How to use MONAT Bond IQ: order, amount, how often
9 min read Care know-how Updated 5 October 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
To use MONAT Bond IQ™, go in this order: the fortifying shampoo on your scalp, the fortifying conditioner through the lengths from ear level down, then, once you have squeezed the water out, the Peptide Therapy Leave-In Creme into towel-damp hair, followed by heat protectant and styling. With shoulder-length hair, start with a pea-sized amount of leave-in, and use it at every wash if your hair is badly damaged. The first comb-through tells you whether the amount is right: the comb glides from the ends up to ear level without catching, and by evening your roots still have lift.
Bond IQ™ is MONAT's line for lengths that snap after bleaching, colouring, perming or a lot of heat. It is meant to make the lengths easier to comb and to protect them from avoidable breakage when you blow-dry, brush and straighten. It does not close split ends that are already there. Only scissors remove those.
Bond IQ™ system or just the leave-in?
When people say “Bond IQ”, they often mean only the leave-in cream. Bond IQ™ is actually a system of four products. A leave-in is a treatment that stays in your hair after washing and is never rinsed out. Shampoo and conditioner, by contrast, are out of the hair again after a few minutes.
| Product | Texture | Where it goes | When | Rinse out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bond IQ™ Fortifying Shampoo | lathering shampoo | on the scalp, the lather running off cleans the lengths | at every wash | yes |
| Bond IQ™ Fortifying Conditioner | creamy conditioner | lengths and ends from ear level down | after the shampoo, 2–3 minutes | yes |
| Bond IQ™ Peptide Therapy Leave-In Creme | cream | into towel-damp hair from ear level down | after washing, before heat protectant | no |
| Bond IQ™ Night & Day Recovery Serum | serum | into the lengths, amount as on the pack | as an extra once the basics are in place | no |
You don't have to start with all four. Where you begin depends on when your lengths break.
| Your lengths | Where to start |
|---|---|
| They mostly break when you blow-dry or straighten, and feel normal after washing | Just the leave-in cream, after your usual shampoo |
| Wet hair stretches like chewing gum, and short pieces stay in the comb as soon as you comb | Shampoo, conditioner and leave-in cream |
| They are bleached and feel like straw but hardly break | Conditioner and leave-in cream first, plus a moisture mask once a week |
| Shampoo, conditioner and leave-in have been working without trouble for a few weeks | Now you can add the serum if you like |
Do two rows fit you, or none quite? The free hair analysis asks whether you colour or bleach and how often you style with heat, and suggests a combination.
How much Bond IQ™ for your hair length
The amount depends on length because conditioner and leave-in only go into the lengths. For shampoo, your scalp is what counts, and it is the same size whether your hair is chin-length or chest-length.
| Hair length | Shampoo | Conditioner | Leave-in cream |
|---|---|---|---|
| chin-length | hazelnut-sized | half a hazelnut | half a pea |
| shoulder-length | hazelnut-sized | hazelnut-sized | pea-sized |
| chest-length | hazelnut-sized | walnut-sized | two peas |
With fine hair, halve the leave-in amount in the table and only add more if the comb still catches. Thick or curly hair can take half as much again. With very dense hair, a second small amount of shampoo lathers better than a double dose all at once.
How to use Bond IQ™: wash day step by step
Step 1 — Wash. Lather a hazelnut-sized amount of Bond IQ™ Fortifying Shampoo between your hands and spread it over your scalp with lukewarm water. Massage with your fingertips for about a minute. Leave the lengths alone while you do this. As you rinse, the lather runs through them and cleans them on the way.
Step 2 — Condition and detangle. Smooth the Bond IQ™ Fortifying Conditioner through the lengths and ends from ear level down, or from chin level if your hair is fine. Leave it on for two to three minutes and use that time to detangle with a wide-tooth comb: start at the ends and work upwards section by section. Then rinse with lukewarm water.
Step 3 — Squeeze out. Squeeze your hair in a cotton T-shirt or a microfibre towel instead of rubbing it. It should be damp and no longer dripping. In dripping-wet hair the water dilutes the cream, and some of it ends up in the towel later.
Step 4 — Work in the leave-in. Rub the amount from the table between your palms and smooth it through the lengths from ear level down, with whatever is left going into the ends last. Comb through once with the wide-tooth comb so every strand gets some. Keep it away from the roots: the hair there has only just grown and is usually less damaged, and cream at the root leaves it flat by evening.
Step 5 — Protect and style. Before blow-drying, spray heat protectant into damp hair and comb through again, then hold the dryer about 15 cm away on a medium heat setting. Before using straighteners, apply heat protectant a second time to dry hair, section by section, and keep the plates at 180 °C at most. If you let your hair air-dry, you can skip the heat protectant.
How often to use Bond IQ™
Bond IQ™ follows your washing rhythm. You don't need to wash more often because of it.
| Situation | Shampoo and conditioner | Leave-in cream |
|---|---|---|
| Freshly bleached, coloured or straightened several times a week | at every wash | at every wash |
| Damaged, but mostly air-dried | at every wash | every second wash, and before every blow-dry |
| The damaged lengths have grown out and been cut off | every second wash, or a lighter base | only before heat styling |
Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month. With chest-length bleached hair, it therefore takes years for the damaged lengths to grow out completely. You need the full routine for as long as the lengths still break when you comb and style them. After that, the lighter level in the last row is enough.
