Gone are the days when colouring our hair meant we had to accept the consequences — weak, dry, unhealthy hair. Introducing L’Oreal Smartbond — a product we use to help keep our customer’s hair strong, healthy, and happy during and after a colour service. 

Protect your hair while colouring. Add Smartbond for softer, stronger, shinier hair. Smartbond is our new generation bond strengthening system that has been specifically formulated to work in synergy with our pre-lightener and colour products. It is a two-step process which allows the colourist to protect the hair & prevent damage during a technical service. — L’Oreal

How Does Smartbond Work?

Your hair’s colour comes from pigments found at the centre of your hair shaft (the cortex). It is protected by the hard outer layer of your hair (the cuticle). Typically, bleach or tints work by opening the cuticle and depositing colour-changing chemicals into the cortex. When this happens these chemicals can create holes in the cuticle as it opens up, and also break apart the protein bonds in the cortex. Repeated colouring can cause even more damage as these bonds are opened and interfered with again and again.

Smartbond is added to the colour before application. When the colour is applied to your hair, it gets to work, strengthening the natural bonds in your hair, and taking some of the damage itself.

Does Smartbond Change the Colour?

In short, no, Smartbond doesn’t interfere with the way your colour looks. If you’ve been having your hair coloured for years, you won’t need to change anything.

However without any help from Smartbond, colour can sometimes look uneven as damaged hair may not take colour as well as it could.

Does Smartbond Add Any Time to the Appointment?

Smartbond is a system with at least 2 steps.  First we add the Smartbond Additive into the colour before we apply it to your hair, then develop as normal.

Second, we add a Smartbond Pre-Shampoo at the basin during the hair wash. This second step must process for 10 extra minutes before shampooing as normal.

An optional third step is the at-home conditioner, which you can use every day to prolong the effects and continue to strengthen your hair.

Who Should Use Smartbond?

Anyone undergoing a chemical service should use Smartbond.

If it is your first time colouring or toning your hair, it will limit the damage, leave you with softer, stronger, and healthier hair than you started with, and will get you closer to your perfect result.

If you regularly colour your hair, it will prevent further damage to the hair that has already been coloured and will protect and strengthen the new growth. As your hair grows you will notice the difference more and more as you continue to use it at every colour appointment.

Smartbond isn’t reserved for huge colour transformations either. While customers going from brown to pink will definitely feel the benefits, if you’re booked in for your 6-week root touch-up or some Tiger Eye colour you will still walk away with amazing hair.

Alessandra and Ruben use L’Oreal Smartbond on model Cara.

What do you think? Will you be adding Smartbond to your next colour service?