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If healthier, happier hair is on your wishlist, then these elixirs will work wonders
If you’re living with lacklustre locks, then it’s time to invest in one of the best hair masks. “When selecting a mask, the main focus should be active ingredients and matching them to what your hair needs,” explained Miffy Goknil, stylist at Hari’s. “If your hair is dry, look for an oil-rich mask, which can add moisture back into the hair. If your hair is broken or damaged, you want to look for rebuilders, rich in protein and ingredients that will help your hair feel stronger.”
When applying the hair mask, Miffy recommends always doing “two cleanses with the shampoo to remove any build-up and allow the active ingredients to work, before gently towel drying by blotting the hair and removing the excess water. Then, apply the mask from mid-length to end, or, if you’ve got severely dry hair, apply all the way through root to end. Clip the hair up, pop a shower cap on, and continue with the rest of your shower and rinse after five to 10 minutes.”
Now you know what to look out for and how best to apply, keep reading below to see which hair masks made it onto our list of the very best to buy now, from Aussie, Aesop, K18 and many more.
Taking Miffy Goknil’s advice, we applied each hair mask for ten minutes post-shampooing to see how it fared. To keep the playing field even, we used the same shampoo for each wash, the Bondi Boost rapid repair shampoo (£22.50, Lookfantastic.com), and left our hair to air dry.
Ease of application, texture, ingredients and final result were just a handful of the key categories we were judging. These were the brands that best stood out.
There can only be one winner, and the We Are Paradoxx moisture express hair mask took the top spot for all hair types, thanks to its potent ingredients and plastic-free packaging.
That said, finding the right hair mask comes down to how healthy your hair currently is. For those with heat, styling or dying damage, the K18 leave-in molecular repair hair mask is sure to work wonders. For dry hair, the Aussie deep moisture hair mask is a lovely lower-priced pick, and weaker strands are sure to benefit from the Percy & Reed give me strength conditioner.
If on a tighter budget, then the Garnier ultimate blends glowing lengths hair food is a great find, alongside the Good Gracious crown of glory coconut oil. Or, if splashing the cash, the Aēsop rose hair and scalp moisturising masque and Hair by Sam McKnight deeper love intense treatment mask might just be the luxury label you’ll fall in love with.
In order to understand how best to look after our hair and how the best hair masks can help, we spoke to Miffy Goknil who is the senior stylist at Hari’s, a chain of award-winning hair salons in London (and a favourite among the royals). She specialises in styling natural textured hair and curls but is also an authority in styling every other hair type. She also trains the next generation of stylists and has a wealth of knowledge that we can trust.
Looking for more haircare tips? Read our guide to the best purple shampoos