“Hair is everything. We wish it wasn’t so we could actually think about something else occasionally. But it is,” says Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag. Indeed, there’s just something about strands and locks that make them vital to a woman’s identity. Female characters in books or films experience life-defining moments regarding their hair’s appearance. Think: the disastrous result of a feisty redhead’s home-dye attempt in Anne of Green Gables; a courageous chop-off of Jo March’s ‘one beauty’; or Anne Hathaway’s unruly curls transformed silky-smooth in The Princess Diaries. It’s safe to say that this obsession with hair sees modern women scrambling for every product promising to enhance hair health—a common mainstay here being hair masks.
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Before you cart out the latest TikTok-viral hair mask though, it’s good to note that there’s an abundance of options, each with specific ingredients to target every hair type and concern out there. Should you suffer from dry strands plagued by split-ends, consider those with intensely moisturising ingredients such as squalane and hyaluronic acid. Unruly frizz is another widespread concern in our humid climate, and is easily solved by the smoothing effect of Morpho-Kératine. Thin hair? Honey’s rejuvenating properties are all it takes to give your tresses a volume boost. And even if you haven’t inflicted any harm on your mane through heat-styling, colour-treating or bleaching? Don’t give this crucial step in your routine a miss, for hair masks provide protection against unavoidable environmental damage like pollution and ultraviolet rays.
Below, a curation of the best hair masks for all types of manes out there.
For damaged hair
While there’s no way to completely undo hair damage, the good news is that it’s possible to nourish and fortify your tresses with these reparative hair masks. Rich in vitamins, proteins and anti-oxidants, these masks are designed to restore softness and strength to hair fibers.
For dry, parched hair
Approach dry hair like how you would tackle dry skin. Instead of washing your hair too often, treat it with ingredients such as jojoba, glycerin, squalane or hyaluronic acid, which draw in and retain moisture.
For oily hair
Say goodbye to the grease with these masks that regulate sebum production with kaolin clay. Most of them also come packed with ingredients that purify the scalp.
For fine hair
More prone to split ends and breakage, fine hair should be treated with caution. Look to weightless products that strengthen hair while adding body and avoiding a dull, flat finish.
For thinning hair
Boost hair growth with biotin and keratin, which exist in honey, and reduce the loss of such nutrients with various seed oils—all of which can be found in these three options.
For frizzy hair
Tame your mane from within with these smoothening hair masks which boast advanced formulations to maintain lustre and gloss in humid climates.
For textured or curly hair
Moisture is key to promoting elasticity and achieving well-defined, bouncy curls.
For coloured hair
Has your colour-treated hair been washed down to a dull, lifeless fade? Detox your strands of metal deposits and maintain the vibrancy of your coiffure with these premium masks.