Can Reparative Hair Masks Keep Split Ends Away? (2025)

last updated20 September 2024

Best Hair Mask for Damaged Hair Overall

Foundation Reparative Hair Mask

The reparative mask is clinically proven to reduce breakage by 31 percent after one use. Packed with super ingredients, it works hard to strengthen the hair cuticle and lock in all necessary moisture.

Key Ingredients: Vitamin E-rich oil, rosemary leaf extract

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Once to twice a week

Fragrance Free: Yes

How Long to Leave In: Five to 10 minutes

What We Love: A little bit goes a long way

What We Don’t: In-shower application

Marie Claire Review: "I have been on a hair health journey for a year and a half. But over the past few months, I've been religious about masking once a week. I've tried dozens—but this one from celebrity hairstylist Mara Rozsak is my all-time favorite. It's lightweight and hydrating, leaves a gorgeous shine, and makes my split ends so much less noticeable. Technically you're only supposed to leave this on for 10 minutes, but I like to leave it on for hours." — Samantha Holender, Beauty Editor

Best Hair Mask for Damaged, Curly Hair

Cecred Moisturizing Deep Conditioner

As you can imagine, the queen Bey, did not shy away from making some of the best hair products out there. Her new line, Cécred has fast become a favorite among beauty editors. Case in point: this deep conditioner. Packed with shea butter, it's designed to bring your hair back to life.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter and hyaluronic acid

Hair Type: Curls and coils

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: Yes

How Long to Leave In: As desired

What We Love: Great curl definition

What We Don’t: For curls, you'll get better results if you add heat

Marie Claire Review: "Cécred's Moisturizing Deep Conditioner is out of this world. I typically like to sit under a steamer or the dryer when I do a mask, but with this one, I only had it on for about 10 minutes in the shower and my hair was left noticeably more smooth and silky—but not weighed down. Plus, the brand's signature Temple Oud scent makes the experience all the more luxurious." — Kayla Greaves, Contributing Beauty Writer

Best Hair Mask for Damaged Hair and Split Ends

Kerastase Premiere Masque Filler Reparateur Hair Mask 6.76oz/200ml

Per this product's name, it's formulated specifically for hair damaged by chemical treatments, heat, and/or dye. So, if split ends, brittle strands, dullness, and breakage are among your hair concerns, you'll want to add this to your shower set up, STAT. It gets to work quickly, and I promise you'll notice a difference in your hair's health after just one use.

Key Ingredients: Ceramides, plant sap

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: As conditioner or weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Five to 35 minutes

What We Love: Easy to use; fast results; reverses damage; softening

What We Don’t: Price

Marie Claire's Review: “As someone who puts a lot of heat on my hair, I’m always searching for products that can help reduce breakage. I was so excited to try this mask. My final thoughts: this is magic in a jar. I left the shower with softer hair than ever with just one use. And after a quick blow dry, my hair looked and felt incredibly healthy. The silky smooth shine blew me away. Not to mention, my hair looked as if I had just received a fresh trim.” — Emma Aerin Becker, Freelance Beauty Writer

Best Overnight Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Bumble and Bumble While You Sleep Overnight Damage Repair Masque

Want an intensive treatment while you catch up on sleep? All you have to do is apply a generous amount of product from root to tip before bed, secure your hair with a shower cap (or place a towel down on your pillow), and wait until morning to jump in the shower and see results. You’ll be mesmerized by how healthy your hair looks and feels. If you don’t have time for an overnight treatment, you can reap a decent amount of benefits by leaving this on for 20 minutes.

Key Ingredients: Camellia oil

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Once or twice weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Overnight

What We Love: Restores and repairs hair

What We Don’t: Strong scent

Marie Claire's Review: "Between my arsenal of styling products, daily brushing, and detangling, my curls experience a lot of wear and tear. This overnight mask is the lush solution to my dry strands. With every use, my curls are super hydrated the following morning and possess a shine that lasts up to three days." — Natasha Marsh, Contributing Beauty Writer.

