Nothing beats a good hair day, especially on your wedding day! Whether you plan on sporting a sleek up-do or big voluminous curls, having a healthy head of hair is the key to creating a stunning wedding hairdo. That’s where hair masks come in. A good hair mask can help hydrate dry strands, increase overall shine, and keep your ‘do looking nice and smooth. In other words, it can be an effective part of your pre-wedding beauty routine.
According to bridal and celebrity hair artist Laurabeth Cabott, the first step to finding your ideal hair mask is figuring out what hair concerns you’re wanting to fix or eliminate. “Benefits that come from a good hair mask routine would be moisturizing and eliminating frizz, and giving you shinier and more healthy looking hair,” she says.
To help you find the best option for you, we researched the highest rated hair masks on the market today. We then tested the most popular hair masks for ourselves and narrowed them down based on our own experiences. We made our final selection based on consistency, ingredients, effectiveness, and overall results.
Read on for the best hair masks for brides-to-be.
Best for Dry Hair
Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
Olaplex offers a range of fan-favorite hair products, and this moisturizing hair mask is no exception! When testing this for ourselves, we noticed that it had a light consistency, making it easy to massage into hair without feeling clumpy. Despite having damaged and dyed hair, this mask made our hair feel stronger, look better when using heated tools, and have overall less frizz.
Based on our testing experience, we would absolutely recommend this mask to anyone with color-treated hair or who regularly uses heat. We love that it helps noticeably strengthen the hair, and its affordable price makes it an easy addition to your pre-wedding hair care routine.
Price at time of publish: $30
Good For: Damage, frizz, dryness | Key Ingredients: Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate
Best Consistency
Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Prickly Pear Oil
Prickly pear is great for your hair! When testing this oil-infused mask, we loved the consistency—it was creamy, but felt lightweight. We found that it spread nicely throughout our hair, from the roots to the ends. We used this hair mask in the shower for five minutes about two times per week. After rinsing, our hair felt super soft and nourished.
Overall, we could definitely tell a difference in our hair. It felt extra clean and moisturized, and this mask helped with our hair’s overall look and feel. Based on our results, we think this would work well for most hair types, and it's an easy product to start incorporating into your hair washing routine.
Price at time of publish: $28
Good For: Repair, nourish, radiance | Key Ingredients: Prickly pear seed oil
Best Nourishing Treatment
Drunk Elephant Silkamino Mega Moisturizing Masker
This one might be our new favorite hair mask. We tested this moisturizing hair mask with extremely dead and flakey dead ends. To our delight, it worked incredibly well and was a life savor to our damaged hair. Our hair felt soft and refreshed after every time we used this—like we had just had a professional deep conditioning treatment. What’s more, our hair never felt greasy or weighed down. Instead, It was light, bouncy, and easy to style. We found that his mask is especially great for anyone who uses hot hair tools often or who needs a quick refresh. It’s perfect for a pre-wedding pick-me-up!
Price at time of publish: $30
Good For: Color care, dryness, flaky scalp | Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed silk, silk amino acids, silk sericin
Best for Curly Hair
Pattern Treatment Mask
Curly-haired brides, this one's for you. This powerful mask helps elongate curls and define coils. We tested this on curly hair that is damaged with split ends, color-treated, and dry. We loved that it added hydration to our curls without striping any of the natural oils. After styling, our hair felt soft, light, and nourished. We also noticed considerably less frizz and flyaways.
Plus, the hair mask detangled our hair quickly. While curly hair tends to get tangled more easily than straight hair, all we had to do was run our fingers through our hair to get rid of knots and loose hair. How convenient is that? It’s perfect for your wedding day hair prep.
Price at time of publish: $25
Good For: Curls, softening, strengthening | Key Ingredients: Rice water ferment moringa seed extract
Best Strengthening Treatment
Davines Nounou Hair Mask
We love the creamy consistency of this nourishing hair mask that works to repair treated hair, and we know brides-to-be will too! When trying this mask, our hair felt nourished without any sticky or oily leftover residue. We applied this in the shower, and after rinsing, our hair felt soft and even took less time to untangle. Overall, we loved using this treatment because it made our ends stronger and helped with some damage from heat tools.
