Protein Vs. Bond Repair Treatments: Which Is Best?
This post may contain affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please read the disclosure policy for more details.
Keeping your natural curls, waves, or coils healthy requires careful attention, and your hair can easily be damaged by stressors like heat tools, chemical treatments, or over-brushing.
Bond repair treatments and protein-rich products are two types of hair treatment used to repair hair damage and strengthen strands. They’re both popular with curly girls, but which is better: protein or bond-repairing products?
Understanding the difference between the products is the first step when you’re picking the right type of treatment for your tresses.
In this guide, I’ll explain the difference between bond builders and protein treatments and help you choose the best treatment for your natural hair. I’ve also picked out some of the most popular bond repairers and protein-rich products for curly hair to help you make your decision.
But let’s start by looking at why protein plays a crucial role in the health and appearance of hair.
Hair Anatomy 101
First of all, it’s important to understand the anatomy of your hair strands. Your hair is mainly made of a protein called keratin, and the structure of the hair strand has up to three layers1.
The cuticle is the outer layer of the hair shaft, and it’s made up of overlapping scales that help protect the inside of the hair. On a healthy hair fiber, these scales can open up to allow moisture into the strand and close to keep the moisture locked in. However, they’re easily damaged by things like hot styling tools or color treatments.
The cortex lies inside the hair, just underneath the cuticle. This layer of the hair structure makes up most of each strand and gives your hair its color and strength.
The medulla lies at the center of thicker hair strands, and has a spongy texture made of air-filled cells. Fine hair strands and naturally blonde hairs don’t generally have a medulla.
Without the protection of a healthy cuticle layer, the softer layers underneath can easily be damaged, and protein can be lost from the strands. Using protein-rich hair products or bond repair treatments can help you replace lost protein, improve the health and strength of your hair and reduce the risk of further damage.
What Are Protein-Rich Products For Hair?
Protein treatments contain protein-rich ingredients that can help give your hair strength and prevent future damage or breakage.
Some of the most popular protein-rich ingredients in curly hair products include:
- Keratin
- Collagen
- Wheat protein
- Silk protein
- Rice protein
- Amino acids
- Anything with “hydrolyzed” in its name
You’ll often find protein added to deep conditioners and hair masks that help make your hair feel softer and more hydrated. Protein is also used in styling products like creams and gels, as it can help your hair look and feel smoother.
How Do Protein Products Work?
Protein treatments and products deposit protein onto the hair’s surface to temporarily improve its strength and condition.
The proteins form a film on the hair shaft that acts as a protective barrier to make the hair stronger and help it retain more moisture. It can also make your curls look tighter or more springy.
These effects are pretty short-lived, as the protein is only applied to the outer surface of the hair strands. You might need to use protein treatments more often than bond repairing treatments, usually every four to six weeks or even every two weeks for badly damaged locks.
The amount of protein in hair products varies, and you can easily overload your hair with much protein. It’s essential to monitor your hair for signs of protein overload, such as dull, brittle strands that break easily. These negative effects are more likely to occur on coarse hair, low-porosity hair, and hair that hasn’t experienced much damage.
If your hair starts to feel brittle or breaks easily, you may need to switch to protein-free products for a while or alternate between the two types of product.
What Are Bond Repair Treatments?
The keratin proteins in your hair strands are held together by three types of bonds: hydrogen bonds, ionic/salt bonds, and covalent or disulfide bonds. These bonds can be broken when your hair is affected by heat damage, chemical processes, environmental stressors like UV from sunlight, or mechanical damage from rough brushing.
Bond repair treatments work on the molecular level. They are designed to repair these broken hair bonds by bridging gaps in the strands’ keratin structure. The best bond protectors will target all three types of bonds, improving your hair’s strength and health.
How Do Bond Repair Products Work?
Bond builders work by penetrating deep into your hair strands and repairing the broken bonds, helping to give your curls more strength and bounce. This gives a longer-lasting effect than protein treatments that only work on the hair’s surface, and they’re also less likely to cause product buildup and brittleness.
Bond-building treatments can also help improve your hair’s overall health by improving moisture retention and taming frizz.
However, these effects aren’t permanent, so you’ll need to use bond repair treatments regularly to keep your strands strong and healthy.
Which Is Best: Protein Or Bond-Repairing Products?
These treatments are both great for strengthening your hair and preventing future breakage.
Protein-rich products are better if you need a temporary fix or your hair has only received light damage. Bond repair treatments are better for hair that has experienced more serious damage or if you want a longer-lasting solution.
However, if your hair is severely damaged to the point that your cuticle is destroyed, cutting out the damage and growing your hair out again is the only solution.
Protein-rich products also carry the risk of causing protein buildup on your strands. If you have coarse, low-porosity, or virgin hair, there will be more risk of this happening.
Finally, bond-repairing products don’t generally condition your hair. If you decide to go down that route, remember to give your hair plenty of moisture through deep conditioner treatments and hair masks.
Depending on your hair’s damage level, you can add both products to your hair care routine. You might like to use film-forming protein treatments more often to soften and protect your tresses, then occasionally add a bond-repairing treatment for a boost of longer-lasting strength.