Best Hydrating Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Masque

Specifically made with Age-Control Complex® to address natural, chemical, and environmental aging, this hair mask does wonders for extra-dry hair. It's a particularly great option for anyone dealing with color damage or split ends, as jojoba oil and sunflower seed oil help restore strength and shine to hair.

Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil and jojoba oil

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Twice weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Three minutes

What We Love: Great for color-treated hair, heat damage and dryness

What We Don’t: Thick formula

Marie Claire's Review: "I’m usually very wary about products listed for all hair types. I was skeptical about trying the new caviar mask, but I was pleasantly surprised at the results. I have never described my curls as silky, one of the main benefits of this mask, so I was genuinely shocked to see my curls achieve a soft-to-the-touch feel. Usually, by day two (post-wash), my curls feel brittle and are visibly very dry. But the mask restored the hydration from the root to end and also aided in my curl definition." — Natasha Marsh, Contributing Beauty Writer

Best Hydration Hair Mask

Amika Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Hair Mask With Hyaluronic Acid

Dry, brittle texture is no match for Amika’s Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Mask. Thanks to the hyaluronic acid and sea buckthorn, vitamins and nutrients will surround your hair to help bring back shine and moisture. It's ideal for thick, coarse hair thanks to its rich texture—and is proven to leave hair hydrated for five days post-use.

Key Ingredients: Squalene, hyaluronic acid

Hair Type: Low porosity hair types 2C-4C

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: Yes

How Long to Leave In: Five minutes

What We Love: The thick texture does not leave residue behind

What We Don’t: So hydrating and creamy that those with fine hair might find it a bit much.

Best Hair Mask for Damaged, Thick Hair

K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask

For damaged hair that can’t seem to rebound to a healthy state, K18 is a savior. It’s the A team, the all-star, and the MVP for distraught strands. I reach for this heavy hitter right after getting my hair bleached or after a week of straight heat styling because I’m blindly confident that my hair will be refreshed by its split-end bonding superpowers. Perhaps my favorite part about it, though, is that it’s leave-in-friendly. I don’t have to set aside a special time to soak and rinse—it fits perfectly into my routine.

Key Ingredients: Wheat protein

Hair Type: All

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: Yes

How Long to Leave In: Four minutes

What We Love: Heavy-duty repair; works on all hair types; doesn’t need to be washed out

What We Don’t: Expensive

Best Hair Mask for Damaged, Fine Hair

Vegamour HYDR8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask

If you have fine hair, you know the hair mask struggle. After a few minutes of “repair,” you’re left with oily, flat roots that don’t recover for another three to five washes. Sound familiar? If it does, it's time to direct your attention to Vegamour. The brand, which is famed for its hair thickening abilities, created this ultra-hydrating mask that allows even the finest hair to remain weightless and voluminous.

Key Ingredients: Marula and moringa seed oil

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Once or twice weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Three to five minutes

What We Love: Great hydration without feeling greasy

What We Don’t: Slimy texture

Best Curl-Defining Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Aveda Be Curly Advanced™ Intense Curl Perfecting Mask

After lots of summer travel, the humidity and different climates have made my hair more prone to frizz and quicker to dry out post-wash day. I use this curl mask once to twice a week and always leave it on overnight (and sometimes, use it as my curl cream). It constantly produces the best definition for the crown of my head—an area that tends not to have a defined curl pattern—and shinier ends. Fun fact: the mask is guaranteed to smooth curls and coils by 85%.

Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil and jojoba oil

Hair Type: Waves and curls (2A-4C)

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: 10 minutes to overnight

What We Love: Brings curls back to life

What We Don’t: Strong aroma

Best Preventative Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Oribe Hair Alchemy Strengthening Mask

Oribe's sole goal is to make each hair strand more durable, stronger, and better able to withstand heat or styling-induced breakage. The mask can be used for 20ish minutes, but I like to load up (especially with my baby hairs), slick my hair back into a bun, and let the formula work its magic all day. Once I shower, my hair feels noticeably thicker and healthier. Plus, the salon smell can't be beat.

