The sheer idea of luscious locks is good enough to render a wide smile to your face. The corollary of a good hair day is truly unmatched. The harsh reality, however, is that managing your mane isn’t as easy as it was in your pre-teens when just oiling and washing your hair felt, and did, enough.
As time passes, the struggle with unruliness, frizz, damage, and breakage only keeps augmenting courtesy of environmental aggressors, indulgence in hair colour and treatments, and hormonal changes. As a result, your cabinet featuring two or three hair care products expands into a mega shelf full of all that one can think of—active-infused shampoos, colour-protecting treatments and conditioning hair masks, to name a few.
While that is the way to go, you may often observe that your hair care products aren’t performing as effectively as you’d expect. This happens most commonly with hair masks – you can identify if it has delivered or not as soon as your tresses dry out. Ahead, we list the best tips and ways to apply a hair mask to truly unlock its potential.
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1. Pick the right mask
That a hair mask can be quite heavy for your mane and weigh down your locks is a common misconception that floats around hair masks. Of course, hair masks are heavier than conditioners, but they’re also more nourishing with a richer complex of botanical oils, making them a go-to choice for hair susceptible to frizz, dryness and brittleness. The key to finding your perfect match when it comes to hair masks is to factor in your hair type.
Every hair mask’s label mentions the key ingredients and benefits as well as the hair type that it is best suited for—give it a read before you make a choice. For instance, the It's a 10 Haircare Miracle Hair Mask contains lightweight and hair-repairing ingredients like keratin amino acids, collagen and apricot and sweet almond oil, suiting all hair types under the sun, while the SP Luxeoil Keratin Restore Mask, loaded with oils like jojoba, argan and almond oil that are rich in fatty acids, can alleviate severe dryness and damage, making it one of the best hair masks for dry hair.
2. Don’t use a hair mask on your scalp…for that, there’s the scalp mask
Another common mistake that most tend to make is extending the application of the hair mask meant for your lengths to the scalp. Your scalp is similar to your skin—just like a heavy oil can congest your skin and increase oiliness, a hair mask can overwhelm your scalp. To avoid the flat look, pick a scalp scrub that—like a skincare product—tackles the concerns specific to your scalp and improves the scalp health by unclogging the pores, balancing oil production and deep-cleansing the scalp.
3. Damp it
Always apply a hair mask on damp hair after your hair wash. That way, both the spread and absorption are better. And, if you’re someone who isn’t big on frequent hair washes, make sure to drench your hair thoroughly before working the hair mask in. (And yes, you can go in with just a hair mask on days when your locks feel crusty and look lacklustre).
4. Work in pieces
Pin this tip, for it’s the one that’s often neglected but game-changing. Make sure to divide your hair into multiple sections depending on the thickness and length, and then glide the hair mask from the mid-lengths to the tips. Remember, coating every strand of each piece is the secret sauce to luxe-looking locks.
5. Wait a minute … or ten, perhaps?
Give your hair mask a good amount of time, say five to ten minutes, to do its job effectively. Rinsing out the mask hastily defeats the purpose so set a timer, if need be. Once the time is up, rinse off the mask thoroughly. Remember, mask at least twice a week for healthy tresses.
