How Often Should You Do a Hair Mask?

Having a spa day at home wouldn’t be complete without using a nourishing hair mask to give you silky locks. But it’s not always clear just how often we should be using hair masks to replenish our strands from the inside out. 

Our hair needs are unique, and in order to have glossy and lovely locks, we need to treat it that way. Whether you have straight, curly, dry, or oily hair, this is your ultimate guide to how often you should do a hair mask, based on your hair type.

How Often Should I Use a Hair Mask? 

In general, you should use a hair mask once or twice a week, depending on how much TLC you feel your hair needs. Even healthy hair can benefit from using a hair mask at least once a week. However, for hair that struggles with moisture retention and needs extra nutrient absorption, you will want to increase the frequency that you use a hair mask and for how long. 

How Often Should You Use a Hair Mask for Your Hair Type?

Considering your hair type individually is the best way to understand how often you should use a hair mask. Let’s also consider the state of your hair. 

Straight Hair

Contrary to popular belief, straight hair is great for growing strong and long. Straight hair is easier to comb through, leading to less breakage. However, because straight hair can often feel limp, many women use hot tools to add volume to their hair. This is what leads to dry and damaged hair. 

In this scenario, the hair may be dryer and need more conditioning. It’s best to apply a hair mask twice a week. But women who have both dry and thin hair may have to adjust their routine to find the frequency that works best for them. Thin hair can become weighed down if you use a mask too often.

Wavy Hair

When it comes to wavy hair, there is some room for interpretation. Wavy hair tends to frizz out and can often be slightly drier. It is safe to say that using a hair mask twice a week will help smooth out any frizziness. However, adjusting your wavy hair routine is important based on whether your hair needs extra nourishment or feels weighed down. 

Curly Hair

Curly hair is the second-best scenario when it comes to hair health. However, curly hair is slightly more apt to frizz than straight or wavy hair. Like wavy hair, using a hair mask once a week overnight will suffice. Consider adding a drop or two of our Honey Infused Hair Oil for added benefits. 

Our hair oil has strong reparative ingredients, like Mirsalehi honey. Honey is rich in amino acids, nutrients, and minerals that work to moisturise and repair damaged hair follicles. It’s also a natural humectant which makes it easier to lock in moisture. Adding a drop or two of our hair oil to your hair mask once a week provides an extra boost of nourishment and hydration.  

Coily Hair

Coily hair has hair cuticles that are more closed off than any other hair type. This is why applying the hair mask in the shower as the steam opens up the cuticle is the most effective. Coily hair can also benefit from adding a drop or two of our Honey Infused Hair Oil to their mask for extra moisture and nourishment. 

Our hair oil adds a 19x reduction in frizz which is what coily hair struggles with the most. Manually massaging the hair mask will allow it to soak into each hair strand. Because coily hair needs more moisture, bumping up a hair mask treatment to three times a week is a good option. 

Oily Hair

Oily hair is one of the trickier hair types to work with because the hair is already weighed down from excess sebum production. Because our head has its own fragile microbiome, we must reset the deck. A hair mask can be useful once a week for oily hair, along with a nourishing scalp treatment.

Gisou’s Scalp Treatment is great for restoring an oily scalp because it contains a prebiotic complex. It also contains Ectoin, which works to rebalance the scalp’s microbiome. When our scalp is dry, it overproduces sebum to correct, which can lead to excess oil. Applying a scalp treatment and massaging it into our scalp for five minutes is the perfect addition to a weekly hair mask for oily hair. 

Dry, Damaged, or Chemically Processed Hair

When it comes to dry, damaged, and chemically processed hair, this is the hair type that needs deep moisturising the most. Following the same method as coily hair is the best protocol here. In addition to using a hair mask two or three times a week, depending on need, minimising the use of hot tools is necessary. A deep restorative process with the right products will be beneficial. 

Using a gentle cleansing and nourishing hair wash and conditioner is a good place to start. Gisou’s Honey-Infused Hair Wash and Conditioner contains many of the same hydrating properties thanks to the main ingredient, Mirsaheli honey. Remaining committed to quality ingredients like natural honey and argan oil will make significant improvements. 

Frizzy or Unmanageable Hair

Frizzy and unmanageable hair often coincides with wavy, coily, or curly hair. While using a hair mask one to two times a week is a great solution, you may also want to use a primer before styling. After nourishing your hair from the hair mask, use a lightweight primer like Gisou’s Propolis Infused Polishing Primer to help tame the frizz and flyaways. 

Additional Factors to Consider When Deciding How Often to Use a Hair Mask

There are a few more considerations regarding how often you should use a hair mask. Throughout the year, our hair changes, and that means our routine must change with it. 

Hair Porosity

Hair porosity refers to how easily your hair can absorb moisture. Porosity is usually determined by genetics but can be treated with the right products. When hair has low porosity, it means that the hair cuticles are tightly wound, and moisture has a hard time penetrating the outer layer. High porosity means that the hair cuticles are largely open, and moisture comes in as easily as it goes out. 

This is why having medium hair porosity is the best for nutrient absorption. It allows for the ingredients to enter without necessarily being washed away just as quickly. Knowing your hair porosity will help you understand how often you need to use a hair mask. 

Low-porosity hair should use a hair mask anytime the hair starts to feel on the drier side. Medium hair porosity can stick with a routine one to two times a week. High porosity hair may need to be deep conditioned several times a week because of the lack of moisture retention. 

Hair Thickness

Much like hair porosity, hair thickness changes how often you should deep condition your hair with a hair mask. Hair masks are slightly heavier products which is why thicker hair has an easier time absorbing and supporting it without getting weighed down. 

The thinner your hair is, the more careful you have to be when adding in too much product. If you are still wondering how often to use a hair mask, pay attention to the results you have after each use. 

Seasonal Changes

Harsher weather means more environmental damage to our hair. Extreme sun, heat, and cold have the ability to dry out our hair, which means it needs more tenderness, love, and care. In milder climates, our hair remains relatively consistent. Monitoring what your hair is exposed to will help determine how often you should use a hair mask. 

Trial and Error

Sometimes, it takes a little trial and error with our hair to fully understand what it needs. Some weeks your hair may be drier than others, and it makes more sense to use a hair mask more often. Other weeks your hair will feel bouncy and hydrated and need less. 

By adjusting your hair care routine according to its needs and using quality products such as Gisou’s Honey and Propolis Infused Hair Care, you are sure to restore your hair back to a healthy place.