Hair Conditioner vs. Hair Mask: Can You Tell the Difference?
For a lot of us, hair care is a crucial part of our daily routines, and hair conditioners are an item we use pretty much on a daily basis. If your hair is damaged, dry, or brittle, you might even opt for a hair mask on top of your usual conditioner. But do you really know the differences between them?
What does a hair conditioner do?
Working on the surface of your hair strands, a hair conditioner closes hair cuticles that have been opened up by shampooing and hot water. It wraps hair strands with a thin moisture barrier to add gloss, and has an instant smoothing effect.
What does a hair mask do?
A hair mask provides deep, more intensive care. It’s often thick and creamy in texture, and consists of excellent hydrating and repairing factors such as keratin, natural plant oils or panthenol. Delivering hydration through cuticles to deeper layers of your hair strands, a hair mask repairs damage within hairs to gradually improve your hair quality.
Can I use a hair mask as a conditioner?
No! Using a hair mask frequently in place of a conditioner can become a burden to your hair, weigh your hair down, and prevent it from absorbing the nutrients it needs, with all the good stuff just washing off and going down the drain.
For normal hair types, applying a hair mask once a week is good enough. Those with damaged hair can use it 2-3 times a week.
Pretties’s Selection of Hair Conditioners
With a formula crafted specifically for nighttime care, the YOLU Calm Treatment consists of ceramides and abundant hydrating factors. It envelopes each hair strand with nourishment, and repairs while preventing damage done by pillow friction.
This conditioner is designed with East Asian hair quality in mind; the 99.6% rice bran oil it contains can fully seep through the layers of your hair for excellent moisturization. Adding a rich yet refreshing gloss to your hair, the formula is recommended for damaged, lackluster hair prone to breakage.
Provides intensive repair care for damaged hair with 100% natural camellia oil. Gives you sleek, healthy, and naturally glossy locks with a mild, scalp-friendly sulfate-free formula.
Pretties’s Selection of Hair Masks
Designed specially for thick, rough hair, this creamy hair mask boasts a rich, intensively hydrating texture. It’s infused with antioxidant-rich argan oil and other nourishing ingredients, and can hydrate and condition while dramatically improving hair's texture, elasticity, shine and manageability.
Comprising moisturizers such as Pro-Vitamins, amino acids, and squalane, this hair mask concentrates abundant hair care essences into a cute tiny cup. It provides instant yet long-lasting repair for damaged hair.
▶ K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
All you need is 4 minutes with this K18 leave-in hair mask – created specifically for hair damaged through bleaching, coloring, chemicals, and heat, it offers comprehensive and lasting repair to restore strength, softness, smoothness, and elasticity.
This Shiseido hair mask targets users with problems of sparse hair or hair loss. It works on your hair strands, scalp, and hair roots all at once to improve hair density and hair loss, fortifying and volumizing your hair.
Infused with the newest bond damage repair ingredient “dimaleic acid”, IONICO repairs damaged keratin fibers in hair and fortifies fragile dyed hair with this ion formula hair mask. Also contains bond repairing ingredients and hydrating factors to improve split ends, breakage, and dryness.