Abbey’s Routine
Stage One: Pre-Shower prepares and protects your hair with bond repair treatments and oils.
Stage Two: In-Shower focuses on cleansing, repairing, conditioning, adding gloss, and deep masking.
Stage Three: Post-Shower strengthens, protects from heat, and adds moisture, shine, and hold.
Stage Four: Between Washes refreshes hair with light conditioning, heat protection, and dry shampoo.
Pre-Shower
Before you get in the shower you have two optional steps (bond repair and oil treatments). Bond repair treatments treat the hair from the inside out and oil treatments are good for those with damaged hair that gets super tangled or really dry after washing.
We Recommend Epres Bond Repair
Expensive but worth the investment. Abbey says to use Epres at least 10min before washing and that’s your pre-shower bond repair sorted!
Pre-Shower Oil Treatments
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OGX Anti-Breakage Serum
A great choice for finer hair.
OGX Coconut Miracle Oil
Better for thicker, coarse or frizz-prone hair.
In-Shower
In the shower you need to shampoo, condition and bond repair your hair unless you’re using K18 or Living Proof. If using either K18 or Living Proof, bond repair comes post-shower. For all other bond treatments recommended here, use in the shower after shampooing and before conditioning.
For Shampoo: Abbey recommends alternating between clarifying, non-clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoo should be used once a week minimum (it deeply cleans your hair and scalp). Non-clarifying shampoo is for regular maintenance.
For Conditioning: Abbey recommends using at least one conditioning product (gloss, conditioning conditioner or mask) every time you wash your hair. If needed, you can use combinations i.e. gloss and mask or conditioner and mask etc.
Clarifying Shampoos
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Dove Scalp+ Strengthening
Affordable and effective but does have a strong scent.
L’Oreal Ever Pure Clarifying
Tackles oily roots and dry ends at the same time.
L’Oreal Professional Metal DX
Colour-treated hair’s secret weapon against dullness and damage.
Garnier Pure Clean
Hydrates as it cleans.
Pantene Volume & Body
Big clean, big volume. Great for fine hair.
K18 Detox Peptide Prep
If you can afford it, do it. K18 is solid.
Living Proof Clarifying Detox
Removes buildup, pollution and hard water.
Ouai Detox
Deeply cleans without stripping colour.
Non-Clarifying Shampoo
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Dove Bond Strength
A trusty go-to for day to day with no major haircare concerns.
Dove Intensive Repair
For when your hair needs a full rebuild.
Garnier Strength Repair
Redken-level repair without the Redken price tag.
L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Repair
One of our favourites for fine hair.
Pureology Strengthen Cure
A bit more luxury, this repairs and strengthens without stripping colour
amika Bond Repair
Clinically proven to undo what heat and chemicals have done.
All hail K18
The go-to post-shampoo leave-in bond repair treatment. Worth the money. No notes.
Living Proof
Stronger, shinier and smoother after one use.
Other Bond Treatments
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OGX Bond Repair
Rebuilds bleach and heat damage at the source. Impressive for the price.
Garnier Fructis Hair Filler + Bonding
Goes deep to repair what you can’t see.
L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Strengthening Concentrate
A shield against future damage. Your bleached hair will thank you.
Conditioning Gloss
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L’Oreal 8 Wonder Water
Eight seconds is all it takes for your shiniest hair ever. We back the claims.
L’Oreal Ever Pure Glossing 5-Min Lamination Mask
Smooth, glossy results that last five days. Great for dull hair.
amika Instant Shine Mask
Sixty seconds to softened, seriously shiny hair.
Conditioning Conditioner
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Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate
Our absolute favourite. It smells good, doesn’t strip like others do and leaves your hair feeling really strong, shiny and soft.
Garnier Strength Repair
Resets, smooths and shines. You’ll always come back to it.
Dove Bond Strength
Deep targeted repair for hair that’s been through the chemical wringer.
Dove Intensive Repair
For extremely damaged hair, this rebuilds strand by strand.
L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Repair
Repairs, hydrates and detangles.
