I recently bleached my naturally dark brown hair to the lightest shade of blonde it’s ever been. While the compliments poured in, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about the damage I’d done to my hair. The color looked amazing—don’t get me wrong. However, my formerly soft, smooth, wavy hair became so rough and unmanageable that I considered giving up my quarterly balayage sessions altogether.
When I heard Matrix was launching a line to repair major hair damage, I jumped at the brand’s offer to try it at the salon. Ahead, I’m breaking down everything you need to know about Instacure Build-A-Bond, including how it works and who it’s best for. So stick around and keep scrolling because it may be as big of a game-changer for you as it was for me.
What Is Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond?
Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond is a salon-quality haircare collection designed to repair mega-damaged, porous hair. It consists of four products: a shampoo, conditioner, in-shower mask, and leave-in balm. The different formulas work together to fortify compromised, weakened hair from the inside out. Using the products as a complete system can yield strands that are 8x stronger and 94% smoother.*
As for who it’s best for, the range is suitable for all hair types and textures in need of heavy-duty repair. You can head to the salon to try Instacure Build-A-Bond with a hairdresser (the Matrix salon locator can help you find one) or purchase it for at-home use.
*vs. non-conditioning shampoo
How Does Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Work?
Instacure Build-A-Bond works by reinforcing weakened or broken hair bonds. To fully comprehend what this means, you must first understand what hair bonds are. Put simply, hair bonds refer to the various chemical connections that influence your hair’s shape, elasticity, and strength. When these bonds permanently rupture (typically through coloring, bleaching, and chemical processing), it can alter the texture and behavior of your hair. For example, after my latest bleaching session, my hair went from soft and manageable to rough, frizzy, and prone to breakage and split ends. My curl pattern suffered, too, losing some of its shape and buoyancy.
Now, back to the Instacure Build-A-Bond line. All of the formulas in the line, which are infused with citric acid and squalane, deeply penetrate into the hair fiber to help strengthen and reinforce damaged strands from within. But the formulas don’t just target the inside of your hair—they also address its frazzled surface layer, softening and smoothing each strand. Here’s a quick breakdown of every product in the system:
Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Mighty Bonds Shampoo
First up is the Mighty Bonds Shampoo, which gently cleanses hair while helping to repair weakened bonds. This professional shampoo for mega-damaged hair boasts a luxurious texture that gives you a richer lather. I can vouch—it definitely has a thicker consistency than other shampoos I’ve used. Most importantly, it’s suitable for color-treated and highlighted hair, which is just what I need in my reparative routine.
Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Instant Revival Liquid Mask
After shampooing, you’re supposed to apply the Instant Revival Liquid Mask to wet hair and let it sit for five minutes before rinsing. This mask is touted as the hero product of the collection. Every bottle is bursting with one billion bonds to help fight damage and restore hair’s healthy look and feel.
It’s worth noting that the fast-absorbing liquid format makes it easy to overapply the formula (I made this mistake on my first use), but a little goes a long way. You also don’t have to use it every time you wash your hair, just when it needs extra TLC.
Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Mighty Care Conditioner
Whether you use this right after shampooing or post-masking, the next step should be the Mighty Care Conditioner. The creamy formula softens, smooths, and nourishes damaged hair without weighing it down. Plus, it provides further bond repair. Apply it from the mid-lengths to ends of your hair and wait about three minutes before rinsing it out.
Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Super Sealing Leave-In Balm
In my opinion, every haircare system should end with a corresponding leave-in to prep hair for styling. The Super Sealing Leave-In Balm features everything I want in a leave-in styler: heat protection, detangling, conditioning, and frizz control. The instructions say to apply a dime-sized amount to towel-dried hair, but you can add more or less depending on your hair’s length and thickness.
My Matrix Instacure Build-A-Bond Review
On a sunny September morning, I headed to Self Salon to meet my stylist, Jill Rae. It was a few days after Labor Day weekend, and I spent the final stretch of summer tanning and swimming at the beach. The blazing sun and drying saltwater from my last hurrah worsened the condition of my bleach-worn strands. When I arrived at Self, my locks were dehydrated, frizzy, tangled, and super rough (both literally and figuratively).
A quick consultation with Jill confirmed that I was a perfect candidate for the Build-A-Bond System—and she had her work cut out for her. So, we headed over to the sink to start the process. She lathered me up with the shampoo, let me sit with the Instant Revival Liquid Mask for about five minutes, and then conditioned my hair to round out the routine.
My hair felt softer to the touch after my wash session, but even more so after she applied the leave-in balm. She then gently detangled my hair with a brush, gliding smoothly and seamlessly through my damp strands. This was already a major change and hinted at just how dramatic my hair’s transformation was about to be. To put this into perspective, you should know that brushing my damaged hair was somewhat of a chore: My hair would get knotted so easily, and after working through it, I’d notice an alarming amount of breakage and fallout on my hair brush.
Next, we blow-dried my hair for smoothness, and then Jill dry-trimmed my ends to even out my hair’s length (you can thank excess breakage for the asymmetry). Finally, we restored some volume with a few curling iron waves, and it was time for the big reveal. The photos speak volumes about the difference in the look of my hair, but I wish you could feel it, too. My locks were silky-soft, and I could actually run my fingers through them without fearing they would tangle or snap off.
I took the products home at the end of my service, courtesy of the brand, and have used them in my regimen ever since. As mentioned earlier, you don’t need to use the rinse-out mask every time you wash your hair. I usually opt for it after I’ve heat-styled my hair or gone an excessive amount of days without washing it (admittedly, my record is five). If I had to pick a favorite, I would say it’s the leave-in balm. It works just as well as a frizz-fighting air drier as it does a blow-drying heat protectant. As a whole, though, I love how this collection makes it feel like I’m doing something good for my hair after years of intense lightening and hot tool use.
I’m eventually going to give up bleaching my hair, but I’m not quite ready to go back to the dark side just yet. Until then, I’ll definitely keep using Instacure Build-A-Bond to help whip my broken hair bonds back into shape.
Next Up: How To Manage Damaged Hair In 8 Easy Steps
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Header photo credits: Courtesy of editor