What to combine with Bond IQ™
| Product | When | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Scalp serum, such as the IR Clinical™ serum | after washing, before the leave-in | parting by parting on the scalp |
| Moisture mask, such as the Super Moisture Masque | once a week instead of the conditioner, five minutes | from ear level down |
| Heat protectant, such as the Studio One™ Thermal Protect Shield | after the leave-in, before the dryer or straighteners | on the lengths |
| REJUVABEADS® | at the very end, a lentil-sized amount in dry, styled hair | only on ends that stick out |
The leave-in cream doesn't replace a heat protectant, because it is made for combability rather than temperature. Use a product that is explicitly labelled as heat protection and apply it as you would without Bond IQ™: heat protectant for blow-drying and straightening goes on section by section from 15 to 20 cm away.
Whether you need the mask depends on how your wet lengths feel. If they feel like straw and tear quickly, they usually lack moisture, and the mask takes the conditioner's place once a week. If they stretch like rubber, stay with the Bond IQ™ conditioner. A single wet hair shows you the difference in the stretch test for protein or moisture. If your ends are splitting as well, use the strand test to check whether REJUVABEADS® for the ends alongside Bond IQ™ makes sense for you.
How to tell whether the amount and rhythm are right
After the first wash, the feel of the comb is what counts. If it glides through without catching and the ends lie smooth after blow-drying, the amount is right. If the lengths clump into strands or your roots go flat by evening, it was too much: halve the leave-in amount at the next wash. If the comb catches in the lengths and the ends stick out rough, add half a pea.
After four weeks, a brush test shows whether the routine suits you. Do it for the first time before your first wash with Bond IQ™: put a white sheet of paper under your head, brush your dry hair ten times and count the short pieces without a root. Four weeks later, repeat it under the same conditions, meaning at the same point in your wash cycle and with the same brush. If there are fewer pieces on the sheet, keep the amount and rhythm. If there are just as many, check the temperature of your straighteners, whether you brush your hair wet, and whether a tight hair tie always sits in the same place.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Leave-in in dripping-wet hair | squeeze out with the T-shirt first, then apply the cream |
| Cream right up to the roots | only from ear level down, from chin level for fine hair |
| Bond IQ™ instead of heat protectant | both, leave-in first |
| Straightening hotter than before because Bond IQ™ is in your hair | stay at 180 °C |
| Detangling wet hair with a brush | wide-tooth comb while the conditioner is still in |
| Trying to treat split ends away with the leave-in | have the ends cut, Bond IQ™ for the lengths above |
Split ends come off at your next appointment, and how often you should have your hair cut depends on how quickly new splits form.
When Bond IQ™ isn't the right choice
- Your scalp itches, flakes or feels tight. Bond IQ™ is made for the lengths, and an irritated scalp needs its own care.
- Your hair has never been coloured or bleached, is strong and is only dry at the ends. A moisturising treatment will do more for you.
- The hairs in your brush have a small pale bulb at one end, which is the root. In that case they are falling out rather than breaking. That starts at the scalp, where a treatment for the lengths can do nothing, and the signs that separate the two are set out in how to tell hair breakage from hair loss.
Take round bald patches to a dermatologist, because they are often caused by inflammation at the hair roots that no hair care can reach. The same applies if hair loss starts suddenly and in large amounts: iron deficiency, the thyroid or a new medication can only be checked by a doctor.
1. Monat Bond IQ Fortifying Shampoo
Amount: As on the labelWhere: Work into wet hair at the roots, lather gently and then rinse out thoroughly.How often: At every wash, as often as usual
Work thoroughly but without hard rubbing.
2. MONAT BOND IQ™ Fortifying Conditioner
Amount: As on the labelWhere: Distribute mainly through lengths and ends, leave on briefly, then rinse.How often: After every wash
Leave out the roots so fine hair isn't weighed down.
3. MONAT BOND IQ™ Peptide Therapy Leave‑In Creme
Amount: A pea-sized amount, as on the labelWhere: Apply to towel-dried hair through the lengths, don't rinse out.How often: As needed at each wash
Before any hot styling, also use a product explicitly labelled as heat protection; the leave-in or peptide finish doesn't replace heat protection.
Quick questions
Can I leave the Bond IQ leave-in in overnight?
Yes. The cream stays in your hair until the next wash. If you sleep with damp hair, plait it loosely so the lengths rub less against the pillow.
Does Bond IQ work on curly hair?
Yes. Spread the leave-in cream with wet hands and scrunch it into your curls from the bottom up instead of combing it through. With curly hair, you can use half as much again as the table says.
How soon after bleaching can I use Bond IQ?
From the first wash after your appointment. Ask your hairdresser whether she recommends waiting before that wash, then start with shampoo, conditioner and leave-in.
Can I put the Bond IQ leave-in on dry hair?
Yes, in a small amount. Rub half a pea between your palms and smooth it only over ends that stick out rough between washes. The full amount belongs in damp hair, where it spreads more evenly.
Does Bond IQ replace a bond-repair treatment at the salon?
No. A salon treatment is usually mixed straight into the bleach and is meant to protect the fibre while it lightens. Bond IQ™ is the care for the weeks afterwards, at home. You can combine the two: the additive at every bleaching appointment, Bond IQ™ on the wash days in between. What bond repair can do inside the hair fibre depends on the type of damage.
Whether your lengths need the whole Bond IQ™ system or the leave-in cream alone is something the free hair analysis sorts out from your answers.