- Hair masks are an affordable and easy way to strengthen, deep condition, and nourish without going to a salon — especially in the winter when all the cold air is drying out your hair.
- You can just use one in the shower to treat your hair weekly, or if you have really damaged hair, every few days.
- Our top pick is the It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Hair Mask, but we also like ones from Brigeo, Function of Beauty, Sephora Collection, and Olaplex.
Between blow-drying, heat-styling, color processing, skipping hair cuts, and more, your hair can incur some serious damage. Thankfully, at-home hair masks are one of the easiest ways to give your strands a little TLC without leaving your house or breaking the bank.
Whether you want to repair, strengthen, add shine, or protect your hair from future damage, the right hair mask can help transform your hair and even improve its overall health. But with so many on the market, working out which one is right for you can be overwhelming.
So we did the research and put our own hair to the test to find the best hair masks.
Here are the best hair masks you can buy:
- Best hair mask overall: It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Hair Mask
- Best for deep conditioning: Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Mask
- Best personalized formula: Function of Beauty Customized Hair Mask
- Best for overnight: Sephora Collection Hair Sleeping Mask
- Best for strengthening: Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3
- Check out our guide to the best hair conditioner you can buy.
Updated 12/12/19 by Jada Wong: Updated prices and copy. Added Function of Beauty Customized Hair Mask.
SEE ALSO: The best shower caps you can buy
The best hair mask overall
It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Hair Mask does it all, transforming dry, damaged hair into super-soft and smooth strands while restoring elasticity.
It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Hair Mask is a sulfate-free conditioning treatment that was made to treat all types of hair. The mask contains linseed and apricot extracts, which help soothe and repair your scalp while leaving you tangle-free.
The mask also features almond extract to promote healthy and shiny hair, and oat extract, which strengthens and restructures hair to make it smooth and soft. The lightweight mask is versatile enough to be used as an everyday conditioner for hair, or as a periodic treatment.
A social media fellow on the Insider Picks team has used and loved the mask. "My hair has never felt softer and the smell is amazing," she says. "Using this hair mask helps tame and moisturize my unmanageable, wavy, color-treated hair while also not making it feel greasy or weighed down. It's also made my hair noticeably less frizzy and repairs any split ends I may have, so I can go longer in between haircuts."
It's a 10 is definitely expensive, but it's been worth every penny. "At first, I was hesitant to spend $32 on a hair product, but after using this hair mask and seeing its effects on my hair, this mask has a permanent spot in my shower."
Pros: Leaves hair tangle-free and super soft, soothes and repairs scalp, treats damaged hair, can be used daily or periodically
Cons: Expensive
The best deep conditioning hair mask
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Mask deep conditions for an extra boost of hydration and moisture.
The Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask is formulated with ingredients like vitamin B, rosehip oil, argan oil, and collagen to help restore hydration and transform lackluster hair into shiny, healthy locks.
The mask works on all types of hair including chemically-treated, relaxed, and keratin-treated hair. It is also cruelty-free and made without any silicones, parabens, sulfates, and artificial dyes. In a blind clinical trial, 80% of women said they saw a "noticeable improvement in hydration".
The product was an Allure Reader's Choice award winner in 2017 and has a 4.2-star rating on Sephora's site with more than 1,000 reviews.
It's expensive at $32 for 8 ounces, but you can purchase a mini 1-ounce bottle to test it out for only $9.
Pros: Makes hair super soft and silky, deeply hydrating, cruelty-free, makes hair shiny
Cons: Expensive
Best personalized formula
If you're looking for a customized formula that addresses one or many concerns, try Function of Beauty.
Function of Beauty develops personalized hair-care products, including a hair mask. At $19 for a 7.5 oz jar, it's expensive, but it's also a weekly deep-conditioning treatment that's catered specifically to your needs, so I think the price is justified. There's also an option to subscribe to regular deliveries of each product, so you'd never run out.
To create your custom formula, you'd have to take a short online quiz and indicate your concerns and needs. I said that I wanted to hydrate and repair my dry, heat-damaged hair. I have fine hair so I also wanted to make sure the formula wouldn't be too heavy and weigh it down.
A few weeks later, the mask arrived at my door and I've been using it twice a week for the past two months. In the two months that I've been using it, I've used about a quarter of the product.
It's definitely made my hair feel stronger and healthier, with a lot more shine than it used to have. While each formula is made specifically for your particular hair needs, it generally contains hydrating Japanese sake extract, and argan and jojoba oils.
It takes just a few minutes to work and it's easy to rinse out too. The one thing I'm split on is the plastic jar. I try to avoid plastic when I can, but I've dropped the jar several times in the shower and thankfully, it hasn't cracked or broken. Can you imagine what would've happened if it was made out of glass?
