Beauty Hair The Best Hair Masks to Use for Every Hair Type and Texture Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask is packed full of hydrating ingredients and works on all hair types. By Lindsay Colameo Updated on July 21, 2022 @ 12:00PM Pin Share Tweet Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Sephora/ InStyle If you're the rare unicorn whose good hair days are plentiful and you rarely (if ever) surrender your strands to the heat of a hot tool, consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us who need a little more assistance on the daily, these overachieving hair masks are here to help give you that extra dose of TLC after constant use of hot tools and color treatments. Hair masks are like a shot of pampering hydration for your hair. These treatments are extra powerful and transform hair after just one use. Sure, taking a break from heat-styling is enough to improve the health of your hair, but why not up the ante with a simple, easy-to-use treatment that revives dull, overworked strands? To use, coat damp hair with the pampering treatment of your choosing, then let it marinate and work its magic for 5 to 15 minutes (depending on your patience level standing in the shower). Then rinse and style as usual, admiring how soft, shiny, and shampoo commercial-worthy your hair looks post-mask.If you're looking for a fast-acting formula that will treat your hair to a blanket of conditioning goodness, Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask received best overall. Whether your hair is damaged, dry, frizzy, or looking a little lackluster, here are the 15 best hair masks to match every hair type and struggle. If you're looking for a fast-acting formula that will treat your hair to a blanket of conditioning goodness, Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask received best overall. Whether your hair is damaged, dry, frizzy, or looking a little lackluster, here are the 15 best hair masks to match every hair type and struggle. Our Picks Best Overall: Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask Best Value: Biolage HydraSource Pack Deep Treatment Best Drugstore: Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner Best Splurge: Christophe Robin Regenerating Hair Mask with Prickly Pear Seed Oil Best Everyday Hair Mask: It's a 10 Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner Best for Fine Hair: Ouai Fine to Medium Hair Treatment Mask Best for Thick Hair: Leonor Greyl Masque à l'Orchidée Softening Hair Mask Best for Curly Hair: Pattern Treatment Mask Best for Color-Treated Hair: Olaplex Hair Perfector No.3 Best Mask for Blonde Hair: Davines Heart of Glass Rich Conditioner Best Overall: Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Ulta What We Love: The pampering formula is rich but doesn't weigh down fine hair. What We Don't Love: You have to scoop your hand into the tub, which can pool with water. Product Description: This deep conditioning mask is chock full of hydrators and nutrient-rich oils (like rosehip and argan oil), which work wonders restoring a bouncy, glossy freshness to dry, overworked hair. The potent B-vitamin and collagen formula works fast, adding noticeable vibrancy and shine to hair after just one use. And since the mask is sulfate-, silicone-, and paraben-free, it's safe to use on all hair types. Price at time of publish: $40 Hair Type: All | Size: 8oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best Value: Biolage HydraSource Pack Deep Treatment Courtesy Buy on Walmart Buy on Ulta Buy on Jcpenney.com What We Love: It's a salon-worthy treatment with a drugstore price tag. What We Don't Love: The flimsy packaging easily makes a mess in the shower. Product Description: This plastic pouch may not look like the most luxurious hair treatment, but one application will be enough to make you a believer. The fast-acting hair treatment will transform your hair in as little as three minute. Because it's formulated specifically for dry, damaged hair, it features a blend of aloe and spirulina that hydrate and soothe the scalp while also promoting healthy hair growth. Using this weekly will revive hair with a salon-quality softness that will last for days and leave you coming back for more. Price at time of publish: $16 Hair Type: Dry Hair | Size: 3.4oz | Sulfate-Free: No Best Drugstore: Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Walmart Buy on Walgreens What We Love: The fast-acting formula and budget-friendly price tag. What We Don't Love: Although effective, it's not the cleanest formula. Product Description: A three-minute miracle is a lofty claim for any product to stamp on the front of their packaging, but trust us, this product truly only takes 180-seconds to hydrate your hair. The efficient conditioning treatment transforms fried, frazzled hair in the amount of time it takes you to wash your body or shave one leg. The rich cream is formulated with coconut and jojoba oil to smooth frizz and rehydrate frayed ends in a fraction of the time. Price at time of publish: $17 Hair Type: Dry Hair | Size: 3.4oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best Splurge: Christophe Robin Regenerating Hair Mask with Prickly Pear Seed Oil Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Walmart Buy on Sephora What We Love: The salon-level results. What We Don't Love: It has a strong scent that may linger on your hair for a bit. Product Description: We'll admit this hair mask is definitely an investment, but it's an easy one to justify when you see the exceptional results that come from one application. The intensely hydrating mask is formulated with an impressive cocktail of hair-loving goodness, like prickly pear seed oil (to smooth), omegas 6 and 9 (to soften), and vitamin F (to strengthen), leaving hair