Recommended Curly Hair Products With Protein
Deep conditioning treatments are a popular way to add protein to your hair. These also contain moisturizing ingredients to make your hair feel soft and strong. You’ll also find protein in a wide range of hair styling products designed to help smooth your hair and give your curls better structure.
Here are just a few of the best protein products for curly hair. Remember that it’s essential to select products that suit your hair porosity, hair density, and curl type.
Not sure which hair type you have? Check out our Quick Curl Type Quiz to discover the answer!
Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity Stronger Hold Gel
This gel contains wheat amino acids and hydrolyzed wheat protein. It gives long-lasting strong hold for better curl definition and locks out humidity to help fight frizz.
This is by far the best gel for humidity. Your hair won't look perfect after being in the heat and humidity, but it will look a lot better than with any other gel.
Curlsmith Feather-light Protein Hair Cream
This hair cream combines the hold of gel with the moisturizing effect of a cream, helping your curls feel bouncy again. It’s fortified with a hemp seed and rice protein complex that offers a plant-based alternative to keratin.
Arvazallia Fortifying Protein Hair Mask
This deep conditioning treatment contains hydrolyzed wheat protein for strength alongside moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera, argan oil, and macadamia oil. It revives dull curls, improves elasticity, and makes your mane feel more manageable.
Shea Moisture Treatment Masque For Dry Hair
This rich hair mask contains hydrolyzed vegetable protein alongside conditioning ingredients like Jamaican Black Caster Oil and shea butter. It’s ideal for coarse, dry hair, especially curly and coily Type 3 or 4 hair.
Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™ Hair Mask
This deep conditioning mask is enriched with corn, wheat, and soy protein, as well as algae extract amino acids. It leaves dry, brittle strands feeling soft, hydrated, and nourished and helps keep frizz under control.
Recommended Bond Repair Products for Curly Hair
You can find bond-repairing ingredients in dedicated treatments and specialist bond-building shampoos and conditioners.
Here are some of the best bond repair treatments for curly hair.
Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector Repairing Hair Treatment
Olaplex is probably the best-known and most popular bonding treatment for natural hair. It’s applied to damp hair before shampoo and conditioner, kind of like a pre-poo, and will repair damage to the broken disulfide bonds in your hair strands.
You can use Olaplex No. 3 on its own or alongside Olaplex 1 and 2 treatments administered by your hair stylist. Many curly girls find an Olaplex treatment improves curl definition, softness, and shine.
Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve
Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve is a popular alternative to Olaplex No. 3. However, the Curlsmith treatment contains both protein and bond repairers, which is especially beneficial if you have high porosity hair.
Like Olaplex, this treatment is applied to wet hair before shampooing. Follow up with a deep conditioner to prevent your hair from feeling stiff and dry.
If your hair needs a boost of protein without a lot of moisture, this is a great pre shampoo treatment. It's also a bond building treatment that strengthens and repairs hair form the inside out.
Living Proof Triple Bond Complex
This bond-repairing treatment builds all three types of bonds, promising stronger, smoother hair after just one application.
Living Proof Triple Bond Complex helps reduce the visible signs of hair damage, including split ends. It also helps prevent future damage and breakage, and even acts as a heat protectant up to 450°F.
Ouidad Unbreakable Bonds Mixing Drops
Bond repair ingredients can be found in specialized products like Ouidad Unbreakable Bonds Bond Building shampoo and conditioner that you use instead of your usual hair care products.
You can also add Ouidad Unbreakable Bonds Mixing Drops to your regular styling products to create a truly personalized hair care routine. They contain collagen, rice protein, and moisturizing hyaluronic acid to help soften and smooth your hair.
FAQs
Still unsure about using protein treatments and bond builders for curly hair? These frequently asked questions might help you decide.
Do I Have To Use Protein or Bond Repair Treatments?
Protein products and bond repair treatments are an optional step you can add to your curly hair routine. They aren’t essential, especially if you have healthy hair, but if your damaged hair needs some TLC, they can provide some extra support.
How Often Should I Use A Bond Repair Treatment For Curly Hair?
If you have virgin hair that hasn’t been color-treated and is relatively healthy, you could use a bond repair treatment every 4-6 weeks.
If you have highly porous hair or damaged hair, you might want to use the treatment every 2-3 weeks to help repair the damage to your hair’s cuticle layer.
Do All Bond Repair Treatments Contain Protein?
Some bond repair treatments contain protein, like Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve. Others, like Olaplex No. 3, don’t contain any protein ingredients, so it’s important to check the ingredient list to be sure.
The Bottom Line
Protein and bond repair products help strengthen your hair, prevent future breakage, and give you healthier-looking hair.
While protein-rich products give a temporary fix on the hair’s surface, bond repairers can work deeper inside the hair shaft and provide a longer-lasting boost to your hair’s strength.
Choosing the right products for your hair will depend on how badly it has been damaged, and if your hair is severely damaged, the only remedy may be cutting out the damage.
However, bond repair treatments and protein treatments can both be used as part of your curly hair care routine for stronger, healthier hair.