Key Ingredients: Watermelon and shea butter

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Once or twice weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: As long as desires

What We Love: Prevents against future damage; smells great

What We Don’t: Cost

Best Hair Treatment for Damaged Hair

Ouai Treatment Mask

Very few products will work the same on fine, thin, straight hair as they will on curly, thick, coily hair. It’s *really* hard to formulate a hair mask to do it all. That is why the team over at Ouai decided to create a restorative treatment mask in different variations, each of which caters to a very specific hair type. The mask for thin hair won’t weigh anything down, whereas the mask for thick hair will provide adequate hydration. This product has become a cult favorite as a result—it really does what it says.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, keratin and protein

Hair Type: Fine to medium thickness

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: As long as desires

What We Love: Specialized treatment; restores hydration and shine

What We Don’t: Doesn’t leave hair extremely soft

Best Fragrance-Free Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Act + Acre Restorative Hair Mask

Act + Acre's hair products are the real deal. Case in point: this hair mask, along with the rest of the line, is infused with natural ingredients like castor oil and shea butter, which help with curl definition and support healthy hair growth. The formula also contains no shortage of fatty acids and proteins, meaning it effectively hydrates my driest, most dehydrated strands.

Key Ingredients: Seed oil

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Five minutes

What We Love: Gentle scent; contains natural ingredients; vegan; free of sulfates, silicones, parabens, and phthalates; color-safe

What We Don’t: Price

Best Hair Mask for Heat Damaged Hair

The Mane Choice Ancient Egyptian Anti-Breakage Hair Mask

"The Ancient Egyptian Anti-Breakage Hair Mask leaves hair looking and feeling stronger overall," says natural hairstylist Cantaada James. "It nourishes, protects, minimizes breakage, and helps hair bounce back from damage. Hair that is prone to breakage and split ends, weak or damaged, will benefit greatly from this formula infused with kalahari oil, oleaster oil, mongongo oil, and baobab oil to strengthen, add shine, and help to repair hair strands."

Key Ingredients: Baobab and kalahari oil

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Three to thirty minutes

What We Love: Can apply to wet or dry hair

What We Don’t: Strong scent

Best Hair Mask for Damaged, Coily Hair

SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque

This treatment from SheaMoisture is my go-to—and should be for anyone with curly hair. It has a gentle scent and just the right thickness, so my hair immediately feels softer after each use. It also doesn't weigh down my curls. Instead, it strengthens them, hydrates my ends, and even helps bring my curl pattern back to life.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter

Hair Type: All hair types, great for curls

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Five to 15 minutes

What We Love: Affordable; immediate results; editor-approved; cruelty-free

What We Don’t: Strong scent

Best Multi-Purpose Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Fekkai Super Strength+ Mask

Known as the triple threat, this hair mask bonds, repairs, and protects damaged and dry strands. The creamy formula works well for all hair types and delivers intense hydration. The brand conducted third party clinical trials and can prove that with just one use, you'll have 70 percent less breakage, and hair that is three times stronger and four times smoother.

Key Ingredients: Coconut and jojoba oils

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: Three minutes to three hours

What We Love: Makes detangling a breeze

What We Don’t: Strong scent

Best Powder-Based Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

Nuele Hydrating Hair Mask

I love this unique mask from Nuele. It's made from natural ingredients and comes with two components: a serum and a powder. When mixed, the two create a rich mask that helps hydrate hair, detangle, and diminish frizz. It is a bit labor-intensive compared to other products on the list, but I notice such quick results that it's 100 percent worth it.

Key Ingredients: Jojoba oil

Hair Type: All hair types

How Often to Use: Weekly

Fragrance Free: No

How Long to Leave In: 30 minutes

What We Love: Clean; quick results; charitable brand

What We Don’t: Needs to be mixed before it's used

Dr. Ashley Taylor

Chiran Nakamura