Top masks for hair restoration

Beauty and lifestyle straight from Europe (Prague, Czech Republic).

There are situations when even a suitable shampoo in combination with a conditioner is not able to restore hair that looks weakened and brittle, and even falls out too much. In what case can you not do without a nourishing restorative mask, how to choose the ideal one and how to restore hair after dyeing or bleaching? Let's find out together with our experts!

How do you know when you need a restorative hair mask?

To understand whether your hair needs intensive restoration, just take a simple quick test.

From the list below, mark the signs that you also have.

1. Hair is difficult to comb and often gets tangled.
2. Lately my hair has been falling out a lot.
3. Hair is difficult to style.
4. The ends of your hair split and look lifeless.
5. Hair is too dry.
6. Hair does not shine even after washing.
7. You often dry your hair with a hairdryer.
8. You often straighten your hair with an iron.
9. You have recently been to hot countries.
10. You often use styling products to style your hair.
11. Hair has recently been dyed or bleached.

If you have noted at least two or three points for yourself, then your hair definitely needs a good restorative mask that can restore it to its former luxury!

Why are professional hair masks better than homemade ones?

You can try to restore your hair using home remedies that you always have on hand. For many, this is the easiest way to start hair treatment right now, without putting it off for a long time.

However, salon experts recommend entrusting emergency hair care to professional products - after all, the active ingredients in them are already balanced and contained in much larger quantities than in home masks, and the complex of nutritional components is carefully adjusted to the smallest detail.

For example, instead of the popular kefir mask, which can be prepared at home, it is better to use the Absolut Repair Lipidium mask from L’Oréal Professionnel, which is based on lactic acid.

Step-by-step instructions: how to use hair masks correctly?

Applying a restorative hair mask is a fuss-free business, so you shouldn’t plan the procedure for the morning, when time is really precious!

We share step by step the secrets of competently applying restorative masks to hair.

1. Before washing, comb your still dry hair thoroughly.
2. Wash your hair with your shampoo.
3. Let the excess moisture drain and squeeze your hair a little.
4. Apply a revitalizing mask from roots to ends.
5. Lightly massage your scalp to increase blood circulation and speed up the absorption of the mask's nutrients.
6. If you are taking a bath, pin your hair up so as not to wash off the mask ahead of time.
7. If you plan to do other things while the mask is on, use a shower cap to keep your hair from getting too dry or too cold.
8. For maximum intensity, you can enhance the effect of the mask by heating it with a hairdryer through a shower cap.
9. Leave the mask on your hair for at least as long as indicated on the package, and ideally for a couple of hours.
10. Do not wash off the mask with shampoo: just rinse your hair thoroughly with regular warm water.
11. If possible, refrain from using styling products on this day, as well as ironing and hair dryer - let your hair dry naturally.

Review of restorative hair masks

Masks for hair restoration come in different forms. How to navigate their diversity? It’s very simple: choose a product aimed at solving a specific problem, read user reviews and trust a professional brand.

In pursuit of perfection, women often experiment with their appearance. First of all, the changes concern the hair. Dying in all sorts of colors, perms and styling have a negative impact on their health. To correct the situation and make your hair look well-groomed, special restorative masks have been developed. They include caring and therapeutic components that quickly restore the structure of curls. But you shouldn’t buy the first product you come across—first you need to learn about all the features of its choice.

What is a mask for?

Simply washing your hair does not provide complete care for damaged hair. Shampoos cannot restore their structure, as they are designed to remove dirt and oily shine. Conditioner balms can only slightly improve the appearance and make combing easier, but they act superficially and do not penetrate deep into the hair.

Therefore, special restorative masks have been developed for comprehensive recovery. They penetrate the hair structure, moisturize it and fill it with essential vitamins. In addition, the active components included in the masks improve metabolism in the scalp and thereby stimulate hair growth.

Composition and selection rules

Before purchasing a particular mask, you need to pay attention to its composition. Components that take an active part in restoring hair structure include:

1. Keratin. It has a healing effect: smoothes out scales, eliminates cracks and minor injuries, makes hair smooth and shiny.
2. Protein. Its deficiency leads to fragility, split ends and growth cessation.
3. Elastin and collagen. They give firmness and elasticity, provide long-lasting hydration, and protect against overdrying when using an iron or hair dryer.
4. Ceramides. They add shine, protect against damage and high temperatures, and prevent brittleness and split ends.
5. Alanine. Has a moisturizing, antistatic and conditioning effect.
6. D-panthenol or provitamin B5. Nourishes and strengthens hair follicles, restores structure, adds shine, normalizes the activity of sebaceous glands, and reduces oily scalp.
7. Vegetable oils. Moisturize and saturate the scalp with nutrients, strengthen hair roots and stimulate their growth.
8. Extracts of medicinal herbs or honey. Protect from negative environmental influences, add shine and elasticity to strands.

In many formulations you can find a component such as alcohol. A small amount of it will not harm normal or oily hair, but it can seriously damage weakened and dry hair, increasing its dryness and fragility, which will soon lead to the appearance of split ends.

In order not to waste money and damage your hair, you need to decide on its type and degree of damage. Based on this, you need to choose a restorative agent taking into account its components.

The following hair types exist:

1. Dry. They are susceptible to external influences, are characterized by flaking and redness of the scalp, so they need moisturizing and additional nutrition. The care product should contain proteins, natural oils and herbal extracts.
2. Fat. Their main problem is rapid contamination, so masks containing citrus extracts, clay, decoctions of medicinal herbs and essential oils are suitable for them.
3. Thin and weakened. To restore them, masks enriched with keratin are needed.
4. Mixed. They differ in fat content at the roots and dry ends. Comprehensive care for them includes products made specifically to solve this problem.