Pureology Strength Cure
Best for colour-treated hair that needs real repair.
amika Strength Repair
Expensive but very effective at reducing split ends and repairing damage.
Conditioning Masks
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Cer-100 Collagen Ceramide Protein
K-beauty cult favourite. Detangles, strengthens and the packaging is adorable.
Pantene Miracle Rescue
Abbey’s gold label pick. Soft, frizz-free, shiny every single time.
Pantene Miracle Bond Repair
Turn it up a notch. For hair that needs the intensive version.
OGX Bond Protein Bond Repair
One use and you’ll feel the difference. Great for thick, long and curly hair.
Dove Bond Strength
For the ladies who are regularly heat treating their hair.
Dove Intensive Repair
Beyond bond repair, this one rebuilds amino acids from scratch.
amika Intense Repair
If your hair is super damaged, this is the conditioning mask for you.
Post-Shower
Once you’ve finished your shower you’ve got the option of another bond repair treatment (not necessary if you’ve done a pre-shower bond-repair treatment) followed by leave-in conditioner and heat protectant, styling treatments and three types of style sealers (serums, lotions/creams and oils). Most of this stuff is optional so if you’re one to get overwhelmed by choice, start with just the mandatory steps in the shower.
Leave-in Conditioner and Heat Treatments
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Pureology Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray
Highly recommended for good reason.
Redken One United Multi Benefit Treatment Spray
Twenty-five benefits in one bottle.
Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Heat Protective Primer
More hydration, less frizz and heat protection up to 450°.
Pantene Miracle Rescue Spray
Lots of benefits and really affordable.
TreSemme Protecting Heat Styling Spray
Lightweight, effective at protecting hair from heat damage.
TreSemme Keratin Smooth Blowout Heat Protection Spray
Keratin-infused protection that smooths and strengthens as it shields.
OGX Bond Repair Spray
Weightless heat protection with a bond repair bonus.
L’Oreal Moisture Leave-In Conditioner Spray
Smells incredible, works well. An essential if you have colour-treated hair.
Styling
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TreSemme Dry Texture Finishing Spray
Incredible texture, amazing scent, brilliant price.
Living Proof Dry Volume and Texture Spray
One of our go-to dry shampoos. Doesn’t leave a white residue.
Oribe Dry Texturising Spray
The holy grail of texture sprays. If budget isn’t the issue, this is the answer.
K18 Astrolift Volume Spray
Worth every penny. Long-lasting volume that defies humidity.
TreSemme Amplified Volume
Affordable, loved by many, delivers serious lift.
Serum Style Sealers
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Redken Acidic Bonding Serum
Professional-grade treatment for damaged hair.
Garnier Vitamin C Serum
Redken results, drugstore price. Soft, strong and frizz-free from first use.
Pureology Strength Cure Dream Healer Serum
A standout for coloured hair with split ends.
Cream Style Sealers
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Pantene Miracle Rescue Leave-In Conditioner
Intense hydration and frizz control.
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment
Strengthens, smooths and protects.
Bumble and Bumble Long Last Styling Cream
A little goes a very long way. Lightweight hold with serious anti-frizz power.
Oil Style Sealers
Feel free to use any of the OGX oil treatments recommended at the pre-wash stage above, you don’t need to buy any extras for this stage.
Between-Washes
Abbey talks through conditioning treatments, oil, heat protection, and dry shampoo. In our guide, we’ve stuck to reviewing and sharing dry shampoos. If your hair is feeling dry and tangled between washes, you can apply any overnight treatment or oils already recommended to re-condition, smooth and shine. And if you’re using hot styling tools like straighteners or curling irons between washes, apply your preferred heat protection product.
Dry Shampoo
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Living Proof Perfect Hair Day
Engineered to actually clean hair. Not just disguise it. Highly recommend.
Not Your Mothers Clean Freak
Small business worth supporting.
amika Perk Up Plus
Does exactly what it says. Oil gone, no white residue.
Dove Volume and Fullness
Affordable, absorbs oil and adds volume.
