Dry hair, greasy hair, curly hair, fine hair, thinning hair, bleached hair, red hair… How many hair types, colours and conditions are out there? The correct answer is probably “countless,” and it’s easy to see why. How does the hair care market keep up with all these new trends, hair colouring techniques, perms and health conditions?
Luckily, scientists and trained professionals work very hard to give everyone the chance to find the right product to take care of their hair and scalp - and this obviously includes hair masks.
What is a hair mask?
Well, simply put, a hair mask is a deep conditioning product that helps your hair: it revives it and replenishes it from the inside, packing it with moisture.
Let’s see together what the best hair masks are, and what problems they address in specific.
1. Best Hair Mask For Brittle Hair
Aggressive treatments, bleach, mechanical stress and heat damage; if your hair is dry and brittle, it probably means that its seen it all (and some). In some cases, such as clip-in hair extensions, this hair doesn't receive natural moisture from your scalp and needs an extra kick to boost its shine.
Check out our How To Get Shiny Hair guide to ensure super shiny and effortlessly healthy hair every time.
Give your hair a break and salvage your strands with the right product!
Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector
You may already be familiar with the Olaplex brand, praised by thousands and thousands of users (including salon experts) across the world. As Olaplex is deemed as a little miracle in a bottle by so many people, there must be some truth to its popularity.
Pros: Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector offers quick results and works from within the hair structure, meaning that the repair isn’t just superficial like the one promised by more affordable brands.
Cons: It’s quite expensive! Amazon sells a 100ml bottle for £25.
2. Best Hair Mask For Greasy Hair
Grease isn’t a type of damage itself, but more like an error in the code of your scalp - that produces way more sebum than it’s supposed to. Greasy hair can look and feel heavy, oily, and develop a rather unpleasant smell. However, just because your scalp is overdoing things with its natural production of moisture, it doesn’t mean that your hair doesn’t need its weekly deep conditioning routine.
Read our How To Stop Getting Greasy Hair blog, to find out top tips to tackle this problem.
Artnaturals Argan Oil Mask
Most of the people with greasy hair and skin turn their nose when they read the word “oil” in any ingredient list, as it’s common to associate it with even more grease. Argan oil is a natural beauty potion for your hair, and this hair mask mixes its powerful properties and an incredible, lightweight texture for a perfect blend that works magic on heavy, greasy hair.
Pros: Artnaturals Argan Oil Mask works wonders even on fine hair.
Cons: Again, this product falls in the “high end” category, making it quite expensive considering that a jar only contains 8 oz of product. Available on Amazon for £16.
3. Best Hair Mask For Split Ends
Are you fighting against split ends? If your hair is prone to breakage, don’t worry - there’s still something that you can try before resorting to your hair dresser’s scissors.
To find out what you can do do to prevent them from happening and how to get rid of them, click on our How To Get Rid Of Split Ends guide.
Whilst you may be already working on a heatless hair care and styling routine, make sure you invest in the right repairing products too.
EDEN BodyWorks Almond Marshmallow Split End Repair Masque
This mask’s creamy and thick composition looks like a promise to your broken hair from the moment you open the jar. The ingredients' list of EDEN BodyWorks' Almond Marshmallow Split End Repair Masque looks kind and nourishing, with added sweet almond oil and marshmallow root for deep conditioning and nutrition.
Pros: the product is lightweight without missing out on nourishing properties.
Cons: its fragrance doesn’t last long, so if you’re looking to have that sweet after-shower smell in your mane for the rest of the day you may want to count on your leave-in conditioner more than on this mask.
4. Best Hair Mask For Frizzy Hair
Frizzy hair can happen for a number of reasons - but generally, it’s a warning sign that your hair is in need of intense hydration. Frizz is quite common in curly hair, as its natural shape struggles in retaining moisture - but it’s not exclusive to curly haired people. Also, applying an anti-frizz hair mask to your clip-in hair extensions too can help revive them and maintain them in their optimal shape.
Kerastase Discipline Maskeratine Hair Mask
Labelled as “godsend”, Kerastase Discipline Maskeratine Hair Mask takes care of frizzy hair, smoothing the cuticles and putting those flyaways back to their place. If your tresses are fairly okay but struggling with halo hair, then look no further than this product.
Pros: this hair mask also acts as heat protectant, essential to save your tresses from heat damage.
Cons: some customers find its texture a little too runny, as usually hair masks are sold in creamier, thicker textures.
5. Best Hair Mask For Thin Hair
Naturally fine hair can be tricky when it comes to handling hair masks, as this type of product can feel too heavy on thinner tresses. If you have fine hair and need to implement some nourishment and deep conditioning in your beauty routine, then you’ll need a hair mask able to balance moisture and light-weightness.
