The 19 Best Hair Masks to Give Your Dry, Damaged Hair New Life

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As a curly girl with fine hair, I'm always looking for more moisture and volume. And when conditioners just can't cut it, I set my sights on deeply conditioning hair masks. Not only can they hydrate your strands, they can also make them feel softer, stronger, and more protected. If you're also looking to deliver these results for your own hair, then you need one stat. However, the best hair masks are made of the ingredients that are suited for your hair type and concern.  So, if you have straight hair, coily hair, color-treated hair, blonde hair, dry hair, damaged hair, and more, I've broken down the best hair masks for everyone.

What Is a Hair Mask?

Similar to face masks, hair masks are nourishing, hydrating, and strengthening deep conditioning treatments for your hair. But what sets them apart from your traditional conditioners, is that their ingredients are usually more concentrated and the mask is left on your hair for a longer period of time. And, the benefits depend on your hair and the ingredients in the mask.

What's the Best Hair Mask for My Hair Type?

The hair mask that you ultimately choose depends on your type of hair and what you want the results to be. Curlier hair is typically dry, so those with coils or dry hair need thick, hydrating masks with ingredients like ceramides or coconut water. If your hair is more fine, look out for lighter weight masks that might add volume, possibly with caffeine in them.

So keep on scrolling for the hair mask that best suits your hair type and concern. You won't believe the results.

The Top 3 Hair Masks for Every Hair Type

amika Soulfood Nourishing Hair Mask

The amika Soulfood hair mask is a favorite among E! editors (and their brothers). It's packed with rich vitamins and antioxidants to hydrate and soften your hair, and the brand refers to the mask as a "cool drink of water for your hair." Ideal for all hair types and textures, it can leave your strands shiny for days.

$34Sephora

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

Prevent future damage and strengthen your strands today with the Briogeo hair mask. Formulated with 97% naturally derived ingredients (like rosehip oil, B vitamins, and algae extract), it's ideal for all hair textures and types, especially those with dry, brittle strands.

$39Sephora

K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask

This hair mask promises to reverse damage in just minutes, while restoring softness and elasticity to your strands. The mask is infused with the brand's patented K18Peptide, which is formulated to re-connect broken keratin chains in your hair, to improve hair's strength and bounce. Any kind of hair texture and type can use this mask for lasting results.

$75Sephora

The Best Budget Hair Mask

SheaMoisture Intensive Hydration Hair Masque

Hair masks don't have to be pricey. Score this hydrating hair mask for under $12 and the shea butter and manuka honey will moisturize and condition your strands. It also comes with over 11,000 5-star reviews on Amazon, leaving one fan to report that it's a "true hair miracle!

$12.99$11.17Amazon

The Best Hair Mask for Dry Hair

REDKEN Bonding Hair Mask for Dry, Damaged Hair Repair

Don't put up with dry strands for one more day. This lightweight mask repairs, detangles, and moisturizes while leaving your hair soft.

$13Amazon

The Best Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Kérastase Resistance Strengthening Hair Mask for Extremely Damaged Hair

If your hair is damaged by treatments, the weather, or just daily wear and tear, this strengthening hair mask is for you. Ideal for all hair textures and medium to thick hair, it includes wheat protein to smooth and repair bounce and gluco-peptides to permeate and strengthen your strands.

$68Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Nourishing Your Strands

Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Hair Mask

Backed by over 11,000 5-star Amazon reviews, this hair mask is designed to hydrate and condition your hair. Ideal for medium to thick strands, it features a blend of argan oil and other ingredients formulated for deep nourishment of your locks. One user noted, "I can't live without this mask. I only use it a few times a week and leaves my hair super soft and hydrated. It has a nice coconut smell like most Moroccan oil products."

$17.10Amazon

The Best Hair Mask for Fine Hair

OUAI Treatment Mask for Fine and Medium Hair

This Ouai mask is designed for those with fine to medium hair. Loaded with shea butter, panthenol, and hydrolyzed keratin, it will strengthen strands, provide moisture, and leave your locks shiny. Best of all, it has a light floral scent that hundreds of reviewers love.

$38Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Coils

PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Transition Mask

Coily hair needs extra moisture, which is why this nutrient-dense mask is a solid pick. Plus, there's white tea to prevent hair fall and manuka honey to moisturize and keep strands strong.

$25Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Waves

adwoa beauty Blue Tansy Reparative Mask

Fight breakage, frizz, split ends, and damage with the adwoa reparative mask. It softens strands with mango butter, removes scalp impurities with Moroccan lava clay, and promotes hair growth with hydrolyzed quinoa. Reviewers love the mask's thick texture and light floral scent. 

$40Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Curls

Maria Nila Coils & Curls Finishing Hair Mask

Define your curls while nourishing and detangling them with the Maria Nila finishing hair mask. It features a blend of shea butter, jojoba oil, aloe vera, and vitamin E to leave a frizz free shine.