When choosing a restorative mask, you need to adhere to some rules:

1. the product must be aimed at solving a specific problem and suitable for your hair type, so it is better to avoid universal products
2. the composition of the product must consist of at least 50% natural ingredients
3. You need to use products from trusted brands to avoid purchasing low-quality goods.

Types of restorative masks

All masks can be divided into two types: cosmetic and homemade. The former, in turn, are divided into mass consumption and professional media.

Mass consumer cosmetics are sold in any store. It is accessible, but does not always help achieve the desired result due to the presence of artificial and even harmful ingredients. Professional products can only be purchased in specialized salons or stores. They are enriched with active caring components and have a targeted effect on the problem.

Rules for using masks

Basic rules for using masks:

1. Restoring masks are designed specifically to improve the appearance and condition of damaged hair, so their use is not advisable for healthy curls.
2. Apply the product to a previously shampooed head.
3. Distribute the mask from roots to ends using a comb with widely spaced teeth.
4. It is useful to rub the product into the scalp with massaging movements. This will provide better nutrition to the hair follicles.
5. After applying the mask, you should put on a shower cap. It will prevent the product from accidentally washing off while taking a bath or from drying out when doing housework.
6. For better absorption of nutrients, wrap your head in a towel and lightly heat it with a hairdryer.
7. Do not keep the mask on your hair longer than the time specified in the instructions. This will make your hair feel heavy and look dirty.
8. You need to wash off the mask with plenty of warm water, after which it is not recommended to apply balm or conditioner.
9. You should use the mask no more than three times a week.

To obtain the desired effect from the restorative mask, after using it, you should not blow-dry your hair or apply styling products. Therefore, it is not recommended to do the procedure immediately before work or any event.

Top 10 best restorative masks

Among the many hair care products on offer, it is very difficult to find the right product. And the rule “expensive means high quality” does not apply here. PProducts from expensive brands are most often counterfeited, so you should be careful when choosing not only a mask, but also the store where you will purchase it.

The rating of the best restorative hair masks includes products with the largest number of positive customer reviews.

Products from the famous French brand are designed to restore even severely damaged hair. Thanks to the proteins it contains, the mask promotes the regeneration of the lipid layer, prevents hair fragility and loss, improves combing and prevents split ends. To get results, you need to keep the mask on for no more than five minutes.

The American-made product is aimed at deep restoration of dry, weakened and brittle hair, which occurs due to the content of natural oils. The product has a cumulative effect: after just a few uses, the curls look well-groomed, healthy and shiny. The duration of exposure to the mask should not exceed seven minutes.

The mask is the best in the “restoration” series among domestically produced products. The main advantage of the product is its natural composition and the absence of harmful parabens and sulfates. The active components of the mask restore the hair structure, moisturize and add shine, and also heal the scalp. Keep the mask on for 15 minutes.

A budget product designed to restore colored, damaged and thin hair, which is not inferior in effectiveness to more expensive analogues. The mask stimulates hair growth and improves its appearance, making it shiny and well-groomed. The product has a pleasant texture and has an immediate effect.

The action of the mask is aimed at restoring bleached hair. The result is achieved thanks to the keratin complex included in the composition, which gives the curls smoothness and a mirror shine.

The mask formula includes caring components that, from the first use, eliminate complex problems such as dull hair color, splitting, brittleness and dryness. With regular use of the product, even the most dry curls become moisturized and shiny.

The mask restores hair after coloring and perm thanks to keratins and argan oil in the composition. The protective properties of the product prevent color fading and heal damage caused by paint. The curls become denser and do not tangle. Dry scalp disappears and its hydrolipid balance is normalized.

The product will be a real salvation for dry and severely damaged hair. A balanced composition will prevent split ends, moisturize the scalp, and eliminate irritation after using cleansers. The mask is instantly absorbed and protects curls from moisture loss.

Contains natural ingredients that are involved in the restoration of curls, enrich the bulbs with nutrients, improve blood circulation in the scalp and stimulate hair growth. The product has a softening, conditioning and moisturizing effect.

The product is distinguished by the gradual restoration of even the most overdried curls. Natural oils and extracts strengthen hair, prevent hair loss, fight dandruff and “seal” microcracks, restoring natural elasticity and shine to the strands.

Restoring masks are a real salvation for damaged curls. But you shouldn’t use them thoughtlessly. It is important to select a product based on your hair type and carefully study the composition before purchasing.

No matter how gentle the effects of hair dyes or perms are, they all destroy the hair from the inside in one way or another. And each time the curls become duller, the hair breaks, and looks lifeless. To minimize the harmful effects of coloring and styling products, you need to regularly use masks. They differ from balms and conditioners in their higher concentration of nutrients, noticeable effect after the first use, and prolonged action. Modern masks can restore strength and shine to even the driest and most “over-burnt” curls.

We have compiled a list of the best hair masks based on expert assessments and reviews from real customers. Our recommendations will help you make a choice that suits your needs and desires. There are many competitors in the beauty industry, but we have selected the best manufacturers and recommend paying special attention to them:

Mid price category

1. L'Oreal Professionnel
2. Matrix
3. Natura Siberica
4. Revlon
5. OLLIN Professional
6. Hair Company
7. Estel

1. London Professional
2. Lebel Cosmetics