After getting a new hair colour, I’ve added all kinds of new products to my routine: different bond treatments especially. TIL’s PCA Bond Repair Treatment boasts some similarities to ‘leading bond repair treatments’ at a fraction of the price, so of course I had to try it. Here’s my Inkey List PCA Bond Treatment review.
My hair
Dry, frizzy, slightly wavey, freshly dyed and colour treated. My routine nowadays always features one bond treatment or another: Living Proof’s Triple Bond Treatment, Elizavecca’s CER-100, L’Oreal’s Wonder Water amongst others.
And while I was majorly disenchanted with TIL’s haircare products, I couldn’t resist.
- TIL Haircare 1: The Inkey List Haircare review: Hyaluronic Acid & Chia Seed Curl Defining Hair Treatments
- TIL Haircare 2: What happened to… The Inkey List haircare products?
- TIL Haircare 3: The Inkey List Glycolic Scalp Treatment review
Inkey List PCA Bond Treatment review: What is is?
Most bond treatments are leave-ins, and so is this one. It comes in a spray bottle that delivers a very fine mist of product. It’s a very convenient way to disperse product, and the unfuzziness of it was a big selling point for me. Spray it, proceed with styling, done.
Bond Repair – a recap
To understand bond repair treatments, you have to understand hair. Sorry. (If you’ve read both the Bond Repair post and Elizzavecca review, skip this bit.)
Every single hair is made up of three layers. The core is made of keratin (a protein made up of peptides and amino acids). Those peptides – called polypeptides – cross with side bonds to form a complex protein that give the hair its structure. Peptides form the strongest bonds in our hair, but if they start to break, hair becomes weak and damaged.
There’re three different types of side bonds: disulfide, salt and hydrogen bonds. Those bonds can be broken by water, heat styling, high pH, mechanical and chemical damage.
Ingredients helping to ‘repair’ bonds
Proteins are absorbed by damaged hair and will improve strength and elasticity and temporarily will seal gaps in the outer layer of the hair and seal split ends. This doesn’t mean they ‘repair’ damaged hair. They temporarily strengthen and protect hair, but don’t ‘repair’. (You can usually spot those on ingredient lists by ‘hydrolyzed xyz protein’ or ‘keratin’.)
Salt bonds will break when exposed to high pH products, so pH balanced products are important! (Formulators often use citric acid to lower the pH.)
Cationic surfactants are conditioning ingredients that have a positive charge. Damaged hair, on a molecular level, has a negative charge, will attract cationic surfactants and form a salt bond. Look out for quaternary ammonium compounds (called quats). They’re positively charged, no matter the pH of the surrounding solution and often used as conditioning agents, because they act similar to silicones (promote shine, manageability etc.).
Amodimethicone is used in a lot of conditioning products, because it also has a positive charge, binding it to damaged hair.
Description
PCA (Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid) Bond Repair Hair Treatment is a lightweight fine spray mist that helps to repair, protect and strengthen damaged hair bonds. Immediately hair looks healthier, feels softer, less frizzy and becomes stronger, with improved shine and bounce.
The Inkey List
This new treatment features a unique technology (Granrepair Powerbond®) that penetrates the hair fiber to target all 3 types of hair bonds differently, to help repair, strengthen and protect them from damage caused by excessive bleaching, color dyeing, or heat styling.
Ingredients
Water (Aqua /Eau), Amodimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, Bis-PCA Dimethicone, Sorbitan Laurate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Trideceth-12, Glycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Disodium PEG-12 Dimethicone Sulfosuccinate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Dilauryl Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Avena Strigosa Seed Extract, Lecithin
The Inkey List
Which ingredients can repair bonds here?
There’re a few conditioning ingredients in this product like glycerin and some oils. While they don’t repair bonds, they make hair more manageable. Hydrolyzed protein is the first ‘proper’ ingredient often used in bond treatments. Proteins are able to seal gaps in the hair shaft temporarily, but also don’t ‘repair’ bonds.
Modified silicones are also often used in bond treatments. Bis-PCA-Dimethicone is the most important one: it’ll bind to damaged hair and protect from further damage. Amodimethicone is used in a lot of conditioning products, too, because it also has a positive charge, binding it to damaged hair, too. These are the two ingredients utilized in PCA Bond Treatment, also giving it its name. The thing is just – they don’t repair bonds. They will form protective layers around bonds, protecting and conditioning it, though, which is great. But – don’t think it’ll turn hair into its former healthy version.
The 10% Granrepair Powerbond®? It’s basically Bis-PCA-Dimethicone.
Application
TIL recommends 4-10 sprays, depending on your hair lengths, 1-2 times a week. I don’t have thick or long hair, and I do use about 6-8 sprays on damp hair after washing. I wash my hair twice a week and use it every time.
Effect
The spray is very, very lightweight, and doesn’t weigh my fine hair down at all. It also doesn’t give my hair the nourishment it needs when I use it on its own.
Here’s how I usually use it: after shampooing, I use Elizavecca’s treatment, then a conditioner. After towelling, I spray a few pumps of the PCA Treatment, then use another leave-in conditioner. I don’t use it on days I use the Triple Bond Treatment because that one is a bit finicky to pair with other products.
Recently, I was on vacation and only brought the PCA Treatment, which I used after shampooing and conditioning. I used my trusty leave-in on top – and while my hair wasn’t exactly fried after returning from Spain, it also wasn’t in the same great shape than before.
Inkey List PCA Bond Treatment review: Worth it?
I’d say this is a nice add-on when you already use other bond repairing treatments OR have very, very fine hair that’s weighed down easily by products. It’s certainly cost effective, but, come on: it’s not a bond treatment that we expect when that name is mentioned. It’s a nice leave-in that makes hair softer and more manageable due to the silicones in it. If you use it regularly, it’ll last you for about 2 months.
Availability & Price
100ml are $13,99/ 13,99€ at their own website. TIL is also available at retailers like Sephora, Cult Beauty, Lookfantastic and Zalando.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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