Rebel Stylist GR

The question I get asked most often by my best friend is: “Do I really have to follow the instructions on the hair masque? She is always relieved when I say “no.” Utilizing a masque is an important part of any hair routine that keeps the hair strong, healthy, and soft. If you’re anything like my bestie, putting a masque on in the shower, then waiting 5-10 minutes before rinsing it out is a waste of time and water. Here’s what I do:

1. No More than Once Per Week

I know that I literally just wrote that “utilizing a hair masque is an important part of any hair routine,” however, when it comes to hair masques, the phrase “Too much of a good thing” can apply quickly. Hair masques are intensive treatments. While masques are similar to conditioner and can produce similar results to conditioner, hair masques are thick and filled with protein. Hair uses protein as building blocks to make and maintain your hair. There are lots of ways that hair can lose some of its protein, and a hair masque is a great way to restore health to long, dry, or damaged hair. However, there is a limit to how much protein the hair can hold. Overload it, and the hair becomes over-protienized which makes the hair brittle and easily breakable. I do a hair masque maybe once per month, but never more than once per week.

2. How To: Method One

I’m gonna be totally honest with you, I never follow the instructions written on the bottle. Never. I apply my masque to totally dry hair. Before I ever step foot in the shower. I take a lot of masque—A LOT OF MASQUE, and I begin applying it to my dry hair in sections until the hair is SATURATED root to end with masque. When your hair isn’t wet with water, your hair can accept much more of the masque into each hair strand. This helps you get maximum benefit from your masque because you’re not diluting it with water in your hair. Here’s the catch: You will be AMAZED with how much product your hair can hold when its not being diluted by water. Be prepared to use more masque than you think you need. When your hair is totally saturated, pour yourself a glass of wine, watch an episode of your favorite TV show or read a chapter of your favorite book before you head to the shower to SHAMPOO AND CONDITION your hair. Masking is an addition to your haircare routine, not a substitute for it. Due to the heaviness of masques in general, I don’t recommend simply rinsing it out of the hair. Let the masque do the good it needs to do, then wash it out. This is a great method to use if you masque infrequently or have severely dry/damaged locks.

3. How To: Method Two

Method One is a lot of work, so welcome to the lazy method: Method 2. Get in the shower and apply masque to wet hair. It’s a good idea to keep a wide-toothed comb in the shower to evenly distribute the masque through your hair. Make sure hair is good and saturated. Try to keep your hair out of the stream of water as you wash your body and face and do your other shower routines. At the end of the shower, rinse out masque. Shampoo and condition as normal. This method works great especially if you masque more than once per month, but you won’t get the treatment to penetrate quite as deeply into the hair strand.

A hair masque should leave your hair feeling soft and silky, and a brush or comb should glide right through your hair after using a masque. If that’s not your experience, maybe you have the wrong masque. Ask your hairdresser for recommendations based on your individual needs.

**Masque or Mask? Which is it? I did some research and I can’t find any difference, except that ‘masque’ is sexier and has fewer meanings. That is why you will see me use this spelling in this article.