If you’re new to specialty hair care, you might have seen articles about hair masks, and wondered what that’s all about.
Hair masks are more or less the same thing as face masks, but for your hair. Just like your face, your hair sometimes needs deep cleansing, nourishing, and moisturizing, and hair masks are a great way to do that.
Hair masks are different from leave-in conditioners; they’re intended to be rinsed or washed out after an extended period of time. This can be anywhere from 5 minutes to overnight.
Hair masks help replenish moisture lost and damage done by the environment, by heat styling, or by certain hair products. This means that you can still enjoy the styles you love while taking great care of your hair.
Why use a hair mask?
There are a few reasons to use a hair mask.
If you have persistently dry hair, a moisturizing hair mask can give you a much needed moisture boost. If you have damaged hair, whether from color, styling, or lifestyle factors, a protein hair mask can help repair some of that damage. Folks with fine hair might use strengthening masks to reduce breakage and damage to their delicate strands. You might want a moisturizing mask for your scalp if you have dry skin, or if you have an acne prone scalp, you might want to use a cleansing mask.
There’s hundreds of different masks available, with tons of different ingredients. Chances are there’s one out there that’s right for you. If you can’t find the perfect mask for your hair, you can even make your own.
How do you use hair masks?
How you use hair masks depends on what kind of mask it is.
Cleansing hair masks will usually include one or more cleansing ingredients, like clay, activated charcoal, and acids like lemon juice or vinegars. These masks are meant to help remove excess oil for those with oily hair, and to help with build up from styling products. These masks are usually used on the scalp and roots, which are the parts of your hair that collect the most oil. After shampooing, massage your cleansing mask into your roots and scalp while your hair is still wet, and then leave on for 10 minutes to an hour. Then rinse out and condition. Because some cleansing ingredients can dry out your scalp and hair, you don’t want to leave these masks on overnight.
Moisturizing and repair masks tend to include softening, conditioning, and protein ingredients. This can include oils, hydrolyzed protein, waxes, and more. Your midshaft to your ends are the parts of your hair that need the most moisturizing and repair, so this is the part of the hair that you should focus on. Some of these masks should be applied to wet hair as well, but masks with lipid only ingredients may not absorb into wet hair as well. For lipid only or for majority lipid masks, comb them through dry hair. These types of masks can often be left on overnight; just wear a shower cap to protect your pillow and sheets. They can be left on for as little as ten minutes and still help strengthen, soften, and hydrate your hair. Rinse out, or if your mask is mostly oil, you may need to shampoo afterwards. If so, be sure to condition as normal.
If you’re using a mask purchased from a store, follow the instructions on the package.
Ingredients to use in DIY hair masks
If you want a hair mask that suits your own unique hair perfectly, you should try making your own homemade hair mask. Here are some ingredients to consider using according to the type of mask you’re making.
DIY Cleansing and clarifying hair masks
For cleansing or clarifying hair mask, you’ll want to use cleansing ingredients. Some popular ones are:
- Salts
- Acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar
- Clays, such as bentonite clay
- Baking soda
- Tea tree essential oil
- Activated charcoal
DIY moisturizing hair masks
These masks include emollient ingredients like oils and waxes, plus humectants to moisturize. Here are some examples:
DIY repair masks
Repair masks contain ingredients that help repair and strengthen hair. They’re likely to include hydrating ingredients as well, because they make hair strands more supple and flexible and help prevent future damage. Here are some examples:
- Hydrolized protein, like Liquid Silk
- Ceramides
- Collagen
- Nutrients, like vitamin B5, magnesium, and more
- Glycerin
- Fatty alcohols, like cetyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol
Some masks are entirely or almost entirely oils, while some are water soluble. Others are a mix between the two, or an emulsified product. BTMS - 50 is a great emulsifier for these masks, because it also has conditioning properties.
Get started making your own DIY hair masks
When you’re just starting out, you’ll probably want to start with something simple. If you have dry or damaged hair, an oil-based DIY hair mask might be the best place to start. For a simple oil-based hair mask, all you need to do is get some oils that are going to be great for your hair and mix them together. Some of these include argan oil, olive oil, and jojoba oil. You can also include essential oils. For guidance, check out Our Favorite Essential Oils for Hair Care. There are also oil-based botanical extracts that are great for hair, like calendula extract.
That’s all you need to know to get started making your own DIY hair masks. Once you’ve tackled the basics, there are tons of ideas out there for you to get creative with.That’s all you need to know to get started making your own DIY hair masks. Once you’ve tackled the basics, there are tons of ideas out there for you to get creative with.