Price at time of publish: $40
Good For: Treat and dry hair, detangling | Key Ingredients: Vitamin E with an anti-oxidant action
Best Hydration
IGK Offline 3-Minute Hydration Hair Mask
Transform your hair with this hydrating mask that works in just three minutes —ideal for the busy bride-to-be. Before using this product, our hair appeared dull and dry. However, after testing, we noticed more shine and less frizz. Even when using on hair that's prone to greasiness, the product didn't feel oily or heavy. Instead, it was shiny and silky to the touch after the treatment. We were also pleasantly surprised to see that it helped even out some grown out color, as it toned down the contrast between the dark roots and highlights.
Price at time of publish: $38
Good For: Color Care, friz | Key Ingredients: Turmeric butter, green tea seed oil
Best for Damaged Hair
Sachajuan Hair Repair
Improve damaged hair by the big day with this repairing mask. We were a little skeptical when we first started testing this because of its light and thin consistency. However, it felt amazing on our hair, spread evenly, and never caused any greasiness. We were incredibly impressed with this hair mask, as it was super hydrating and helped with frizz. We could visibly see the difference before and after.
We tested this with thin, fine hair, and it didn’t weigh our hair down or make it greasy or flat by the end of the day. We especially love that a little goes a long way with this product. Our hair has never felt so soft!
Price at time of publish: $37
Good For: Damage, strengthening, preventative | Key Ingredients: Algae-derived extracts, wheat proteins
Best Splurge
Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset Hair Mask
This splurge-worthy find will reset and refresh your locks. It is enriched with nourishing minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins B and E to protect hair from damage, hydrate strands, and improve hair elasticity. It delivers an ultra-creamy formula that spreads nicely during application. We found that it felt nice to put on and left our hair feeling soft and healthy after rinsing. Overall, we determined that this mask is great for recovering damaged hair. Use it leading up to your wedding day for a healthy and nourished bridal hairdo.
Price at time of publish: $72
Good For: Damage, frizz, dryness | Key Ingredients: Japanese-sourced rice extract
Best Vegan Ingredients
Fable & Mane HoliRoots Repairing Hair Mask
With nourishing and natural ingredients like coconut cream and banana, this vegan-friendly product is perfect for the earth- and animal-conscious bride-to-be. We discovered that a little goes a long way with this product, and we loved the rich and creamy consistency. After a month of using this once a week, we noticed that our hair was super smooth and free of frizz. As this hair mask is a bit thicker than some, we recommend this for brides who want extra moisture in their hair.
Price at time of publish: $34
Good For: Damage, shine | Key Ingredients: Coconut cream, banana, mango butter
Best Conditioning Treatment
dae Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment
Deep condition your stands with this hydrating hair treatment. We loved the light and creamy consistency of this hair mask, as it delivered a silky smooth texture that distributed evenly onto our wet hair. After rinsing out the mask, our previously-dry hair felt soft and smooth. We immediately noticed a difference. Bonus: It smelled amazing!
Price at time of publish: $28
Good For: Damage, color care, hydration | Key Ingredients: Moringa leaf extract, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil
What to Look for in a Hair Mask
- Key Benefits: Cabott suggests that “moisturizing, anti-humidity, and frizz-free” are some key words to look for when shopping for a new hair mask, depending on your main concerns. For brides with curly hair that want to keep their coils intact, consider the Pattern Treatment Mask. Have dry strands and need a rejuvenating hair boost? Opt for the Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask or the Drunk Elephant Silkamino Mega-Moisturizing Masker.
- Ingredients: As with any beauty product, it’s a good idea to take a look at the ingredients. For a hair mask, look for nourishing and hydrating ingredients like natural oils and vitamins. If sticking to all-natural, animal-friendly beauty products is a priority to you, look for options formulated with vegan ingredients, such as the Fable & Mane HoliRoots Repairing Hair Mask.
Why Trust Brides
Chloe Caldwell is a commerce writer at Brides who specializes in shopping and lifestyle topics. She has six years of journalism experience writing about all things fashion, beauty, travel, and wellness. For this article, our team tested a variety of hair masks over a period of time and selected the top performers. We also spoke to an expert for their valuable insight:
- Laurabeth Cabott is a hair artist in Los Angeles and Kansas City. She is also the founder of Artistry by LB, a Kansas City-based hair salon.