Bond-building, repairing hair treatments are having a major moment, and you don’t need TikTok to tell you as much. For those who heat-style, color their hair or expose it to any other aggressor as part of their routine, damage repair is crucial to restore a softer, healthier look and feel. Brand-new from IN COMMON, the hair-care brand from Nine Zero One founders and celebrity hairstylists Riawna Capri and Nikki Lee (they’re on speed dial for a long list of Hollywood A-listers), is this Leave-In Hair Repair Treatment, which Capri says “is literally so perfect, and after one use, you can feel an incredible difference.”
“We do Selena’s [Gomez] hair very frequently—just for a simple blowout at times—and you know underneath that dark hair it was platinum bleach blonde and that stuff doesn’t feel as smooth as you want it to, but this makes the hair super smooth after just one blowdry,” says Lee. I just gave it a try on my hair, and these are my thoughts.
My Hair Type:
I have long, dirty-blonde, fine, balayaged hair. It doesn’t always look fine because I have a lot of hair, but I promise it is.
The Benefits:
Unlike traditional bond builders that focus on going beneath the hair cuticle to repair broken bonds, this lightweight treatment works in three ways, on all hair types: it helps balance moisture levels in the hair and reduce frizz, it helps protect the hair by sealing the cuticle and it defends against chemical, mechanical and heat damage. To sum it all up, you get repair, moisturization and protection in one.
The point of differentiation is the emphasis on the Cellular Membrane Complex that’s like the flexible glue that holds everything in the hair structure together, and when this structure becomes compromised, the hair loses hydration, the cortex becomes exposed and overall damage occurs in the innermost layer of the hair shaft. The star ingredient is what the brand calls its Cellular Membrane Complex, which is a proprietary blend of 11 carefully selected amino acids, fats and lipids that mimic what is present in the hair’s Cellular Membrane Complex for optimal repair.
The brand also has a proprietary C3 Custom Care Complex that repairs only the spots on the cuticle that are damaged and porous, but doesn’t weigh down the healthy areas. In clinical testing, the Treatment repaired hair after just one use and the hair was also two times stronger, and looked and felt softer and healthier without a stiff feel.
Lee says her hair is thick, coarse and frizzy, and Capri’s is the opposite: fine, flat and straight. “We both needed to be truly happy with how the product worked on our hair, and we are,” she adds. “For me, being a mom to two young ones, this has been a game changer for me because sometimes I’ll just leave it in and air-dry, and sometimes I’ll blow it out, and it works either way.”
What I love, too, is that you can also apply it to your roots (it’s meant to be used all over), and when I did just that, it didn’t leave my hair greasy or oily. I was honestly shocked, especially after seeing several oils on the ingredient list, but I guess that’s why they say don’t judge a book by its cover. My hair felt so soft, light and airy, even at the root, and I have not cut my hair in way too long! The floral-esque, salon-worthy scent is a nice bonus, too.
Key Ingredients:
Cellular Membrane Complex (more on this above), Custom Care Complex (Selective Sericin Silk Extract and Flexible Fibroin Silk Extract), aloe vera, avocado oil, olive oil and jojoba oil, castor oil, and vitamin E
What It’s Free From:
Parabens, phthalates and aldehydes
How to Use It:
First, prep your hair with a clarifying or detoxifying shampoo (the brand recommends its Clear Haze, which Capri says is her favorite shampoo of all time), but you can use any one you have on hand. “Clear Haze clarifies and opens up the cuticle enough so that way you drop this bad boy in [the Treatment] so it can actually get to the Cellular Membrane Complex of the hair.”
Do not condition your hair after your rinse, as that would be counterproductive because it would create a barrier that would prevent the Treatment from penetrating. Just throw your hair into a towel and let it sit for a bit while you do your evening skin-care routine, etc. Then, on towel-dried hair, apply a dime-size amount—I used a little more for my long hair—all over, comb it through and let it sit for 30 seconds to activate before you blow-dry (you can air-dry too if you want).
You only need to use it once a week—it fades in four to five shampoos—unless your hair is more damaged, but even in that case, I wouldn’t do more than twice. It will also work on hair extensions.
Price/Where to Buy:
$60, incommonbeauty.com