$35.50AmazonreadThe Clay Mask From The Outset by Scarlett Johansson Saved My Skin and Now I'm Hooked on the Brand

The Best Hair Mask for Breakage

Oribe Hair Alchemy Strengthening Mask

If breakage is preventing your hair from growing length, then this Oribe mask is a great choice. It features rich shea butter for moisture, castor seed oil for shine, and a blend of chia seed and plant-based proteins to reduce breaks and encourage new growth. This shopper raved, "I love how this product makes my hair feel. This is the best hair mask I've used so far. My hair is much more manageable and shiny after each use!" 

$68Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Split Ends

Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask

Reduce split ends and protect damaged hair with this regenerating hair mask. It includes nourishing prickly pear oil to moisturize strands and inula extract to revive your strand's pigment. One fan reported, "My hair was so brittle and dry but after two uses my hair is so shiny and hydrated."

$65.55Amazon

The Best Drugstore Hair Mask

It's a 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin

Even your drugstore has hair masks that condition and boost your strands. This hair mask features strengthening keratin and the brand promises smooth, shiny locks in just five to 10 minutes.

$18.99Walmart

The Best Hair Mask for Blonde Hair

Kérastase Blond Absolu Strengthening Hair Mask for Very Damaged Blonde Hair

Do blondes have more fun? Well, they might with this strengthening hair mask that's designed for lighter locks. Infused with with hyaluronic acid, it can soften blonde hair damaged from lightening treatments, while preventing split ends and breakage.

$68Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Exfoliating Your Scalp

Nutrafol Build-Up Blocker Scalp Exfoliating Hair Mask

Maintain your scalp's microbiome and remove impurities with this scalp mask. With fruit acids and jojoba esters for exfoliation, and antioxidant-rich Australian wild berries for hydration, this mask can fight oil, flaky scalps so healthy hair can thrive.

$49Sephora

The Best Bond Repairing Hair Mask

Olaplex The Ultimate Repair Kit

The Olaplex repair kit contains everything you need to rebuild your hair's bonds and strengthen its strands. What are bonds exactly? Well, they hold together your hair's protein and keratins, and give locks their stability and shape. When they're are broken, hair can look dry and damaged. So, this two-step system is designed to restore healthy hair and repair those bonds.

$60Olaplex

The Best Hair Mask for Straight Hair

Function of Beauty PRO Bond Repair Custom Conditioner Mask for Straight, Damaged Hair

Whether your straight hair is fine, medium, or thick, this conditioning mask is for you. While the acids from hydrolyzed quinoa and mokate oil make strands shiny and manageable, it also features a bonding complex to reduce breakage. The concentrated formula smells like fresh flowers and the brand promises more resilient hair after just five washes.

$28Sephora

The Best Hair Mask for Color-Treated Hair

L'Oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color Care Hair Mask

Packed with antioxidant-rich resveratrol, this hair mask is designed to preserve hair color. Plus, it can enhance the vibrancy of your hair's hue, while boosting softness and shine.

$45Sephora

How Often Should You Use a Hair Mask?

Consult the instructions included with your mask, but it's usually good to use a hair mask once or twice a week. You don't want to overdo it and get overly oily or brittle strands.

The 19 Best Hair Masks to Give Your Dry, Damaged Hair New Life

What Ingredients Should You Look for in a Hair Mask?

Hair masks have a lot of ingredients to go through, but here are some of the top items you should look for on the label:

  • For Dryness: Botanical extracts and natural oils like mafura oil, coconut oil, or almond oil, plus shea butter can help to enrich dry hair.
  • For Damage: Avoid drying alcohols, keep an eye out for coconut oil, ceramides, jojoba oil, avocado oil, and castor oil to help repair the hair, along with any bond-building products.
  • For Breakage: Masks with keratin, collagen, biotin, or rosemary oil will help safeguard against further damage.
  • For Oiliness: To help regulate the oils on your scalp, look for tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, peppermint, or lemon.
  • For Fine Hair: Add some volume by using a shampoo or conditioner with biotin, proteins, or caffeine. These ingredients can help stimulate new hair growth.
  • For Frizz: Natural oils like jojoba, avocado, or coconut can smooth strands and reduce frizz at the ends.
  • For Curls, Coils & Waves: Curls need a nourishing mask, so shea butter, natural oils (like coconut oil, argan oil) and hyaluronic acid can help. Also, check that the mask is sulfate-free so it doesn't dry out your strands.
  • For Blonde Hair: Consider a mask infused with hyaluronic acid to strengthen and soften blonde strands that may have been affected by lightening treatments.
  • For Color-Treated Hair: You don't want the color to fade, so something sulfate-free will provide a gentle cleanse.

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