What Are Hair Masks? Tips on How to Use Them

Masks can moisturize and nourish your hair and scalp. Some of them are designed to improve the health of your scalp and boost the strength of your hair. A hair mask has a high concentration of hydrating ingredients like natural oils and butter. Masks are thicker in structure and spread quickly over the hair to provide a thick coating. 

The hydrating ingredients penetrate the hair shaft, give dramatic improvements to your hair, and help your hair handle the stress and damage experienced daily. Masks can repair the dryness, prevent frizz and make your hair look smooth and shiny.

Hair masks can hydrate your tresses from root to tip. However, there is no ideal mask for all hair types. Choosing a suitable hair mask for your hair can be pretty confusing. Find out the kind of hair you have before choosing a mask for it.

Types of hair

Dry, damaged hair: This type of hair suffers from a lack of hydration. It needs nourishing masks and keratin-based masks. A suitable hair mask can strengthen the hair strands and repair damaged hair.

Curly hair: Curly hair is generally frizzy and unruly. You must hydrate it to retain the natural curls and make it bouncy and soft. Masks penetrate the hair cuticles to repair and strengthen each strand.

Fine or thin hair: Fine hair usually is limp and doesn’t need heavy nourishing ingredients, which can make it appear thinner by weighing it down. They need a mask that can give texture and volume. Light ingredients like jojoba oil work wonders for fine hair.

Oily hair: Oily hair has an oily scalp that doesn’t require much external hydration. Masks with antioxidants and vitamins make the scalp healthy by maintaining the pH balance and controlling the excess sebum secretion.

Coloured hair: Hair colour dries out and damages the hair making it uncontrollably frizzy. A hair mask can control frizz and deeply nourish the hair. Hair looks smooth, supple, and polished with no trace of dryness and frizz.

Best ingredients in a mask 

Pea protein

Pea protein strengthens hair from the roots and adds shine to it. Pea protein hydrates the hair and leases the breakage. Pea protein in the mask can make hair look fuller and voluminous. It also has antioxidant, anti-aging, reconstructive, and conditioning properties.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids protect your hair against dust and pollution. It controls hair loss and boosts hair growth by providing essential proteins and nutrients to hair follicles. Omega-3 nourishes the hair and supports growth by stimulating the hair to enter its growth phase.

Ceramide

Ceramides protect and strengthen the hair shaft. The outermost layer of the hair is the cuticle, and it keeps your hair follicles flattened and intact. It increases the hair’s resistance to extreme weather conditions and restores elasticity, moisture retention by deeply nourishing it.

How to use a mask?

Your hair may not be colored or heat styled, but it can lose moisture with daily wear and tear. A mask can make your hair shiny and bouncy and also protect it from future damage. The texture, elasticity, and amount of damage to the hair decide the frequency at which you use the mask. It is best to heal your hair with a mask and then reduce the frequency of applications to prevent overburdening your hair.

A hair mask provides a simple and inexpensive way to pamper your hair. It can fortify the hair, nourish it and repair and restore every strand of your hair. With consistent use, your hair becomes smooth, bouncy, and strong.