As someone who's been bleaching my hair for over 15 years, I know a thing or two about damage and dryness—particularly after a season spent in the sun and sea when my blonde becomes almost instantly parched. But with the right hair repair masks in my arsenal, my blonde stays looking healthy no matter what it's been exposed to.
After a particularly disastrous home-bleaching incident in my early twenties, intensive hair repair masks were the only thing to pull my ends back from the brink. Since then, I've used one at least once a week to treat hair damage, and I always pack one in my suitcase when travelling to combat the dryness that's left behind from salt, chlorine, and UV rays. Although the best conditioners can do some heavy lifting, nothing quite compares to the results of a mask after a dry summer.
From moisturising hair masks to leave-in bond repair treatments, these are the hair repair masks I swear by for strengthening, increasing shine, taming frizz, and keeping my hair healthy following the warmer months when it's most prone to damage.
How We Test
The Marie Claire UK team takes product testing seriously, with a commitment to delivering accurate, honest and genuinely helpful reviews for our readers. For this piece, I've rounded up hair masks that I have used on my hair for several months—and years in some cases. I assessed things like texture, packaging, ease of use, detangling abilities, and the all-important results after drying my hair. Only the ones that made a noticeable difference in terms of strength, softness, and shine made it into this piece.
The Best Hair Repair Masks
- Best overall: K18, £70 at Space NK
- Best for rebuilding: L'Oréal, £29.77 at Lookfantastic
- Best for toning: Virtue, £69 at Space NK
- Best for moisture: Living Proof, £36 at Lookfantastic
- Best multi-use: Hershesons, £23.99 at Amazon
- Best for volumising: Sam McKnight, £48 at Space NK
- Best for severe damage: Olaplex, £39 at Lookfantastic
Best Overall Hair Repair Mask: K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask
You've almost certainly heard about the K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask, and I can confirm it's worth all the hype it's got over the years. Yes, it's a pricey investment, but the results speak for themselves—and the ease of use alone sold me. This leave-in treatment repairs damage from chemicals, bleach, colour, and heat in just four minutes, with no need to wash it out, so you don't have a tedious wait in the shower. Skip conditioner in your hair wash routine, apply a few pumps to towel-dried hair, wait at least four minutes, then continue styling as usual. It's made a noticeable difference to the softness, bounce, strength, and colour of my hair, and it's always the product I pack on holiday for maximum results.
Best for Rebuilding: L'Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Molecular Strengthening Mask
If chlorine and UV rays have damaged your hair this season, you need to focus on strengthening your strands. This L'Oréal Professionnel mask is suitable for all types of damaged hair including colour-treated, lightened, and natural, and it works to rebuild the molecular structure of your hair without adding weight. It has a smooth, creamy texture that applies like conditioner and only takes a couple of minutes to work post-shampooing. Improving strength, elasticity, movement, and smoothness, it's the ultimate antidote for summer-worn hair that needs a total revamp.
Best for Moisture: Living Proof Moisture Rescue Mask
My hair is easily the knottiest it's ever been due to chlorine, and even getting a brush through it is a workout. I have been using the Living Proof Moisture Rescue Mask on repeat over the last month to get some moisture back into my bleached ends, and it's worked a treat. You only have to leave this in for five minutes in the shower, and I use that time to brush through my hair and get it thoroughly detangled. When it comes time to dry and style, my hair feels totally revitalised and glossy thanks to this mask. The Smart Barrier HairTech also makes flyaways more manageable, so it provides lasting results.
Best for toning
All blondes know the importance of a good toner, but traditional purple shampoos can sometimes be too drying for regular use—particularly when your hair has already gone through the wringer. Virtue's Colourkick mask is designed for all colour-treated hair, and it works to tone and intensely hydrate in one. Formulated with Alpha Keratin 60ku, it targets colour, heat, and sun damage to boost shine and softness. When my hair is on the brassier side or lacking oomph after sun exposure, this in-shower three minute mask is the first one I turn to for a brightening and nourishing effect.
Best for volumising
This is a true do-it-all mask that strengthens the hair, repairs split ends, and boosts volume and thickness in one. So as well as bringing dry summer hair back to health, it offers lift and makes the hair look denser too—a perfect recipe for a salon-fresh look from home. Leave on for five minutes after shampooing and style as usual out of the shower, with added softness, shine, and volume. I love how glossy and manageable this formula leaves my hair, as well as the boost it provides for heat styling to give my blow dry a more polished finish.
Best for severe damage
If you've ever dealt with damaged hair, you probably know how transformative Olaplex products can be. I swear by them for keeping my bleached hair healthy, and the leave-in products are some of my most used during summer when I want to prevent any breakage. This particular mask is applied for a few minutes after shampooing to smooth rough texture, reduce flyaways, and hydrate and soften dry and coarse hair types. It's one of the best for preventing breakage and reducing frizz, penetrating each hair strand to restore its health and leave your ends glossy and full.
Best multi-use
I'm definitely guilty of being lazy with my haircare routine during summer, and this product means I can afford to be. The Almost Everything Cream can be used for styling, conditioning, boosting shine, defining curls, and even as a leave-in mask to repair the hair. It can be used on wet or dry hair, but I like to apply it out of the shower, focusing on mid-lengths and ends, before drying to get the nourishing effects. It deeply nourishes, repairs split ends over time, deeply moisturises, controls frizz, and adds shine in one—and it also works wonders to define my natural waves. If you're traveling, this is one product you can pack for every single hair need.
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