June 4, 2010

My love affair with hair masks is revealed! L'Oréal Professionnel, Moroccanoil, Wella, Pantene and Ice Cream

I am a big fan of the hair mask - there is nothing I like better then throwing a LUSH bath bomb in the tub, slapping a mask on my face and hair (not the same mask mind you), lighting a couple of candles and soaking myself until I turn into a giant stewed prune! Now the instructions for various masks advise you to leave on for 5ish minutes on towel dried hair so I guess they are expecting you to hop out of the shower, hang around for 5 minutes and get back in.  Since I don't know what I would do for 5 minutes while I was naked and soaking wet, (my husband would probably have some ideas and that's why we don't ask his opinion on this kind of thing) the bath seems to be the way to go - and so far, I haven't experienced any ill effects from leaving the mask on longer then they say to!   Say hello to some masks that I have tried lately:

L'Oréal Professionnel Série Nature Masque Cacao - 200ml - $27 - masque for fine hair - This masque is part of  L'Oréal's first eco-friendly haircare range which means the products are all free of sulfates, parabens and silicones. They have 100% natural fragrance and colours and come in packaging that has recycled content and is recyclable.  I love that this masque is specifically for fine hair and I really love that it smells like chocolate and it looks like pudding - be careful not to have this in the shower with you when you are really hungry and half asleep in the morning.  The instructions are to leave it on for 2-3 minutes in towel dried hair. Out of all of these masks, this one left my hair the lightest - I spent several hours after using it flinging my hair around like supermodel with a wind machine - and I can only imagine that because it's intended for fine hair, they go easy on ingredients that might weigh fine hair down. Available in salons and you can locate your closest one here.

Moroccanoil Restorative Hair Mask - 250ml - $39 - offers a therapeutic remedy that penetrates deep into the hair to help reconstruct and rebuild, undoing damage done by chemicals and other environmental elements like sun and wind.  The instructions are - after shampooing apply a generous amount and let it penetrate for 7-10 minutes.  Out of all of the masks I tried this one had the longest recommended leave-in time so I figured it would be the most moisturizing and I wasn't disappointed!  It made my hair so soft that I kept touching it.  Of course all the finger oil from the constant touching made it greasy but it was so worth it!  It has a very light, unoffensive scent and a thick creamy texture which is great since you have to leave it on so long, it won't go sliding off.  You can locate your closest salon to find it here.

Wella System Professional Luminous Mask - 200ml - $30 - for intense gloss and shine - Reconsturcts the hair weightlessly while creating a smooth mirror-like surface on the hair for optimum light reflection, aligns hair fibers while smoothing ridges on cuticle and seals the hair for supreme light reflection. I found it had a light, almost soapy kind of smell and the mask itself is kind of glimmery. The directions say to leave up to 5 minutes on towel dried hair.  Whatever makes the product glimmer also works on your hair - my hair was super shiny after using!  I even tried flat ironing to see if it would enhance the effect, and they aren't lying about light reflection, it was like being a hair model on tv with special lighting that makes your hair look like glass!  If you are looking for sleek hair with a super shine this is the one you want!  To find your closest salon to buy, go here.


Pantene Pro V Restoratives Time Renewal Replenishing Mask - 225ml - $9.99 - It has light, slightly floral scent and a thick, creamy texture.  The directions say to apply after shampooing, leave on for 5 minutes.  It washed out really easily and left my hair soft and shiny. For the money, I really have to like this one.  The smell isn't my favourite but the moisturizing results are impressive.

Ice Cream Dry-T Banana Mask - 500ml - $9.99 - Nourishing treatment for dry, frizzy hair.  The instructions say to leave on washed hair for 5 minutes. I love the smell of bananas so I knew I had to buy this when I saw it - it's not an overpowering banana smell - but unfortunately that's the only thing I liked about this one.  I expect it's meant for someone with much coarser hair then mine as my hair felt really limp after using it - almost like there was still something coating the hair even though I rinsed it out thoroughly.  I'll have to pass this along to someone with thicker hair to see if they have better luck with it!

- Lisamarie -

3 comments:

  1. Oh my. You just reminded me that I am in serious need of a hair mask! Loreal sounds good! Fine hair, chocolate, AND helping the environment? Over here please! Moroccanoil sounds great too! Too bad those 2 products have not reached my shores otherwise I'll be all over them too!

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  2. I have dry, very long wild curly thick hair, so it is very hard to tame it. Also, I have found that a lot of products designed for curly hair just weight it down. However, I randomly pickedup the ice cream banana mask at shoppers for around 9 dollars and it is the best mask I have ever used, including expensive protein packs done at the salon. I generally give it a good rinse with shampoo after leaving it in for 5-10 minutes every second time I wash my hair, and it has tamed my frizz. It may be heavy for oily, fine and straight hair, but as far as curly hair goes, my hair is pretty fine and it hasn't done anything funky with it yet. Also, the banana smell turns into a gentle fruity smell once you wash it out, so you don't end up smelling like stale bananas. All in ll, if your hair is excessively dry, frizzy and wild, this is great!

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  3. I prefer Pro Naturals

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