Skip to main content

Apply a leave-in bond-care treatment

Use this for a leave-in treatment that goes on freshly shampooed, towel-dried hair before any conditioner. Spread it evenly, then keep the full waiting time before combing or adding other products.

Step by step

  1. A woman pours water across her scalp while opening her wet hair with her free hand over a basin.
    STEP 1 OF 9

    Wet the hair for shampoo

    • Check that your treatment requires shampoo without conditioner first. Set out the permitted shampoo, a clean towel, the treatment and a timer.
    • Wet your hair with comfortably warm water. Open loose sections with your free hand so the scalp and underneath get wet too.

    A fixed shower leaves both hands free. At a comfortable basin, pour clean water from a rinsing cup while the other hand opens the hair; put the cup down for two-handed adjustments.

  2. A woman works shampoo over her scalp with the finger pads of both hands while her lengths hang freely.
    STEP 2 OF 9

    Massage shampoo over your scalp

    • Put the rinsing cup down, if using one. Apply shampoo as directed and gently massage the scalp with finger pads.
    • Work around the front, sides, crown and nape. Keep the lengths loose rather than piling or scrubbing them together; keep any shampoo waiting time.
  3. A woman pours clean water across her scalp while opening her hair so shampoo suds wash down into the basin.
    STEP 3 OF 9

    Rinse the shampoo out

    • Let clean water run over each scalp area and down the lengths. Open the hair with your free hand so water reaches underneath.
    • Rinse until visible suds are gone, checking behind the ears and at the nape. Repeat shampooing only if the treatment or shampoo directions require it.

    Do not apply conditioner now. If you cannot handle the unconditioned lengths without painful pulling, stop this sequence and use your usual gentle detangling routine.

  4. Blotting shampooed lengths with a towel before leave-in treatment.
    STEP 4 OF 9

    Blot the lengths until damp

    • Place a wet section between folds of a clean towel and press gently. Move to a dry part of the towel as it absorbs water.
    • Continue until the hair is towel-dried as the treatment directs, rather than dripping. Do not rub or wring it.

    Gently separate reachable portions with your fingers. Leave strands together if separating them would pull a snag tighter.

  5. A woman presses a leave-in treatment pump with one hand while her other palm receives the cream.
    STEP 5 OF 9

    Take the label’s amount of treatment

    • With clean hands, dispense the amount on the label into one palm. Set the container down before spreading it.
    • Use the amount for your own hair. The pictured dab and pump bottle show handling, not a quantity to copy.
  6. A woman spreads a thin film of treatment cream between her palms with her hands away from her damp hair.
    STEP 6 OF 9

    Spread the cream over your palms

    • Lightly spread the cream across both palms so you can place it over the hair rather than depositing one thick spot.
    • Use only the hand preparation your product allows. Do not add water or mix conditioner into the treatment.
  7. Distributing leave-in treatment through a small damp section with both palms.
    STEP 7 OF 9

    Work through the ends and lengths

    • Support one small damp section with one hand. Smooth the treatment over its ends and lengths with the other, following the label’s placement.
    • Gently open the section to reach the inside. Repeat on the remaining sections, keeping to the product’s total amount rather than taking a full dose for each.

    Stop at the label’s placement boundary and keep the scalp clear. Do not force fingers through a knot or use a comb to work the treatment in before its wait.

  8. Setting a timer while leaving treated damp hair undisturbed.
    STEP 8 OF 9

    Leave it alone for the full waiting time

    • Clean your hands and start a timer for the treatment’s full label wait. Let the treated lengths hang loosely while it runs.
    • Do not rinse, comb or add another product during that time. Wait for the timer to finish before moving on.

    Keep the treatment in the hair. Its waiting time is separate from shampooing and application, and longer is not a reason to add heat or more product.

  9. A woman supports a damp section above its ends while passing a wide-tooth comb through the free tips after the wait.
    STEP 9 OF 9

    After the wait, comb only if needed

    • Once the full wait has finished, follow your treatment’s directions for combing. If permitted and needed, hold a small section above the tips and use a wide-tooth comb.
    • Start with a short downward pass through the ends. Move higher only after they clear; lift the comb out at a catch instead of pulling through.

    Skip combing if it is unnecessary or not permitted. Leave the treatment in and follow its instructions for any later conditioner or styling products. Close the container and clean up; drying and styling are separate.

About 6–12 minutes hands-on for shampooing, rinsing, blotting, treatment application and cleanup. Add the full label wait and any optional combing. Later products, styling and drying are separate.

Editorial estimate for a familiar solo application, not a timed trial. More hair, limited reach or careful sectioning can take longer; the product’s advertised waiting time is not the whole routine.

You’re done when…

The treatment is distributed through its permitted areas, the full wait is complete and the product remains in the hair. Any combing or later product use happens only after that wait and as the label allows.