A hair strand is dead keratin. Nothing you put on it heals in the biological sense — so when a jar promises repair, the honest translation is refill and reseal. That is still worth doing. Knowing how to repair damaged hair starts with knowing which half of the job a mask can take on.

What damage actually is

Bleach, heat and friction do two things: they crack open the cuticle (the overlapping scale layer) and they wash protein and lipids out of the core. The result is hair that feels rough, stretches too far when wet, tangles, and snaps mid-length.

A protein hair mask targets the first problem by depositing hydrolysed keratin, wheat or silk fragments into the gaps. Lipids and ceramides target the second by restoring the mortar between the scales. Cationic conditioning agents lie the cuticle flat so strands stop catching on each other.

Using one properly

Most people waste half the product. Three fixes:

  • Squeeze the water out first. Applied to soaking hair, a mask dilutes into nothing.
  • Mid-lengths and ends only. Roots are the newest, least damaged part of the hair and do not need it.
  • Five to ten minutes is enough. The exchange happens early; leaving it an hour changes very little.

Comb it through with a wide-tooth comb, and add warmth — a towel over a shower cap — if your hair is very porous.

The protein trap

More protein is not better. Hair that has had too much goes stiff, straw-like and paradoxically more breakable, because it loses the flexibility that comes from water and oils.

Alternate. One week protein-led, the next hydrating or nourishing. If your hair starts squeaking between your fingers and feels brittle, drop the protein for a month.

What still has to change

A weekly mask is roughly a third of the outcome. The rest is behaviour:

  1. Heat protectant before every hot tool, at the lowest temperature that works.
  2. Conditioner after every wash, leave-in on the ends.
  3. Bleach the roots, not the whole length, every time.
  4. Detangle wet hair from the ends upward.

Where masks stop

They will not permanently mend a split end — that gets cut. They will not speed growth. And they do nothing for shedding: see a doctor or trichologist for significant hair loss, since the causes are usually internal.

Faberlic, founded in 1997 and known for its oxygen-based Aquaftem approach, groups masks, conditioners and leave-ins into matched series for damaged hair; see the current catalogue on faberlic.com for what is in stock. For how the steps fit together, start with the haircare guide.