair, and then, I divided my hair into sections (just to make application easier) and started applying the product.
The treatment is a very lightweight cream with a lovely, flowery scent. It absorbed easily into my hair, and I noticed that my natural texture started coming back immediately upon application.
2️⃣ STEP TWO: Continuing the instructions, after I finished applying the product on all sections, I left the treatment on my hair for 10 minutes.
3️⃣ STEP THREE: Finally, I rinsed out the product and continued with the rest of my wash-day routine (shampoo, conditioner, etc.). Since I'm not using the entire Redken system for this test, I used a few of my usual products: To cleanse, I used the Cantu Apple Cider Vinegar Root Rinse followed up by the Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse as a moisturizing shampoo, and to deep condition, I used the Amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask.
AFTER RINSING: Here's my hair immediately after rinsing the treatment (before I shampooed and conditioned my hair, and without any product) and my observations:
✨ FEEL: Even without conditioning my hair, my hair felt very soft and pillowy. My curls felt lightweight, had movement, and weren't stiff whatsoever. Although my hair didn't feel stripped, I could tell it was lacking some moisture — but this was only the first step in my wash day, so I was curious to see how it felt after I shampooed and deep conditioned.
✨ APPEARANCE: Although I loved how my hair felt, I wasn't the most impressed after just one use when it came to curl definition. As I mentioned before, my curls and coils have been lacking definition since using more heat. I have multiple textures in my hair, some more defined than others, and I felt there were quite a few areas where my strands still looked frizzy. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with frizz, especially when it comes to tighter curls, but I felt my hair wasn't as hydrated and defined as it could be. Here are some up-close shots:
✨ STRENGTH: I was surprised at how little shed hair I had (especially compared to past wash days) after working the product through my hair and washing it out. So, I did wonder if the treatment already helped to reduce breakage (or if it was too soon to tell).
AFTER WASH DAY: On this first try, I wanted to see if the treatment would make any difference when it came to the rest of my wash-day regimen (shampooing and deep conditioning) — and to my surprise, it did.
Here's my hair after shampooing and deep conditioning without any product. My hair remained so soft post-treatment that my curls were easy to detangle, making the rest of my routine extremely smooth; plus, I didn't have much additional breakage at all, even after detangling with a brush. My hair was even more defined now that it had some moisture, and my curls were bouncy and shiny.
AFTER STYLING: I styled my hair in a braid-out for the week, and my curls remained very soft, shiny, and moisturized for days, so after giving the treatment a first try, I thought it was absolutely worth giving it another go.
For my natural hair routine, I wash my hair weekly, so I tried out Redken's Intensive Treatment for the second time my very next wash day, at the end of the week.
AFTER RINSING: I followed the exact same steps as before, and here were my results immediately after rinsing out the treatment, without any product:
✨ FEEL: My curls felt soft and lightweight once again, and this time around, my hair stayed SO much more moisturized and hydrated after rinsing out the treatment.
✨ APPEARANCE: I saw a HUGE difference after trying this treatment for the second time. My curls had much less frizz compared to the previous week, and they were shiny, bouncy, and had plenty of definition — even before the rest of my wash-day routine. I was extremely impressed.
✨ STRENGTH: Just look at how little breakage I had! This is all the shed hair I had after rinsing out the product, and I was in shock, honestly. It was much less than the first try, so I 100% believe my hair strands were getting stronger.
AFTER WASH DAY: I finished my wash day by shampooing and deep conditioning with the same products as last week, and I continued to see positive results.
Here's my hair without product after shampooing and conditioning. Once again, my curls remained soft, bouncy, shiny, and moisturized. I was loving every bit of it.
After trying out Redken's Intensive Treatment just two weeks in a row to revive my curls, I can safely say: YES it works, and YES I saw results.
I loved how the product made my hair feel, but the biggest differences I noticed were: 1) how quickly it reduced breakage and 2) how it reduced frizz and gave me better curl definition.
Here's a side-by-side of how it reduced breakage:
And here's how it improved curl definition:
✨ If you're interested in trying out the treatment for yourself, just keep in mind that everyone's hair is different, so results may vary. And like me, you may not see some results right away, but I'd recommend following the instructions and trying it a few times to see if you notice any changes.
All in all, I'm excited to use this treatment in my regimen and see more improvement over time.
