BONDING ACTIVITIES

STEVEN SMART

In last month’s issue we discussed the best ways to incorporate bonding treatments into your service menu, both in terms of benefitting you and your clients, but are you confident when it comes to retailing at-home bonding products and dispelling misinformation? HJ caught up with some of the biggest bonding experts in the market to hear their advice…

One Half of a Whole

While in-salon bonding treatments usually contain a higher concentration of key active ingredients, at-home bonding products still have a place in your clients’ routines. Rio Agor-Watts, Group Education Manager

UKI at Revlon Professional explains that it is all about synergy – when two or more parts produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. When discussing this with your clients, she suggests breaking this down for them, sharing: “Salon treatments establish a strong foundation, repairing and fortifying the hair structure, while at-home bonding products help to maintain and prolong the results.”

Helen Davis from Francesco Hair Salon and a Wella Colour Educator, also nails home the importance of a two-pronged approach, noting that it all starts with educating your clients. “Once they are aware of the number of factors that can cause breakage, they will be better placed to understand that in-salon treatments will not suffice alone.”

Let’s Get Some Things Straight

However, convincing your clients to incorporate at-home bonding products into their routines is only half the battle – ensuring they understand how to use them, and know what to expect from them, is equally important. While social media can be a great platform to share knowledge, it’s also infamous for spreading misinformation, with Helen adding: “Clients will often see or hear something on social media and latch on to one part of it – even if they don’t fully understand it.”

Debunking these myths is crucial when it comes to empowering your clients to look after their hair outside of the salon. In fact, clear communication is essential in so many ways when working with bond building treatments. Claire Chell, Uberliss Educator, explains: “Remember that these products can’t work miracles. If you feel a client’s hair condition is too weak or damaged, then take a test cutting and test the hair prior to any colour work. If colour will cause more damage, then be confident and say no. There’s nothing wrong with offering a bond building treatment plan instead of colour to strengthen hair first.”

Myth Busting

It's time to set your clients straight by clearing up these common misconceptions...

Myth: Bond repair products are just for helping to repair existing damage.

Fact: “Bond repair products actually reinforce the hair’s strength against future breakage – using them preventatively makes hair shiny, softer and more resilient over time,” explains Bruno Marc Giamattei, JOICO Creative Director.

Myth: Bond builders like Olaplex can be overused, leading to hair feeling stiff and brittle.

Fact: “This is false,” states Samantha Cusick, salon owner and Olaplex Ambassador. “This only happens with protein overload, but as Olaplex is not a protein, it cannot be overused and will not make hair feel stiff and brittle.”

Myth: K18 is a bond builder.

Fact: "K18 is actually a molecular level repair product – by imitating the natural protein structure of hair, a biotechnologically created peptide known as K18PEPTIDE can reconnect polypeptide chains and disulfide bonds leading to stronger hair," explains Jordan Alexander, Senior Director of Gloabl Education for K18.

Myth: You can’t use any other products when using bonding treatments.

Fact: “As long as they’re used correctly, they can be used in conjunction with anything – but I would caution overusing these treatments on extensions,” advises Katy Grimshaw, founder of Spectrum One, for INNOluxe.