The Insider Picks team has tested and reviewed other Function of Beauty hair-care products, here's the full review.
Pros: Personalized formula for your specific hair needs, has one-time or subscription option for flexibility
Cons: Is only available online
The best overnight hair mask
Sephora Collection's Hair Sleeping Masks work overnight as you sleep for intense repair with minimal effort.
If you are looking for an overnight mask that will target specific hair problems, try the Sephora Collection Hair Sleeping Masks. The line of masks was formulated to hydrate and repair hair as you sleep.
There are four masks to address different hair issues. Rose is used for smoothing and anti-frizz proposes, Acai brightens and protects color, Almond offers anti-breakage protection, and Coconut nourishes and repairs.
A writer for Allure tested out the Rose mask and said, "When I woke up the next morning and rinsed out my hair, it felt just as soft and wonderful as I expected it to. I felt as if the conditioner had provided the extra smoothness it promised."
Each mask comes with a hair cap but some Sephora reviewers note the cap shifted while sleeping. To prevent any stains, try placing a towel over your pillowcase or use a bobby pin to secure the cap to your hair before you go to sleep.
Pros: Affordable, can target specific hair issues, hydrating, softens hair, 4 options
Cons: Can stain sheets if cap moves while sleeping
The best strengthening hair mask
If color-treating and heat-styling has weakened your hair, try a strengthening mask like Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3.
Hair-care brand Olaplex is used in top salons, but the mask was created for general retail when the brand realized how many of its clients wanted to use it at home.
The mask is made with Olaplex's patented bond-building technology, which relinks the broken parts of hair caused by chemical, thermal, and mechanical damage. The mask works on many hair types from straight to tightly coiled and is formulated without parabens, sulfates, or phthalates.
The repairing and strengthening treatment is a favorite on Sephora's site with 86% of buyers saying they would recommend the product to others. One reviewer writes, "Wow. This product is nothing short of amazing. After years of highlights, I ended up with extremely damaged hair. My hair cuticles we're [sic] lifted, flaky and fried and the hair cortex was so destroyed that my hair would be split 2 inches from the bottom, I was desperate. Then I found Olaplex. One application and everything changed. It became silky soft and bouncy again. Wow. So thankful for this outstanding product."
A few buyers noted they were hesitant about the expensive price point, but most said it was definitely worth the high cost.
Pros: Repairs and strengthens hair, leaves it feeling soft and bouncy, professional-grade treatment at home
Cons: Expensive
Check out our other hair-care buying guides
The best dry shampoo you can buy
Some days you just run out of time to wash your hair, but that doesn't mean it has to look greasy. Dry shampoo is here to save you from a bad hair day. Of all the dry shampoos around, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo is our top pick because it makes your hair look like new.
Here are the best dry shampoos you can buy:
- Best overall: Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
- Best cult classic: Batiste Dry Shampoo
- Best drugstore option: Dove Volume & Fullness Dry Shampoo
- Best high-end option: Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
- Best powder formula: Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder
- Best foam formula: Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam
- Best volumizing formula: R+Co's Death Valley Dry Shampoo
The best shampoo for any hair type
Impossible as it might be to find a shampoo that works for every hair type, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo comes pretty close. That's why it's our top pick — Living Proof's basic formula really works and it might even help you wash your hair less often.
Here are the five best shampoos for all hair types:
- Best overall: Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo
- Best dry shampoo: Batiste Dry Shampoo
- Best for hydration: Pantene Prov Daily Moisture Renewal Hydrating Shampoo
- Best for exfoliation: Briogeo Scalp Revival Micro-exfoliating Shampoo
- Best for curly hair: DevaCurl No-Poo Original Zero Lather Cleansing Conditioner
The best hair conditioner you can buy
Hair conditioner is a necessity if you want soft, silky strands. Out of thousands of bottles, shoppers agree that Silk18 Argan Oil Hair Conditioner is the best — no matter your hair type.
Here are the best hair conditioners you can buy in 2019:
- Best hair conditioner overall: Silk18 Argan Oil Hair Conditioner
- Best conditioner for curly hair: DevaCurl One Condition Original Daily Cream Conditioner
- Best leave-in conditioner: It's a 10 Leave-In Conditioner
- Best conditioner for color-treated hair: Redken Color Extend Conditioner
- Best drugstore conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Moisture Renewal Conditioner
- Best conditioner for instant shine: Wella Oil Reflections Luminous Instant Conditioner
- Best eco-conscious clarifying conditioner: Love Beauty & Planet Tea Tree Oil & Vetiver Radical Refresher Conditioner