This $25 Bond-Building Hair Treatment Gave Me Perfect Air-Dried Waves

The name is Bond. Hair bonds, that is. Bond-building treatments like those from Olaplex and K18 have been all the rage for a minute among those looking to improve their hair health, and now Coco & Eve is coming through with a $25 wonder potion that aims to rejuvenate lackluster, dry locks. Best of all? It takes only 10 minutes to do its thing.

As the name suggests, the just-dropped Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment aims to repair three types of structural bonds (disulfide, ionic, and hydrogen) that are compromised when hair undergoes any sort of damage, whether via bleaching, heat treatment, UV, or otherwise. In addition to a polymer that works to repair broken bonds, the formula is infused with a cocktail of plant oils, such as coconut, pomegranate, apricot, and avocado. The goal? To take colored and chemically treated hair from fried to soft and silky. Ahead of its launch, I got a bottle to try to see how it fared on my own head of hair.

Coco & Eve’s Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment is designed to be applied on damp hair from root to tip, so I brought it into the shower with me and set a phone timer for 10 minutes while I shaved my legs and lathered up my bod. Where many hair masks are thick and buttery, Coco & Eve’s new bond builder is a medium-weight texture that’s a little runnier than your normal conditioner. I loved that this treatment was easy to work through my collarbone-length hair and didn’t feel super heavy. (I used about five pumps on my lob, BTW.) Per the instructions, I rinsed it out and followed up with my usual shampoo and conditioner. After drying with my Aquis towel, I decided to forgo my usual application of hair oil to see if the bond builder treatment actually made a difference after one use. (Normally, if I don't use any product after showering, my hair balloons into a poofy mess.)

As my hair air-dried, I carefully assessed the look and feel of my strands. To my delight, my hair didn't feel weighed down at all, and it was drying in a way that actually enhanced my natural texture. I definitely noticed a difference when my hair was fully dry. Even though there was still a halo of flyaways, it was pretty damn good for not having used any styling product after showering.

At $25, Coco & Eve's Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment is one I'd solidly recommend for instant softness and shine. I have generally healthy hair to begin with (and want to keep it that way by using a product like this to minimize breakage), so I'd be curious to see how the product performs for folks with bleached or more severely damaged hair. All in all, I think it's a good value for the quality and amount of product you're getting, and will definitely be reaching for it again.