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3 Minutes to Seriously Better Hair? Here’s Our Fave Hair Masks

By Marissa DeSantis

In a pre-pandemic world, maintaining healthy hair at home took a backseat to in-salon cut and color appointments that (temporarily) concealed any damage accrued over the years. But spending more time than ever at home has also meant a reprieve from daily heat styling and seasonal color switch-ups. It’s also the perfect opportunity to start incorporating a hair mask into your weekly routine to help restore your hair’s health while we wait until it’s safe to be reunited with our stylists and colorists.

Ahead, you’ll find seven tried-and-true masks—whether you have curls in need of extra hydration, fine hair that could use a volumizing boost, or you’re trying to repent for years of heat styling and color processing.

Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector

Chances are you’ve already heard of Olaplex’s treatment mask, even if you’ve yet to try it for yourself (it does have over 2,000 five-star reviews on Sephora and more than 300,000 likes). From bleach blonde to natural curls, the cult favorite helps to strengthen hair and reduce breakage no matter what your hair type or concern is. Thanks to its patented bond-building technology.

Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Mask

Curly hair requires heavy-duty hydrating ingredients, and Briogeo’s Superfood Mask really delivers. Nourishing and antioxidant-rich ingredients like avocado oil, kiwi extract, spinach leaf extract, and cocoa seed butter fight frizz and enhance natural curls by restoring moisture. The mask is even free of sulfates, silicones, and parabens that can secretly dry out your hair.

Shu Uemura Muroto Volume Lightweight Care Treatment

Finer hair types are all too familiar with typical conditioning masks that leave you with a weighed down, greasy finish. Shu Uemura found the secret to creating volume while also purifying and hydrating the hair with deep seawater—a mineral-rich ingredient found two-hundred meters beneath the seas of Japan. Himalayan crystal minerals are another ingredient to add shine to hair without making it heavy or greasy.

Bumble and bumble Bb. Bond-Building Repair Treatment

For hair that looks and feels damaged, Bumble and bumble created a line of bond-building haircare. The brand’s treatment mask works in just five minutes to begin repairing split ends and dryness with its Honey Bond-Building Complex that works inside the hair cuticle, at the cortex, to increase moisture and improve the hair’s elasticity.

Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask

Keep your current color fresh or experiment with an entirely new hue (think pastel lilac for blondes or rich bordeaux for brunettes). Moroccan oil’s dual-benefit mask deeply conditions hair with the brand’s ArganID technology and ingredients like apricot kernel oil and hydrolyzed soy protein, no matter which of the nine temporary colors you choose.

Christophe Robin Shade Variation Hair Mask Baby Blonde

Blonde hair battles both brittleness and brassiness thanks to the bleaching that it takes to get you to your desired light blonde shade in the first place. Christophe Robin’s Shade Variation Hair Mask in Baby Blonde combats both issues by adding moisturizing ingredients like almond butter, shea butter, and buriti oil in the purple-tinted mask that neutralizes those warmer brassy and yellow tones.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Smooth Deep Conditioner

If you’re looking for a bargain option that will still leave you with noticeably softer and smoother hair, Aussie’s 3 Minute Miracle Smooth Deep Conditioner checks all of the boxes. Mineral and vitamin-rich Australian sea kelp and aloe vera strengthen hair and help prevent breakage while also immediately leaving it shinier.