7 minute read
Three of Redken's biggest ranges — Acidic Bonding Concentrate, Extreme and All Soft — all describe themselves in language about strength and repair. Stand in front of them and they look like three versions of the same idea at three price points.
They are not. Each solves a different problem, and the reason people end up disappointed with one is almost always that they bought it for a problem it was never designed to fix.
Here is the actual difference.
What does Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate do?
It repairs broken bonds inside the hair and lowers pH.
Chemical processing — bleach, permanent colour, relaxers — breaks the internal bonds that hold the hair fibre together. It also raises the hair's pH, leaving the cuticle swollen and open. Acidic Bonding Concentrate addresses both: bonding care to rebuild the internal structure, and an acidic pH to close the cuticle back down.
This is the range for chemically damaged hair. If you bleach, highlight, colour regularly or have had a chemical treatment go wrong, this is where to start.
The core routine is Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml. Fine hair that finds the conditioner heavy should use the Lightweight Conditioner 190ml instead — same chemistry, less weight.
Add the 5 Minute Mask 250ml once or twice a week, and the Leave-In Treatment 150ml daily for heat protection and ongoing repair.
If you are actively colouring or bleaching, the Pre-Treatment 190ml before the service and the pH Sealer 250ml afterwards are the two products that most reduce damage at the point it actually happens.
Curly hair has its own version: Acidic Bonding Curl Shampoo 300ml, Conditioner 300ml and Leave-In Treatment 250ml. Same bonding technology, formulated for curl definition and moisture rather than weight reduction.
What does Redken Extreme do?
It reinforces weak, brittle hair with protein.
Extreme is a protein range. It works on hair that is fragile and snapping — breaking off mid-length, catching on your brush, filling the sink after every wash. The mechanism is different from bonding: rather than repairing chemical bonds, it fills in and strengthens the protein structure of a fibre that has become porous and weak.
The distinction matters. Bonding damage comes from chemistry. Extreme's kind of damage often comes from mechanical and heat stress — straighteners, tight styling, over-brushing, years of general wear.
Start with Extreme Strength Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml, with the Extreme Strength Mask 250ml weekly.
The treatments are where Extreme earns its reputation. Anti-Snap Treatment 250ml is the leave-in that genuinely reduces breakage between washes and is the single most useful product in the range. CAT Treatment 250ml is an in-salon-strength protein rebuilder for badly compromised hair, and Play Safe Treatment 200ml is the heat protectant for anyone using hot tools regularly.
For severe cases, the Builder Plus Mask 250ml is the heavyweight option.
One warning: protein is not a moisturiser, and too much of it makes hair stiff and straw-like. If Extreme has left your hair feeling rough rather than strong, you have protein overload and need moisture, not more protein.
What does Redken All Soft do?
It adds moisture and softness to dry hair.
All Soft has nothing to do with repair. It is a straightforward moisturising range with argan oil, aimed at hair that is dry, coarse, rough or simply thirsty — not damaged, just parched.
This is the range for naturally coarse hair, hair that has been dried out by sun or swimming, and anyone whose hair feels rough and looks dull without actually breaking.
All Soft Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml are the everyday pair, with All Soft Heavy Cream 250ml as the intensive weekly treatment — an outstanding product on genuinely coarse hair, and far too much on fine hair.
For daily softness, Moisture Restore Leave-In Treatment 150ml is the lighter option.
Curly hair should use All Soft Mega Curl Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml, finished with the Mega Curl Leave-In Conditioner 150ml.
How do I tell which problem I actually have?
The wet stretch test settles it in about ten seconds.
Take a single strand of wet hair and pull gently at both ends.
- It stretches a long way and does not spring back, or feels gummy → the internal structure is compromised. You need Acidic Bonding Concentrate.
- It snaps almost immediately with no stretch → the hair is brittle and protein-deficient. You need Extreme.
- It stretches a little and returns to shape, but the hair feels rough and dry → nothing is broken. You need All Soft.
Most people who are unhappy with their hair care routine are in the third category and buying from the first two — loading repair products onto hair that simply needs moisture.
What about colour, blondes, frizz and volume?
Those are separate ranges, and they layer onto whichever of the three above applies to you.
Colour protection: Acidic Color Gloss Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml, with the Activated Glass Treatment 237ml for glass-like shine and the Heat Protection Leave-In 190ml for daily use.
Blonde: Color Extend Blondage Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml for toning out brass, with the Anti-Brass Mask 250ml weekly.
Frizz: Frizz Dismiss Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml, with Rebel Tame Cream 250ml for stubborn frizz and Instant Deflate 125ml for touch-ups. Our guide on why hair gets frizzy covers the technique side too.
Fine or flat hair: Volume Injection Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml.
Growing hair long: Extreme Length Shampoo 300ml and Conditioner 300ml — note this is a different range from Extreme Strength, despite the name.
Can I mix ranges?
Yes, and often you should. The most effective real-world routines combine a repair range with a moisture one — for example Acidic Bonding Concentrate shampoo with an All Soft mask, if your hair is chemically damaged but also dry.
What does not work is stacking two protein-heavy ranges. Extreme plus Acidic Bonding Concentrate plus a bonding treatment from another brand is how hair ends up stiff, dull and worse than when you started.
The short version
- Bleached, coloured or chemically processed → Acidic Bonding Concentrate
- Snapping, brittle, breaking off → Extreme
- Dry, coarse, rough but intact → All Soft
- Curly and chemically damaged → Acidic Bonding Curl
- Curly and dry → All Soft Mega Curl
- Colour fading → Acidic Color Gloss
- Brassy blonde → Color Extend Blondage
- Frizz → Frizz Dismiss
- Fine and flat → Volume Injection
If you would like more detail on the shampoo side specifically, our guide to which Redken shampoo is best for you goes range by range. And if you are still unsure after the stretch test, send us a message — it is usually a two-minute conversation.