"Which is the best mask?" is unanswerable until you say best at what. The three families — hydrating, nourishing, repairing — work by different mechanisms, and buying the wrong one is not a neutral mistake. Protein on hair that needs water makes it worse. So: which hair mask do I need, and how do you tell?

The one-minute test

Take a clean, dry strand and look at it honestly.

  • Frizzy, static, rough to the touch, dries in minutes → water deficit. You want hydrating.
  • Dull, flat, no shine, feels thin and hollow along the length → lipid deficit. You want nourishing.
  • Stretches like elastic when wet and snaps, especially after bleach → structural damage. You want repairing.

Mixed signals are normal. Buy two and alternate them wash to wash.

What each one actually does

Hydrating. Humectants — glycerin, panthenol, urea, aloe — pull water into the strand. Light enough for fine hair, but in dry air the effect fades faster without an oil or leave-in sealing it in.

Nourishing. Plant oils, butters, ceramides. Softens, adds weight and shine. Keep it away from the roots if your hair is fine.

Repairing. Hydrolysed proteins plus conditioning agents, temporarily filling the gaps in a damaged cuticle. Once a week at most — the hydrating vs nourishing hair mask debate is mostly harmless, but too much protein genuinely does make hair stiff and brittle.

Finding them in a large range

Faberlic runs core hair-type ranges alongside the plant-based Botanica line and dedicated colour-treated and damaged-hair care, with the brand's oxygen-cosmetics Aquaftem positioning behind it. Individual products rotate — the catalogue refreshes roughly every three weeks — so see the current catalogue on faberlic.com rather than shopping from an old list.

Four ways people waste a mask

  1. Applying to soaking hair. Squeeze the water out first or you are diluting the product.
  2. Applying at the roots. Masks are for mid-lengths and ends.
  3. Leaving it on for an hour. The useful exchange happens in the first few minutes.
  4. Using only the repairing one. Protein without hydration between uses dries hair out.

A last boundary worth stating plainly: a mask works on the length. Itching, flaking and shedding start at the scalp, and for significant hair loss you should see a doctor or trichologist rather than switch jars.

For how masks sit alongside shampoo, conditioner and leave-ins, see the haircare guide.