60-Year-Old Shoppers Say This $13 Mask Makes Their Hair Look a Decade Younger

As someone with curly hair, conditioner is integral to my operation. I emerge from the shower down entire clumps of hair thanks to gnarly tangles, so a good product is the difference between pain or just resigned acceptance. I've been loving Andrew Fitzsimons' conditioner, but to hear reviewers tell it, ArtNaturals' Argan Oil and Aloe Mask should be my next addition.

Despite the Amazon listing's odd product image, the mask has over 4,000 five-star ratings at the retailer, and nearly 6,000 similarly glowing ratings at iHerb (less staggeringly, 17 at Walmart). One person says it's "bringing their hair back to life," their strands' bounce and shine having been restored. A fan with "extremely dry, coarse, brittle, and over-processed" hair said they saw an immediate difference in their breakage, a finding others seconded.

Sexagenarians particularly love it: One 60-year-old shopper with long, graying hair said the Amazon best-seller made their hair "look like it did 10 years ago," and gave it enough moisture to compensate for hormone-related dryness. Another person of the same age said it made their hair feel "baby soft," and a 64-year-old commented it's the best product they've found for "dry, frizzy" hair.

Shop now: $13; amazon.com, iherb.com, and walmart.com

At work in the mask is a mix of fatty alcohols, its namesakes argan oil and aloe, plus glycerin, sweet almond, jojoba seed oil, hydrolyzed quinoa, and vitamin E. There's also a mix of anti-static quaternary ammonium compounds, which is the only thing that gives me pause; according to the American Chemical Society's Chemical and Engineering News, "In the last 10 years, scientists have linked quaternary ammonium compounds to reproductive and developmental problems in animals, and found they can disrupt key cellular processes," the title's 2020 article summarized. "So far there's no data linking the compounds to toxicity in humans, but some scientists say there's more to be done to fully assess quats' safety."

Unfortunately, quaternary ammonium compounds are ubiquitous in beauty products and disinfectants. Even many "clean" beauty brands still rely on the ingredients in hair products since, as Credo's Dirty List states, there are currently few "natural" anti-static options, so here's hoping brands develop some alternatives for hair.

I love to be informed, but if there aren't better choices at the moment, people still need to detangle their hair — and that the hair mask does. "It has helped with breakage, and even my areas where my hair was a little thinner have improved greatly," wrote a penultimate customer, and a last 44-year-old wrote that it softened their coarse, dyed gray hairs. If you'd like to try it, get the ArtNaturals Argan Hair Mask Conditioner for $13.