I tested three bonding treatments at all price points – one will leave your hair feeling better than ever
They are now firmly back on my radar. This week, I've put three to the test.
BUDGET
Palmer's amino bonding complex bonding hair gloss, £10.99 for 118ml, Boots
Having heard this is an Olaplex dupe, I had to try it for myself.
The liquid is much thinner than I expected and, although the spray makes it slightly easier to apply, the bottle needs to be upright to dispense which is a pain, especially when you have long hair.
It would be worth buying a cheap continuous mister and decanting it.
With four different types of oil – coconut, avocado, sunflower and jojoba, I found it made my hair greasy quicker than normal but I can't deny it added shine and made it easier to brush when wet.
MID-RANGE
Epres bond repair treatment, £46 for 30ml, epresbeauty.co.uk
I have to be honest, this is the product that changed my mind.
Paula applied it to my hair before rinsing it when she took out some of my foils before the rest, and the brush was going through my wet hair like butter (if you've got fine hair, you'll know how knotty it usually gets when it's wet and freshly bleached) so I wanted to know what shampoo and conditioner she'd use.
Turns out, she hadn't used any, only this clever spray.
It immediately conditions hair but is super-lightweight so doesn't leave any residue behind and the continuous mister makes it mess-free to apply.I've been using it weekly since and my hair feels better than ever.
I work at Superdrug and there's the viral hair products that are actually worth your money - including the £3 bargain buy that encourages hair growth
LUXURY
The application is slightly more long-winded than the Epres but I like that you apply it on towel-dried hair and can skip conditioner so it doesn't make my routine any longer.
It took a while to work out how much product to apply – 1.5 pumps is the sweet spot for me – which meant I had a few bad hair days where I had to wash sooner than usual to get rid of the texture.
It leaves hair instantly softer and mine feels stronger after a few weeks of use too.
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