7 best hair masks to revive dry and damaged locks, tested for every budget

Kérastase hair products deserve a spot in the beauty hall of fame, and the brand’s densifique mask is one of the best. With a premium powdery scent, the formula is designed – as its name suggests – to create density in fine or lack-lustre hair. My hair falls somewhere between fine and medium weight but, the longer I go between washes, the more flat and straggly my strands begin to look.

Admittedly, the idea of using a conditioning mask to create volume confused me, given that I’d normally look to a shampoo to achieve this result. However, this mask does what it says on the tin and I could definitely see my roots had gained height, while the ends appeared newly cut (despite being far from it).

More importantly, my hair was the softest it’s ever been and, in all honesty I couldn’t stop touching it in the days after use. This softness didn’t come at the expense of an oily scalp and, more than 15 hours after blow drying my hair, I could still finger comb my strands without finding tangles or matted areas.

Aside from the high price and the small gripe that I had to find instructions online, this mask was faultless.

Olaplex’s weightless nourishing hair mask is one of its most recent launches. It dropped alongside the rich hydration mask (£39, Cultbeauty.co.uk), which is better suited to thicker and coarser hair types. Featuring the brand’s patented bond-repairing ingredient – bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate – the weightless nourishing mask sets out to give tired strands a makeover in just five minutes. It also introduces a new innovation from Olaplex: its biomimetic cuticle technology. In a nutshell, this adds a protective layer to the cuticle shaft, aiming to hydrate and prevent damage for up to five washes.

It’s not an exaggeration to say I could feel the mask getting to work straight away and, as I rinsed away the product, my wet hair was noticeably softer and smoother. This was also true of the hair once blow dried, as while I saw a bit of oily build-up around my roots, there was no denying the mask had a positive effect on my heat damaged strands. My dried hair appeared free from breakage, full of volume and silky to the touch.

As for future uses, I’ll be more vigilant to only apply it to my mid-lengths and ends, instead of my already grease-prone scalp.

Garnier’s banana hair food mask has long been touted as one of the best affordable treatments for dry and brittle strands. While not everyone will gel with its artificial banana scent, the formula promises to nourish most hair types, from fine and straight to coarse and curly. It combines vitamins C, E and F to help with shine, moisture and strength, while shea butter prevents damage and salicylic acid exfoliates the scalp.

Unlike most hair masks, it didn’t take forever to rinse out, and the speedy three-minute treatment made it something you’d actually want to use on repeat. It gave my locks a perfect dose of hydration without weighing down my roots and I was amazed at the salon-level shine I achieved while blow drying with a round brush. Two days later, my hair remained glossy and grease-free.

While I can’t speak for its effectiveness on curls and coils, straight and wavy hair types should look no further. I’d even argue it makes a more affordable alternative to the Kérastase densifique mask above.

Gisou may only be 10 years old, but it’s hugely popular on social media and has a loyal fanbase of scent-obsessives. Admittedly, it’s the honey-infused hair perfumes (£34, Cultbeauty.co.uk) that have garnered the most attention, but the brand’s ceramide therapy hair mask – with the same addictive scent – is not to be overlooked.

Packaged in a distinctive hive-style tub (a nod to the brand’s own Mirsalehi bee garden), the mask has a thick texture, like custard. It combines hyaluronic acid, ceramides and honey to help strengthen and hydrate, and can be used in a variety of ways: as a traditional or overnight mask, as well as a pre-shampoo treatment to prevent moisture loss while cleansing.

I tested it as a traditional mask and found it easy to comb through my hair, leaving it noticeably softer before I’d even blow dried. Despite feeling like I’d rinsed all the product from my strands, I spotted that some of the oil from the mask had lingered, leaving my hair falling flat around the roots. This meant I wasn’t able to eek as many days out of the blow-dry and the finish was a tad clumpy.

In retrospect, I should have been more sparing with my application as someone with finer hair. It gave my locks a healthy sheen that lasted through to the next day, but ultimately would be better suited to thicker and coarser hair.

As someone with naturally blonde locks, I was hesitant to use Davines’ heart of glass conditioner for blonde hair. Often these types of formulas are catered to colour-treated blondes and contain ingredients like hydrogen peroxide which bleach the hair. This isn’t the case with the rich conditioner which instead comprises a jagua fruit indigo pigment to neutralise brassiness, and a biacidic bond complex to repair damaged strands.

After just one use, I could feel the bond complex getting to work. It gave the ends of my hair a new lease of life and they resembled their smooth, non-splintered state after a fresh trim. The mask also helped to amp up my volume and I saw a definite lift around the roots. With its heady perfume scent and apothecary-style packaging, Davines delivers an elevated, high-end treatment at a reasonable mid-range price.

As for the toning effects, the mask transformed my dull colour into a brighter, strawberry blonde – you can see the shade lifting in the video above.

If you’ve tried Amika’s new hair and body mist (£26, Cultbeauty.co.uk), then you’ll be familiar with its powdery floral fragrance. The soulfood nourishing mask carries the same scent and turns your wash routine into something that feels far more luxurious than its £28 price might suggest.

The mask has a creamy and cushiony texture that applied to my damp hair easily and rinsed away without hassle at the end of the treatment. My roots felt lightweight and grease-free after blow-drying, though it didn’t leave my hair quite as voluminous as some other masks. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the flicky texture it gave my hair without curling or straightening, and relished the extra 20 minutes in bed the following morning.

The key draw of the soulfood mask is the serious shine it gives your hair. Nearly 48 hours after I used the mask, my mid-lengths still had a mirror-like gloss and the strands were silky soft to the touch.

Much like Garnier’s hair food mask, L’Oréal’s elvive hydra mask is impressively budget-friendly. It revived my dry shampoo-laden hair in minutes, smoothing out knots and leaving strands soft and silky without needing a heavy-handed application – meaning the 300ml tub goes a long way.

L’Oréal also happens to own Kérastase, which explains the mask’s premium-looking packaging and a few familiar ingredient choices. While the formula isn’t quite as potent as its salon-grade sibling, it does include hyaluronic acid to help replenish dry, thirsty hair.

The moisture boost is undeniable, but those with finer hair should use it sparingly. While it didn’t feel heavy, it didn’t add volume either, and my fine-to-medium hair needed washing slightly sooner than usual. I’ll be sticking to the mid-lengths and ends going forward.