How To Make A Weekly Hair Mask Work In Your Routine

By Emily Arata & Powered By L’Oreal Professional Products Division

Between long hours at the office and time spent maintaining a sparkling social life, it’s often self care that suffers. You may have purchased a luxury face mask or spa package weeks ago, but it’s more difficult for many of us to actually sit down and relax than to spend money.

If you have colored hair or regularly use hot styling tools, one of the top treatments professionals recommend is a hair mask for dark brown hair or blonde. To help you pamper yourself (and your mane), we connected with Michelle O’Connor, Matrix artistic director and brand ambassador. Masking is a way of life—one that’s way less time-consuming than you ever realized—and she’s a huge proponent of it.

Not sure if you’re in need of a hair mask? Give your strands a quick feel. If they’re looking a little limp or those split ends are starting to bother you, it might be time to try a treatment on top of your regular system of products.

According to O’Connor, almost every head of hair could use a bit of extra love on a regular basis.

In O’Connor’s opinion, most women struggle to find extra time for beauty rituals beyond the basics. These days, however, mask formulas aren’t goopy and time-consuming. It’s time to reconsider your ideas about hair treatments.

“I believe the ordeal of committing the next half hour of your life to doing something good for your hair health is actually more daunting than the fact that it may be messy,” she says. “A mask doesn’t have to be inconvenient.”

Enter the Matrix Total Results Miracle Creator, a multi-tasking hair mask that boasts 20 results and only has to sit on your hair for 60 seconds. In case that wasn’t good enough, the beloved formula is also conveniently packaged in single-use sizes. That makes it ideal for carry-on suitcases, gym bags, and even purses.

"The fact that the Total Results Mask comes in a neat little portable pouch with very little commitment of time makes it a win-win situation,” O’Connor explains. “At the end of the day what woman doesn’t want beautiful, shiny, healthy-looking hair? It took you less time than it takes to make a bag of popcorn in the microwave.”

O’Connor recommends using the Total Results Mask in the shower, both to help minimize the mess and ensure the formula works as effectively as possible. After shampooing, apply on wet hair. Wait 60 seconds and rinse. The mask helps smooth, detangle, control flyaways, and help prevent split ends.

“The benefits to using a hair mask can include increased shine, improvement in the overall look of hair, and improved texture in hair,” O’Connor adds.

Ready to get moving on more beautiful hair? The time is now. If you have 60 seconds to spare, the Total Results Mask is a formula that you should try.

More Of Our Hair Mask Picks To Try

Redken All Soft Deep Conditioning Mega Hair Mask

If you’ve been seeing split ends and running your fingers through your hair makes you a little afraid it’ll all just snap off, it’s time to try a mask that deep conditions to help soften and restore shine to your poor strands. Redken’s All Soft Deep Conditioning Mega Hair Mask is formulated with the brand’s RCT Protein Complex, which uses a combination of three proteins to help your hair feel stronger. We haven’t forgotten about your ends, either: The formula also contains Sepicap to help protect them against the stresses of styling.

After every third wash, towel-dry your hair and apply the mask from root to tip. Set your phone timer for three to five minutes (the perfect amount of time to watch a beauty tutorial video), and let the product work. When the time is up, rinse every last bit of the product away. For extra soft results, pair the mask with Redken’s All Soft Shampoo, Conditioner, and Argan-6 Oil.

Redken All Soft Deep Conditioning Mega Hair Mask, $29.00 MSRP

Pureology Hydrate Superfood Treatment

If you’re a hair color addict who just can’t stay away from your stylist’s chair, here’s good news: We’ve found the perfect product for your color-treated hair. Pureology’s Hydrate Superfood Treatment contains the brand’s exclusive AntiFadeComplex, so rest assured you didn’t drop hundreds on a very Instagrammable shade of pastel pink only to watch it run into the drain.

Of course, your hair color isn’t the only thing to consider here. If you’re looking for spa-like experience, look no further than Hydrate Superfood Treatment. The mask is formulated with coconut oil and avocado oil to help nourish and soften dry hair. Try it on just-shampooed hair, applying at the roots and combing through to the ends. Leave the mask on for up to five minutes, then rinse.

Pureology Hydrate Superfood Treatment, $44.00 MSRP

Kérastase Nutritive Masque Magistral

If you’re already a hair mask fiend, you’re probably well aware of the Kérastase’s cult-status formula and scent. The Nutritive Masque Magistral is specially formulated for severely dry hair, so it’s a healing treatment for locks that undergo rigorous styling every day. The formula—with ceramides and xylose, a sugar derived from wood—helps to protect hair fibers and defend against heat damage.

Treat your hair to a little TLC by applying the mask onto freshly shampooed hair, focusing on its lengths and ends. Let the product sit for 5 to 10 minutes before adding water and rinsing. For the best results, follow the mask with a hair primer before styling. On a side note, we can’t get enough of the way this hair mask smells. The scent is rich, floral, and diving.

Kérastase Nutritive Masque Magistral, $53.00 MSRP

Shu Uemura Art of Hair Urban Moisture Nourishing Masque

With so many hair products available, choosing just one can be overwhelming for those of us with hair that’s just in the middle. For manes that are neither extremely thick nor thin, neither coarse nor soft, invest in a hair mask for all seasons with Shu Uemura Art of Hair’s Urban Moisture Nourishing Masque. You’ll be glad you showed your hair some extra love when it feels silkier and smoother after treatment.

To make the most out of your mask, distribute a quarter-sized amount of product from the middle to ends of your hair. Wait five to ten minutes before rinsing for tangle-free hair that feels so much more hydrated. If your hair didn’t feel special before, it certainly will now.

Shu Uemura Art of Hair Urban Moisture Nourishing Masque, $68.00 MSRP