Keratin is a natural protein found in hair. It is essential for maintaining the strength and smoothness of hair. Over time, factors like heat styling, pollution and chemical treatments can strip your hair of its natural keratin, leaving it looking dull and lifeless. That’s where keratin hair masks come in to save the day. What are the benefits of keratin hair mask? What We Love: A little product goes a long way with this hair mask, so you'll get great results without having to constantly buy a new bottle. While our split-ends didn’t just disappear after one wash, they did feel much less dry and brittle, and we’re confident that with continued use, the mask will bring even more life to our hair. First and foremost, consider the formula. “You’re going to find many masks at the drugstore, but you can’t guarantee any of the ingredients are healthy and beneficial for your hair, so I suggest going with a product your stylist recommends,” says Sassy Medchill, owner of Goldie & Co. Salon in Frisco, Texas. “Go with masks with ceramides over keratin — it will not only replenish moisture, but it will keep moisture in the hair.”

Once your hair becomes exposed to external aggressors – like UV rays, brushing, heated styling tools and bleach – your strands will start to weaken which can negatively impact their moisture balance and strength,” she adds. Olaplex is a giant in the hair mask space — and for very good reason. We tested their No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask for two weeks and it earned our top marks for its ability to transform our dry, brittle strands into softer feeling and healthier looking hair with just two uses. We’re all familiar with the havoc color can wreak on hair, but with the Davines NOUNOU Hair Mask, you can reduce the level of damage it can inflict onto hair. From the moment we put this mask on, it felt soothing and was creamy as can be without any clumps. It had a similar consistency to a really nourishing deep conditioner. What We Love: This hair mask has a great consistency that feels creamy yet lightweight, and it has a soft, lovely scent.

3. Best for Colour-Treated Hair: Maria Nila Structure Repair Mask

Depending on the mask and your specific goals, you can also do a longer, deeper treatment, over the course of a few hours before your shower or even overnight. You can do this anywhere from once a month to once a week. This cult-favorite hair mask takes hydration to a whole new level. Created with curly and frizzy hair in mind, it harnesses intensely hydrating ingredients, like coconut cream and mango butter, to soothe any signs of dryness or breakage — and boy, did it deliver. Smooths hair and reduces frizz : Keratin infused products—which often come in oil or serum form–can result in a smoother, shinier, healthier-looking mane. What We Love: This hair mask is at once hydrating and lightweight, so it will give fine or oily hair a boost of vibrance without weighing it down. Improves how you manage your hair: With increased flexibility, your hair becomes easier to style and control!

Lee Y, Kim YD, Hyun HJ, Pi LQ, Jin X, Lee WS. Hair shaft damage from heat and drying time of hair dryer. Ann Dermatol. 2011 Nov;23(4):455-62. doi: 10.5021/ad.2011.23.4.455. Epub 2011 Nov 3. PMID: 22148012; PMCID: PMC3229938. As for ingredients, remember that not all hair masks are made equal. Look for formulas rich in emollients to boost moisture – like shea butter, cocoa butter and oils – but steer clear of anything containing silicones, as these tend to mask damage rather than cure it. Curly hair is naturally drier than other hair types. Because of the bends and curves in its structure, natural oils take longer to migrate their way down the hair, leaving it dry especially towards the ends. Hygral fatigue happens when the hair shafts have to swell (opening the cuticles) to absorb the treatment and then unswell to seal in the treatment (with heat). If you’ve had a keratin treatment on your curls, this is the product you need to keep the spring, bounce, and definition.Adds shine: As keratin helps smooth hair cuticles and fill in damaged areas in the hair shaft, it adds lots of shine to your hair. The results may be more dramatic with in-salon treatments, however at-home products also can create shiny and healthy-looking hair.

There’s no need to go overboard with your mask, as a little product goes a long way. Start by smoothing a coin sized amount through your mid lengths and ends, adding a little more if this does not stretch to cover all your hair. This mask features the ultra-hydrating and protective ingredient Japanese-sourced rice extract in its formula, so hair not only feels moisturized and healthy after using it, but it will also stay that way, even when facing heat, harsh chemicals or hair dye. We loved how glossy and touchable our hair looked after using this mask and even our hairstylist was impressed by our newly transformed hair. Unless your hair is very thin or fine, you can use a deep conditioning mask two or three times per week. You typically wouldn't use one every day since doing so could weigh down your hair and contribute to buildup over time. If your hair is fine, try using a mask once a week and concentrate it on your ends to avoid weighing down your hair. Our Smooth & Sleek Keratin Mask delivers all-day frizz control in just 2 minutes, defending against humidity for a smooth and well-defined finish that lasts. With micro-moisturizers that wrap each strand to leave your hair nourished, hydrated, and feeling silky soft. Use it in combination with our Smooth & Sleek Conditioner massaging it from the lengths of your hair to the tips and rinse it before applying the hair mask.However, it’s important to note that using too much of it won’t work any magic shortcuts. It can make your hair feel worse. What to Look for When Buying a Hair Mask for Keratin Treated Hair Sulfate-free and Sodium Chloride Free It nourished our hair and didn’t leave behind any greasy residue or excess product, the way so many hair masks often do. The mask made our hair more manageable post-shower, especially when it came to tangles. We noticed that there were fewer knots in our hair after using this mask, and the ones that we did have broke apart with minimal resistance. The mask also seemed to strengthen our ends and reverse some of the damage we experienced from heat styling. The SheaMoisture hair mask is enriched with shea butter, Jamaican castor oil, and apple cider vinegar to give more root lift and stimulate your hair follicles. But it’s not all bad news: There’s a clear and easy way to repair your damaged hair — a hair mask. The best hair masks are solution-oriented, multitasking products that are formulated with a long list of nourishing and strengthening ingredients to provide impressive hydrating prowess and reverse much of the havoc wreaked on your strands, to give you the soft, shiny hair that dreams are made of.

When it comes to dry hair, lots of factors are to blame, from heat styling and bleaching to overwashing and too much time spent swimming in salt water or chlorine. It’s a condition that also comes with a bunch of not-so-fun side effects: Frizz, flyaways, color fade, breakage, and more—all things we’d much rather avoid where possible.While shampoo and conditionercan help, a hard-working hair mask that's rich in nourishing ingredients is one of the best ways to mitigate said dryness. You don’t want to burden your hair by using too much for too long. This can lead to protein overload, which makes the hair brittle and dry. If your hair is frazzled and breaking due to heat or chemical damage, use a product that will strengthen your hair by re-building its chemical bonds,” she says. Your hair is made up of millions of bonds that keep the integrity of your strands intact, but when these bonds are weakened from heat or dye, it can cause your hair to become brittle. Two formulas that are always up to the task are Olaplex’s No3 Hair Perfector, and Philip Kingsley’s Bond Builder Restructuring mask. Works well with: “Since keratin is a naturally occurring protein with smoothing benefits that minimize frizz and make hair glossy and manageable, other products can reinforce the benefits of keratin,” Steinmetz says, noting that natural oils like argan can help add moisture to damaged hair, and silicone-based finishing products can help further smooth the hair's surface.”Fed up of dealing with unruly, frizzy hair that refuses to cooperate? Well, you’re not alone. Many of us struggle with maintaining our hair’s health and shine, especially in a world filled with pollution and harsh weather conditions. But certain hair care solutions can work well. Using some of the best keratin hair masks can change the way your hair looks and feels. What is keratin?