Happy Holidays Hair Mask Season, everyone. It’s the perfect time of year to take a much-needed break from the outside world (and perhaps a 20 minute break from your family) with a tried and tested hair treatment. We’ve already told you about a few of our favorites, but leave it to our Top Shelvers to make us want to run out and buy more. So from them to you, a curated selection of deep conditioners for every hair texture, color, and lifestyle choice...
For Seasonal (and Tangle) Stress : Kérastase masks were practically made for extreme weather conditions. ITG's Elizabeth recommends the Nutridefense Masque for keeping hair soft and strong in winter, noting that 10 to 15 minutes once a week will, “do wonders for dry hair.” Same goes for Harley Viera-Newton come summer, when her hair is, “super tangled and dry.” And then there's Jeanette Lai Thomas, who uses the Nutrition Masque once a week as the ultimate detangler, no matter the season.
For Damage Control : Christophe Robin told us he created his hair care line because, “You can have beautiful color, but it’s not going to last for long if you don’t have a good base.” Which is exactly why the brand is trusted by color chameleons Sigrid Agren, Oh Land, and our newly blonde Emily. Topaz Page-Green called his Cleansing Mask with Lemon “the most stunning thing in the entire universe.” because no matter the havoc you've wreaked with bleach and dye, it makes hair “feel incredible.” It's one you can turn to as sparingly as Daphné Hezard, but hair mask virtuoso Virginie Courtin-Clarins lays it on thick weekly, keeping it on overnight under a shower cap.
For Curly Color Care : Oribe knows a thing or two about making hair touchable, Jennifer Lopez-scented, and, as he says, “attractive.” Every Sunday, Carolyn Murphy sleeps with her hair coated in the Oribe Masque for Beautiful Color, because the model is “really into' how the blend of mango butter and keratin soothes and strengthens her bleached, curly hair. Added bonus: it comes in a travel size.
The French Import : Léa Seydoux, Loulou Robert, Caroline de Maigret, and Virginie Courtin-Clarins have more than a native tongue in common. All four francophones anoint their hair with Leonor Greyl Oil, to make it look, according to de Maigret, “brand new.” While the oil doesn't soften as much as silicon-based products, Courtin-Clarins says, “It really nourishes the hair from deep within.” Note that it also smells like the beach.
The Panacea : The Moroccan Oil Hair Mask is favorited across the hair texture specturum, entrusted to keep strands hydrated from Los Angeles (Camilla Blackett and Rumi Neely) to Lagos (Eku Edewor and Oroma Elewa). What's more, the argan oil treatment is religiously used by both Grace Mahary and Iman, who “swears by it.”
The Naturalist :Wen is the mask that is—in a word—free. Free of sulfates, phthalates, triclosan, petrochemicals, and synthetic dyes, which is why beauty naturalists Phoebe Tonkin and Justyna Sroka line their tub ledges with the infomercial-turned-cult-beauty brand. Re-Moist Hydrating Hair Mask in Sweet Almond Mint is the ITG favorite for making your head tingle with minty freshness, and for hydrating without flattening. Tonkin likes it so much that she uses the Shea-butter-and-nut-oil cream three to four times a week while soaking in an Epsom salt bath.
The DIY : If the inclement weather is all too much for you to even leave the house (or go to your front door to retrieve online orders), you probably have everything you need in your kitchen for a dry-weather hair defensive play: olive oil. (Yogurt is also a worthy choice). Marina Muñoz and Colinne Michaelis suggest putting it on straight to get “a nice little glow.” while Pheobe Tonkin brightens her EVOO with a twist of lemon. Rather than rinsing it out, Mavi Staiano keeps it in to achieve a decidedly more editorial wet-hair look. You can use any leftovers for cooking, as a hand and body lotion, in addition to your body lotion, or in the shower with sugar or salt for a moisturizing body scrub.
Photos by Mathea Millman.