Repairing Hair Masks That Nurse Dry, Damaged Strands Back To Life

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When your hair has reached that straw-like state, it might seem like the only solution is to swear off hot tools or your colorist — or both. But repairing hair masks can be the savior to your strands. “Repairing hair masks are essential to maintaining healthy hair,” says James Pecis, fashion and celebrity hairstylist and founder of Blu & Green. “Most styling practices, especially those involving hot tools, can cause damage and dry out the hair strand. The same goes for hair color. Also, products that contain harsh chemicals can degrade the condition of the hair and make it lose its luster. To keep hair looking shiny and healthy it’s important to replace moisture and proteins and fill in gaps in the cuticle. Masks are an easy, user-friendly way to repair hair at home.”

The perks are plenty. Repairing hair masks provide intense hydration and repair damage caused by excessive heat, chemical treatments, and environmental aggressors, Pecis notes. “They are also great for reinforcing hair bonds, and promote shinier, stronger, more manageable hair,” he says.

To make the most of them, there are a few factors to consider. “How often you use a mask depends on how frequently you wash your hair, the texture of your hair, and your lifestyle,” Pecis says. “If you don’t wash your hair very often, you may need to use a reparative mask each time you wash it. I recommend that anyone with curly, textured, or color-treated hair use a repair mask bi-weekly. Someone whose lifestyle consists of a lot of sun exposure, outdoor activities, and swimming, would benefit from a repair mask one to two times a week, used in place of conditioner.”

When choosing a repair mask, look for ingredients that attract water, such as aloe vera, honey, and emollients that are rich in fatty acids like jojoba and avocado oils. “Equally as important are proteins; they can help reduce breakage and strengthen the structure of the hair,” Pecis says.

Always follow the instructions on the bottle when applying a hair mask. But in general, Pecis recommends first shampooing thoroughly and rinsing until all the suds have disappeared. Gently pat the hair dry to remove excess water. Next, divide the hair into two to four sections and evenly apply the mask from mid shaft to ends. Detangle using your fingers or the Blu & Green Walnut Detangling Brush. Leave the mask on for whatever the directions suggest) and then rinse thoroughly.

Give these repairing hair masks a try to revive tired, thirsty hair.

Brazil EditionRestorative Peptide Mask

With its not-too-heavy texture, this feels more like a conditioner than a hair mask, but don’t let that fool you — it deeply hydrates and repairs. The new brand is helmed by NYC hairstylist Rogerio Cavalcante who looked to his native country of Brazil and its biodiversity for inspiration. Featuring a strengthening peptide complex and omega-rich Amazonian plant butters like murumuru and babassu to deeply nourish hair and prevent future damage, it leaves hair smooth, shiny, and soft in just two minutes.

Hair Rituel By Sisley ParisRegenerating Hair Care Mask

Four botanical oils — shea, macadamia, camellia, and hazelnut — energize the scalp and hair with their vitamins and proteins. The fortifying formula is light and creamy, making it easy to work through hair from the roots to the ends, giving hair shine and volume.

Blu & Green Weekly Repair Mask

“Our Weekly Repair Mask is highly concentrated and it’s excellent for all hair types, especially dry, damaged, and color-treated hair,” Pecis says. “You only need to leave it on for 5 to 20 minutes and it provides intense hydration and repair. There’s no need to sleep it in overnight, which can get pretty messy. It’s formulated with hydrolyzed quinoa, a protein that provides amino acids and minerals that strengthen the hair and protects against UV damage and heat styling. The mask also includes botanically-derived ingredients that naturally balance pH levels and draw in moisture for softer, more manageable hair.”

Drunk Elephant Silkamino Mega-Moisturizing Masker

Go deep with this treatment that focuses on rebuilding weak hair bonds with hydrolyzed silk that fill in cracks in the hair shaft to temporarily smooth. Silk amino acids strengthen and soften. There’s also silk sericin to temporarily bond hair and make it more manageable, as well as marula butter, sunflower fatty acids, and panthenol to lock in moisture.

Iles Formula Hair Mask Haute Performance

Even the thirstiest, most unruly hair will be tamed with this luxe mask that has a delightful white tea flower scent. Tucuma butter, macroloba seed, and vitamins B5 and E team up to nurture the hair and scalp, leaving hair stronger, supple, soft, and manageable.

K18Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask

You can’t talk about damaged hair without mentioning K18. Unlike most masks that just temporarily seal damaged hair, this one actually helps repair it. The leave-in treatment is incredibly user-friendly: All you have to do is skip conditioner, apply it straight out of the shower to towel-dried hair, and give it four minutes to activate before styling.

Guerlain Abeille Royale Scalp & Hair Double R Radiance & Repair Mask

Famously all about honey, Guerlain has studied it for over a decade and infused their Blackbee Honey Repair technology into this reparative mask. Loaded with four types of honeys to strengthen the hair fiber from the scalp, phytoceramides to restructure hair, D-Panthenol to fortify, and cassia alata extract to protect hair color, the mask leads to stronger and shinier strands.

Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask

Renowned for damaged hair, Virtue gained accolades for its proprietary hero ingredient, Alpha Keratin 60ku, that deposits pure human keratin protein directly into the hair to strengthen and repair it. This lightweight mask works to restore shine, moisture, smoothness, and strength to all hair types in three minutes.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep-Conditioning Treatment

Switch things up with this hair mask that is applied before you shampoo and you will feel a difference even as you rinse it out. Named for its knack for bringing elasticity back to crispy, dry hair, just a single treatment helps reduce breakage by 46% and brings deep hydration and shine. Banishing frizz and tangles, hair is easy to comb through.

OribeGold Lust Transformative Masque

When your hair has had it with heat styling, this mask will help return some softness and luster. Oribe’s proprietary bio-restorative complex — a potent combination of collagen, caffeine, biotin, and niacinamide — strengthens the cuticle and damaged hair fibers. Bonus: It’s in the brand’s addictive signature Cote D’Azur fragrance, with notes of bergamot and sandalwood.