The Truth About Hair Rebonding (Hair Rebonding FAQs — Answered)
I’ve been having my hair rebonded since I was in high school. Now that I am in my mid thirties, I still do. But why, you might ask?
Well, primarily for its practicality. I have very thick and frizzy hair. Through the years, I’ve tried a lot of products and tools to tame my unruly and unsightly hair. And what I’ve learned is that these products and tools just take so much time and effort without delivering the results that I wanted — smooth and silky hair that’s low maintenance. With a busy lifestyle, I just wanted to be able to take a shower and zoom out the door without having to do anything with my hair.
I know that there’s a lot of questions and assumptions about hair rebonding, especially for those who have never tried it but are curious to give it a go. So I’m here to share my years of experience with it and answer some of the most frequently asked questions to help you decide.
Just know that the effects of hair rebonding highly depends on what kind of hair you have. So don’t forget to consult a trusted hair salon so they can really check out your hair and help you decide if hair rebonding is the best choice for you.
What is hair rebonding?
So how does hair rebonding really work? Hair rebonding involves the use of chemicals to break the natural bonds of your hair and then rearranging them to give your hair a straight, silky and smooth style.
Is hair rebonding safe?
Since hair rebonding involves the use of chemicals, it is of course natural and important to ask if this procedure is safe. Some salons use hair rebonding products that contain formaldehyde. This is a dangerous and cancer causing substance. So it is very important that you ask about the products that your hair salon will be using on your hair. Explicitly ask them if they will be using products that contain formaldehyde.
You’ll also know if they’re using products with formaldehyde if your eyes start to water or itch during the process. Formaldehyde causes fumes that can irritate your nose and eyes.
It would be best if you also ask the salon about the brands that they will be using. Relying on known and trusted brands is great since these have gone through tests and have been reviewed by the FDA. Some well known and trusted brands are Wella, L’oreal and Shwarzkopf.
All in all, just go to a well trusted salon that uses safe products that are free from formaldehyde.
Another commonly asked question is if hair rebonding is safe for pregnant women. As long as the products used do not contain formaldehyde, it is relatively safe. But as for me, since I wanted to very careful with all the products I used on my body while I was pregnant, I stopped getting hair rebonding procedures when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. Just to be really, really safe.
Hair rebonding vs keratin treatment
There’s a lot of confusion out there with all the anti-frizz treatments available. There’s hair rebonding, hair relaxing, Brazilian blowouts, keratin treatments and even Japanese hair straightening. I’ve tried all these except for the Japanese straightening.
I would rather share my own experience with all these treatments but if you want to learn more about the technical differences between hair rebonding and keratin treatments, here’s an in depth article from makeupandbeauty.com.
As for my own experience, if you have really thick, wavy and frizzy hair and you want to have really straight and smooth hair, then hair rebonding is the best option. If you have hair like mine, the other options will not straighten out your hair. It may tame it a bit and only for awhile.
I’ve resorted to hair rebonding because it keeps my hair really straight, smooth and silky for a long time. I only get touch ups on my roots every 6 months or even after more than 6 months. If you’re not into styling your hair every time you go out with products and tools, then rebonding is for you. I’m out the door after showering, without even having to blow dry my hair.
The best advise that I can give is to go to a trusted hair salon. Apart from showing them what your hair is like, also explain to them what you want your hair to look like after your treatment. What is your desired result?
If you still want to keep your waves and just tame your frizz a bit, then maybe a keratin treatment is for you. But if you want really straight and sleek hair, then maybe hair rebonding is your best bet.
The effects of hair rebonding
A lot of people wonder if hair rebonding is actually good for the hair. Well, it really depends on the type of hair that you have. It would be best to consult with a trusted hair salon so they can determine if your hair is suitable for hair rebonding.
If you have thin, brittle hair, they most probably will advise against hair rebonding. For me, since I have really thick and stubbornly frizzy hair, they advised me to go through the procedure to have straight and silky smooth hair.
I do suffer from hair fall and it can get quite annoying. But really, other than the usual clean up, I really don’t mind at all. My hair is still thick as ever, but a lot less fluffy and more manageable.
Another question that a lot of people ask is the effect of hair rebonding on hair volume. At the risk of sounding quite repetitive and annoying at this point, the answer is — it depends on the type of hair that you have and it would be best to check with a trusted hair salon.
Since hair rebonding invloves breaking down the bonds of your hair and restructuring them to make your hair appear straighter and smoother, it can really flatten out your hair. But for me who has thick, fluffy and frizzy hair, this is exactly what I wanted. And even after years of rebonding, my hair still does have a lot of volume.
But if you have really thin hair to begin with, I’m pretty sure hair rebonding won’t be for you if you’re concerned with volume. You’ll probably end up with really flat, lifeless hair.
Hair care tips for after rebonding
Once you’ve had your hair rebonded and your hair has been determined to be a great candidate for hair rebonding, you really don’t have to do much to maintain your newly rebonded hair. It’s very low maintenance. You’ll have straight and sleek hair all the time.
But if you have thin and brittle hair but still went through with hair rebonding, you might need some special shampoo to help your hair remain strong and healthy. Make sure to ask for shampoo and conditioner recommendations from your hair salon.
For me personally, since I have really thick hair, I just use my usual shampoo and conditioner that focuses on making sure that my hair remains soft and moisturized. Here are some of my favorite options.
Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo from ulta.com
Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner from ulta.com
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo from ulta.com
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Conditioner from ulta.com
Davines NOUNOU Shampoo from amazon.com
Davines NOUNOU Conditioner from amazon.com
Keep in mind that after you have your hair rebonded, you can’t put up your hair using hair ties. This may cause your perfectly straight hair to have bends.
But I know what you’re thinking — that’s impossible! Of course, once in awhile, we need to put our hair up. Like when we go to the gym or when we’re cooking.
No worries. I do put my hair up sometimes and my rebonded hair is just fine. I just make sure to use hair ties that are not too tight like hair claws and cloth scrunchies. And I don’t put my hair up the whole day. I make sure to put my hair down after the activity.
Hair Claw Clips from amazon.com
Cotton Scrunchies from amazon.com
Hair rebonding is not for everyone. It all depends on the type of hair that you have and your desired results. If you have thick and relatively strong hair and you want your hair to be perfectly straight, smooth and shiny all the time, then hair rebonding might be for you.
Just remember to go to a reputable salon who can check and assess your hair and give you honest advise. Make sure that they also use safe products that are free from formaldehyde.
