Summer is the perfect time of year to concentrate your efforts to repair dry or damaged hair that can happen from all that ocean salt water from swimming at the beach as well as all of the chlorine from pool water that can really wreak havoc on your hair resulting in split ends, dry, rough, dull and damaged hair.  Hair balms, conditioners, and masks can be the perfect way to correct, restore, and replenish what’s lost from all those damage causing elements.  I picked up several masks (high end and low end), that I thought would be good to test out and share with you all the results and the hair products I thought were the best in quality for the price so you could try them for yourselves to help with seasonal hair damage that can occur.

The masks I chose were Loreal’s “Total Repair” Damage Erasing Balm, Pantene’s Ultimate 10 BB Creme’ Beauty Balm for Hair, Living Proof’s “Restore Mask Treatment” Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter “Deep Treatment Masque (with sea kelp & argan oil ) for dry damaged hair, and Drybar’s “Mudslide” Nourishing Hair Masque.  They all claim to repair and replenish dry, dull, damaged hair with all kinds of different oils and botanicals and beauty balms that have been trending so I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about and if they really work.

They are listed from worst to best starting with number 5 is Living Proof’s “Restore Mask Treatment”.  It claims to deeply nourish and reverse damage with a powerful conditioning treatment “that mends dry, damaged hair for long-lasting softness, shine and smoothness”.  It states it is color-safe and silicone free.  It is an “apply after” shampooing and rinse off after 5 minutes very thick formula.  The scent was not too pleasant in my opinion and a little on the soapy detergent smelling side but not overpowering or super offensive.  It didn’t really feel like it clung to my hair well and also I did not feel like it conditioned it or made it very soft after I rinsed it off as I would have liked it to be.  It is priced at $12.00-$42.00 dollars depending on which ounce tub size you purchase.  I have to say I have liked most of the living proof products but had higher hopes for this product and was a little disappointed.  Rated at number 4 is Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter “Deep Treatment Mask”.  It claims to “heal, strengthen, and grow” hair with argan oil and shea nut butter as moisturizers without containing sulfates, parabens, synthetic colors, fragrances or mineral oils.  It has a clean and soft scent and left my hair feeling clean and moisturized with a little bit of a heaviness to the hair but did not leave it greasy.  After drying and styling my hair it was soft but not as shiny as I would have liked and a little dull looking.  It is priced at around $13.69 and with those proceeds going to a foundation that helps empower disadvantaged women it is worth the purchase if not for the hair conditioning than for the cause it supports.    It claims to deeply nourish and reverse damage mending dry damaged hair, long lasting softness , shine, and smoothness.  It is color safe and silicone-free.  You apply it after shampooing generously from roots to end leaving on for 5 minutes.  Next at number 3 is Loreal’s “Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm” with almond and ceramide.  It states it has a “system of conditioning with nourishment and lipids that heals split ends, weak, rough, dull, and dehydrated hair.  It also claims to repair up to 1 year of hair damage in 1 use.  Upon use it is a thick creamy balm that feels very moisturizing and applies to the hair with a thickness that sticks well to the hair without dripping.  It rinses off hair well leaving it really smooth and silky feeling and very moisturized.  It has a clean soft and slightly fruity smell to it that is pleasant and not overpowering.  Ranking at 2 is Pantene’s Ultimate 10 BB creme’ and 10 in 1 “Hair Perfector”.  It is a leave in formula inspired by the skincare’s “beauty balm” phenomenon that claims to “give hair a healthy look while preparing it for enhanced styling control leaving a silky smooth finish”.  Also it repairs “dry rough hair, protects and strengthens against damage, gives silky softness, and brilliant shine”.  It has the typical clean and soft “Pantene” scent and is a light silky formula and is a leave-in conditioner after shampooing and before styling.  I really liked how light it was and how soft and silky it made my hair without leaving a heavy or weighed down feeling.  It is priced at around $4.99-6.99 for 5.1 fluid ounces depending on where you purchase it.

Finally, at first place is the one I loved the best by the Drybar called “Mudslide”  that is marketed as a “nourishing hair mask” that claims that it deeply moisturizers, nourishes, and helps strengthen dry damaged hair”.  It is to be applied after shampooing and left in for 5-10 minutes and then rinsed out.  It is the consistency of soft peak heavy whipped cream with an absolutely deliciously soft and clean scent so it makes it a pleasurable experience to use and so much so that you want to leave it in longer because it smells and feels so nice.  After rinsing it leaves your hair soft, silky, and with a really great shine to it that I was pleasantly surprised by and more than I thought there would be.  It styled really nicely after drying with a hair dryer and was soft, silky, and manageable to the touch.

So, depending on the issues you have going on with your hair from all the sun and fun this summer whether it be the chlorine water from the pool or the ocean salt water from the beach know that there are at least a few choices to choose from at your favorite salon or the local drugstore to repair your hair and get it back to the soft, shiny, and conditioned state it was before all the summer time festivities.