noticeably sleeker and better-looking, as if you just left the salon. Price at time of publish: $70 Hair Type: Color-treated or damaged hair | Size: 8.4oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best Everyday Hair Mask: It's a 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Walmart Buy on Ulta What We Love: It's formulated with keratin to strengthen hair. What We Don't Love: The scent may be too strong for some noses. Product Description: Emily Cieslak, assistant commerce editor at InStyle, recommends this hair mask as an everyday solution for those who bleach their hair like she does. She's used the brand's signature deep conditioner before, but she thinks this mask actually works better. "Not only does it have different oils to moisturize the hair, but it also has keratin to strengthen damaged hair," she says, adding, "I also notice that it helps revive my color whenever I use it, almost like purple shampoo. It has a luxurious scent that makes you feel like you are truly pampering yourself." Price at time of publish: $52 Hair Type: Dry hair | Size: 5 oz | Sulfate-Free: No Best for Fine Hair: Ouai Fine to Medium Hair Treatment Mask Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Sephora Buy on Ulta What We Love: It won't weigh down fine hair. What We Don't Love: It has a strong scent. Product Description: For anyone with fine hair, you know how challenging it can be to find a conditioning hair mask that won't leave your hair slick, greasy, and lifeless. Celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin answered the good-hair-day prayers for our fine-haired friends with a blend of shea butter, keratin, and panthenol that revives hair, instead of suffocating it. The strengthening blend minimizes breakage and leaves hair shiny, instead of slick, with a weightless flow that is hard to come by. Price at time of publish: $38 Hair Type: Fine hair | Size: 8oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best for Thick Hair: Leonor Greyl Masque à l'Orchidée Softening Hair Mask Courtesy Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Bloomingdales Buy on Saks Fifth Avenue What We Love: A little goes a long way from this tub of rich cream. What We Don't Love: The pampering experience comes with a high price tag. Product Description: Thick hair tends to need so much product to fully coat strands that a typical hair mask bottle won't give you too many uses. Leonor Greyl's hair-softening mask delivered the rich and intensely pampering formula that thick hair was longing for. A modest three-finger scoop from the tub of ultra-rich cream is enough to generously coat a head of long, thick hair, so you'll get a handful of treatments out of the splurge-worthy tub. As for the actual formula, it's packed with nourishing botanicals that reduce tangles and frizz and help keep extremely thick hair smooth and more manageable. Price at time of publish: $67 Hair Type: Thick hair | Size: 7oz | Sulfate-Free: No Best for Curly Hair: Pattern Treatment Mask Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Sephora Buy on Ulta What We Love: Curls remain bouncy and soft after each application. What We Don't Love: The gel-like texture takes some getting used to. Product Description: Leave it to curly queen Tracee Ellis Ross to come up with an effective hair mask specifically for type three and type four curl patterns. The mask repairs the hair while also providing a pampering experience. Because the formula includes rice water ferment and moringa seed oil, which strengthen hair, it restores elasticity and bounce that beautifully boosts curl definition. Price at time of publish: $25 Hair Type: Curly Hair | Size: 15 oz. | Sulfate-Free: No Best for Color-Treated Hair: Olaplex Hair Perfector No.3 Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Ulta What We Love: The concentrated treatment significantly improves the look and feel of hair. What We Don't Love: You have to leave on for at least 10 minutes. Product Description: There's a reason why Olaplex gets so many celeb endorsements: There's no reparative treatment for color-treated hair quite like it. Olaplex No.3 is the at-home version of the mask that hairstylists use at salons, but it's just as effective. Instead of working from the outside in, it strengthens each strand of hair from within, filling any holes made during the coloring process. With a stronger structure, your hair appears softer and shinier. Price at time of publish: $30 Hair Type: Color-treated Hair | Size: 8.5oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best Mask for Blonde Hair: Davines Heart of Glass Rich Conditioner Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Walmart What We Love: The color-boosting results are impressive. What We Don't Love: The formula is quite thick when scooped out of the tub. Product Description: "There's really nothing like the Heart of Glass treatment by Davines," says celebrity hairstylist Michael Canale, who works with stars like Jennifer Aniston, Kyra Sedgwick, Carolyn Murphy, Faye Dunaway, and Denise Richards. This mask is formulated with a unique blend of Baobab and jagua fruit extract which help to condition strands and balance brassy tones. "Baobab is a better alternative to silicone for that silky, soft feeling. Not to mention, it will protect your bright blonde hair color by keeping out the unwanted yellow tones," Canale adds. This mask helps to "prevent breakage and protect your hair while maintaining the blonde you paid for". Price at time of publish: $42 Hair Type: Blonde hair | Size: 8.45oz | Sulfate-Free: No Best for Damaged Hair: Living Proof Restore Repair Hair Mask Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Sephora What We Love: It helps promote healthy hair growth. What We Don't Love: It may be too rich for