Garnier Ultimate Blends Plumping Hair Food Watermelon & Pomegranate 3-in-1 Hair Mask
The Garnier Ultimate Blends Plumping Hair Food Watermelon & Pomegranate 3-in-1 Hair Mask comes in recyclable packaging and has the most delicious ingredients list, hence the name “hair food”. But don’t get fooled by its lovely fragrance and creamy texture, this hair food goes on your head, not in your belly!
Pros: Lightweight, smells wonderful, also works as conditioner and leave-in conditioner.
Cons: If your hair is fine and naturally prone to get greasy, this product may result too heavy.
6. Best Hair Mask For Hair Growth
If you’re currently waiting patiently for your hair to recover from a blunt chop, it’s only natural you may be looking into ways to speed up the process and go back to that flowy mane that made you feel you. Besides eating healthy and taking good care of your hair and scalp, there’s some little boosts that you can resort to as your hair goes through its natural growth process.
Lee Stafford Hair Growth Activation Treatment
This is the treatment that spurs hair on and kickstarts its growth. Packed with proteins, fruit extracts and a natural peptide mixed to work together to create a healthy environment for hair to grow to its maximum potential, Lee Stafford's Hair Growth Activation Treatment is praised everywhere on the internet - and for a reason!
Pros: Works wonders, sweet fruity smell
Cons: Thick texture, needs to be rinsed thoroughly. Also, it’s imperative that its users know, this is not an overnight magic trick!
7. Best Hair Mask For Curly Hair
Naturally curly hair have different needs, so keep in mind that not all curls are the same. But one thing they have in common is that they struggle with retaining moisture, and that can be a problem - especially if you’re working on growing longer corkscrew-like tresses.
Lush Revive Hair Moisturiser
If your curls are thirsty, this product will help you to live nappily ever after, with the natural properties of oat milk, avocado butter, coconut oil and organic Jojoba oil. Guaranteed: curls, coils and kinks will drink up this blend. Goodbye, lifeless texture - hello, Lush Revive Hair Moisturiser!
Pros: Natural fragrance that lingers on your hair well after washing it; incredibly softening formula.
Cons: Its strong fragrance might not be for everyone.
8. Best Hair Mask For Straight Hair
If curly hair is prone to breakage for its structure, straight hair is prone to dullness for the same reason. Straight, spaghetti-like tresses can easily look lifeless and lose their vitality, but don’t fret: there’s a celebrity hairstylist that has thought about this and worked out a formula specific to this issue!
Chris Appleton + Color Wow Money Masque
I can literally imagine Chris Appleton and the Color Wow team looking at a beautiful sunset on a beach and think: “hey, what if the secret to beautiful, healthy hair lies somewhere underwater?”
The thing is, if this scenario actually happened, well - they turned out to be right.
Blue sea kale and Mediterranea Algae are the main ingredients of Chris Appleton + Color Wow Money Masque, to achieve those mermaid tresses you’ve been dreaming about.
Pros: Smells “expensive”, works wonders with conditioning and fights frizz.
Cons: It doesn’t just smell expensive… It is expensive!
9. Best Hair Mask For Dandruff
Dry and flaky scalp can be a real problem - not only it is the warning sign of an unhealthy scalp, but it can also make one quite embarrassed and discourage anyone from getting that dreamy, bouncy blowout they were thinking of wearing for a special night out. Luckily, hair experts have thought about this issue and developed many products to help give people that struggle with dandruff their confidence back.
Head & Shoulders DermaX PRO Repair Scalp Balm
Active Aloe and vitamin E are the main ingredients to this little miracle in a bottle. Truth is, beautiful hair starts with a nourished and healthy scalp - and this repair balm is a powerful ally to target the dryer, itchier patches on your scalp after a wash.
Pros: combined with the rest of their DermaX PRO line, the product locks in hydration and its soothing effect can last up to 72 hours. Also very cheap.
Cons: the bottle is designed to target only specific areas, making it the not-so-ideal product for a general application all over your scalp.
10. Best Hair Mask For Coloured Hair
Especially during summer, one of the worst nightmares of people who dye their hair is for their colour to turn pale and dull. Direct sunlight exposure, seasalt water and or swimming pools’ chlorine can seriously damage your hair and strip its colour away if it’s dyed. To help maintain your coloured tresses until you can go back to your beloved hairdresser for a touch up, this hair mask will be your best friend.
Kérastase Chroma Absolu Masque Chroma Filler
Kerastase is a leader of the hair care beauty industry, hence it has made its way on this list not once, but twice. The Chroma Absolu Masque is specifically designed to target and fill in those parts of your hair that have been left damaged and sensitised after your colouring session, sealing the cuticles and making your colour last for longer - locking in that shine and luminosity.
Pros: Silk finish, gloss-boosting, perfectly crafted fragrance.
Cons: Pricey, but worth every penny.
11. Conclusion:
No matter what your hair conditions are, there is a hair mask for you. You can also look into other products to implement in your hair care routine, such as hair oils, shampoo and conditioners. If you’re looking for a solution to give an instant glow to your hair extensions, you should also use a shine spray specifically designed for them.