fine hair. Product Description: This unassuming purple tube may look like your classic, high-quality hair mask — and it certainly is — but the formula inside is anything but traditional. The unique blend is made with equally unique ingredients like Tucuma butter (for softness and shine), an amino acid blend (to seal hair cuticle), meadowfoam seed oil (to condition and prevent damage), and the brands patented "healthy hair molecule" that helps to polish and protect hair strands. The results aren't just in the appearance of noticeably smoother, softer, shinier hair, but in the texture and feel. Hair strands actually feel healthier and stronger with continued weekly use. Price at time of publish: $42 Hair Type: Dry, damage hair | Size: 6.7 oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best Overnight Mask: Sachajuan Overnight Repair Courtesy Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Walmart What We Love: The overnight mask works while you snooze, no rinsing required. What We Don't Love: For the price, the bottle is fairly small. Product Description: While you snooze, this gel formula is chock full of sea algae and mineral extracts that condition and pamper dry, damaged hair. A few pumps of product applied through the lengths of hair will result in impressively shinier, silkier strands by morning. Unlike some overnight treatments which leave your pillowcase covered in greasy residue, this luxurious mask ensures all that hair-loving goodness is soaked up into hair. The bottle may be small (and expensive) but a little goes a long way, and the results and convenience will certainly justify the splurge. Price at time of publish: $34 Hair Type: All hair types | Size: 3.4oz | Sulfate-Free: No Best for Dry Scalp: Oribe Moisture & Control Deep Treatment Hair Mask Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Nordstrom Buy on Sephora What We Love: It expertly conditions hair and scalp. What We Don't Love: The investment-worthy price tag. Product Description: If your hair is in need of some serious moisture, this deep conditioning treatment is for you. "This mask will keep your hair smooth and soft while restoring elasticity, giving it an extra bounce," Canale told InStyle. "One of the unique ingredients is Cocoa Nucifera, which is known for moisturizing the scalp area, making this a great mask option if you have dandruff and want to focus on healing dry scalp. Oribe has implemented a plethora of oils, fatty acids, and extracts to this mask for a perfect potion of a healthy, silky smooth hair moisturizer." Price at time of publish: $44 Hair Type: All hair types | Size: 8.5oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best for Frizz: Goldie Locks Signature Hair Mask Courtesy Buy on Goldielocks.com What We Love: It's great for all hair types including color-treated hair and extensions. What We Don't Love: The formula may be too rich for fine hair types. Product Description: Everything about this hair mask feels fancy, which is precisely what we love about it. For starters, the pretty gold and white packaging adds an elegant accent to your shower lineup. But the invigorating tropical citrus scent with bright notes of pink grapefruit, zesty orange, and juicy lime will instantly lift your mood, too. Add in the impressively smoothing results from the brands concentrated blend of ginseng, biotin, rose water, vanilla bean, white truffle, and marula oil, which add life and shine back to hair after a single application, and this is one feel-good mask you will keep going back to. Price at time of publish: $52 Hair Type: All hair types | Size: 6.8oz | Sulfate-Free: Yes Best Vegan Formula: Amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask Courtesy Buy on Amazon Buy on Sephora Buy on QVC What We Love: It does a number on smoothing frizz and flyaways. What We Don't Love: The mask is thick and needs to be worked through hair when you apply it. Product Description: A quick Google search will surface over 7,000 glowing reviews of shoppers praising this deeply hydrating mask, so it's safe to say it's a fan favorite for many reasons. The exceptionally clean formula is loaded with a cocktail of hair loving ingredients, like jojoba seed oil and sea buckthorn, which deeply penetrate hair, repairing damage and replenishing moisture, making dull and dry hair appear vibrant, soft, and glossy. The mask plays off the steam from the hot shower to promote optimal absorption and leave hair bouncy, tangle-free, and silky soft. Price at time of publish: $28 Hair Type: All hair types | Size: 8 oz. | Sulfate-Free: Yes What to Keep in Mind Hair Type It's important to find the right hair mask to target your specific hair type and concerns. Dry, brittle, color-treated hair should opt for creamier, reparative formulas that deeply hydrate and restore moisture to the hair. Curly hair types and fine haired individuals will want to look for lighter formulas that won't weigh down hair. Your Questions, Answered What does a hair mask do for your hair? A hair mask is a restorative treatment for your hair. "Every hair mask is different, so I look for one that's perfect for your hair type — some masks are for rehydrating, while others are for strengthening by rebuilding hair protein," Canale told InStyle. "Rehydrating masks are great for adding moisture and are what you should be using if you want smoother hair, as the hydration closes (and smoothes) the hair cuticle. Strengthening hair masks are great to use to prepare your hair for chemical treatments," he adds. How often should you use a hair mask? "Hair masks should be incorporated into your weekly beauty routine," Canale recommends. "If you can't get around to using it once a week, make sure you're at least using a mask in the weeks leading up to heavy chemical treatments."