Korean face masks are the latest beauty craze. And everyone follows the Korean 10-step skincare routine. But did you know that Koreans also use a 10-step hair care routine and that a Korean hair mask is a key step in this regimen?
Here is a list of the best Korean hair masks for you to choose from to make your hair soft, smooth, silky, and beautiful.
My top 3 picks
Best Korean hair masks
TONYMOLY Haeyo Mayo Hair Nutrition Pack
Mayonnaise has been used as a homemade hair treatment for decades.
Mayo’s main ingredients are egg yolks and vinegar. They are very good for your hair.
Egg yolks are packed with nutrients, vitamins, and amino acids.
And vinegar is great for controlling the scalp’s oil production.
Tonymoly’s Hayeo Mayo is like a mayonnaise hair mask on steroids.
Even though the packaging looks like a sauce bottle, it’s not your ordinary mayo mask.
In addition to egg yolk extract and fruit vinegar, it contains shea butter and macadamia seed oil.
These ingredients moisturize dry hair, and egg yolk extract nourishes it.
This product is a highly concentrated treatment that works best for dry, damaged, and split hair and dry scalp.
The mask has a thick, silky, and creamy texture.
It doesn’t smell like mayonnaise. And there are no vinegar notes in its fragrance. It smells more like shea butter or a sunscreen lotion.
You need to shampoo and towel dry your hair. Then you can apply the Hayeo Mayo mask.
The manufacturer recommends applying it over the sections of your hair that are damaged.
Massage it into your hair and wash it off after 3 minutes.
It’s a bit difficult to rinse off but leaves almost no smell and doesn’t weigh the hair down.
The nourishing ingredients can help the hair look healthy, soft, and shiny, and can also smooth split ends.
Elizavecca CER-100 Collagen Coating Hair Protein Treatment
Elizavecca is famous for its masks. Many people swear by the brand’s popular carbonated bubble clay mask.
Their hair mask is good for treating dry or damaged hair.
It contains hydrolyzed collagen, ceramides, and soy protein extract — allantoin.
Collagen helps to repair damaged hair.
Ceramides improve hair elasticity and moisture retention.
Allantoin makes the hair soft and glossy.
This nourishing hair mask can make your hair look healthy, silky, and shiny.
The active ingredients can help your hair to become smooth and easy to untangle.
The mask has a thick creamy texture.
Squeeze it out of the tube and apply it to your hair after you’ve shampooed and towel-dried it.
Even though the mask comes without a shower cap, the manufacturer recommends putting a cap on the head after you apply this treatment. That makes it work more effectively.
Wait for 5-20 minutes and wash the Korean hair mask off with warm water.
Mediheal Hair Sheep Steam Pack 5 Sheets
Mediheal face masks are super-popular both in South Korea and all over the world
The company makes hair masks too.
Mediheal Hair Sheep Steam Pack comes in form of a “shower cap” that you need to put over your head after you’ve shampooed it.
If your hair is long you need to place it all inside the cap.
This is a one-step product.
So there’s no need to apply essence before putting the cap on.
All the essence is already contained in the cap.
Just fix the cap with a tape that’s included with it.
Massage your scalp a bit through the cap and keep it on your head for 10-15 minutes.
Remove it and rinse your hair with lukewarm water.
The cap creates a steam effect that opens up the hair cuticle for better hair conditioning and protein absorption.
Mediheal hair mask contains hydrolyzed collagen and goat milk that’s rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
Goat milk has been used as a hair and skin treatment by humans for centuries.
Cleopatra loved goat milk baths to make her skin and hair beautiful.
This kind of milk moisturizes and nourishes your hair, and increases its elasticity.
Goat milk also softens dry and brittle hair.
When collagen is hydrolyzed it gets broken down into dissolvable amino acids. They bind moisture to the hair.
The mask deeply conditions damaged hair.
It’s especially effective for treating hair affected by perms and dyes.
The cap is non-reusable. You need to toss it away after you remove it.
You can use the Mediheal mask 2-3 times a week.
There are 5 masks in each package.
Daeng Gi Meo Ri Honey Intensive Korean Hair Mask Pack
This Korean hair mask is a nourishing treatment for dry, porous, and damaged hair.
It contains royal jelly and herbal extracts that are rich in vitamins and nutrients.
Royal jelly improves hair regeneration and regrowth.
The mask comes in a large package with a convenient dispenser.
Take a portion of the product, distribute it over your hair and gently massage it in.
The mask gets absorbed quickly.
Then rinse it off after 2-3 minutes.
You can use this Korean hair mask every day.
It has a very pleasant fresh minty scent with a note of honey.
This product can make the hair soft and silky.
You can use a hair conditioner after this treatment for a better effect.
Etude House Silk Scarf Hair Care Mask
Etude House is another popular brand that is part of Amorepacific.
And this is yet another hair mask that comes in form of a cute and convenient “shower cap”.
While some other masks require you to use tape to fix them on the head, this product is very easy to put on.
It’s a 2-step treatment that includes an essence and a “shower cap”.
You just need to distribute the essence over your shampooed and towel-dried hair and put the cap on.
After that, massage the essence in through the cap, keep the mask on your head for 5-15 minutes. Then toss away the cap and wash the essence off.
This mask has no heating, steaming, or cooling effect.
But it nourishes and hydrates your hair and scalp.
It contains jojoba oil, calendula, and grapefruit extracts, and nano ceramides that make the hair soft and silky.
You get 10 masks in one package.
The packaging is really cute and features an illustration of a girl wearing a silk scarf.
Mise En Scene Perfect Repair Hair Mask Pack
This Korean hair mask is another heating treatment that comes in the convenient “shower cap” form.
The mask is a 2-step treatment that consists of a serum and a heating cap.
Mise En Scene mask contains several natural oils that nourish and moisturize the hair and help it to become soft, silky, and healthy-looking.
It’s great for dry and damaged hair.
The heating cap opens up the hair cuticle and lets the nourishing components get absorbed better.
After shampooing and patting your hair dry, you should apply the serum all over your hair.
Avoid the scalp because it’s an oil-based treatment.
Follow by putting the cap on your head. Place all your hair inside the cap, and fix the cap with a special tape that comes with it.
The cap has a nice heating effect right after you apply it.
Gently massage the head with the cap on.
Remove it after 5-15 minutes and rinse the serum off with lukewarm water.
You get 5 masks in one package.
What is a Korean hair mask?
A Korean hair mask is a moisturizing and nourishing treatment from South Korea that you need to apply to clean wet hair.
A hair mask contains active components that will help you tackle hair problems and will make your hair healthier and more beautiful.
Korean 10-step hair care routine
Everyone knows the famous Korean 10-step skincare routine that helps you maintain glowing and youthful-looking skin.
Korean hair care also involves 10 steps that will give you amazing results.
The priority of the Korean hair care regimen is maintaining a healthy scalp.
And, of course, a Korean hair mask is an important step in this routine.
The 10 steps usually involve:
- Scalp scalper
- Shampoo plus scalp massage
- Scalp scrub
- Conditioning
- Hair mask
- Vinegar rinse
- Scalp tonic
- Scalp serum
- Hair serum
- Overnight treatment
How to use Korean hair masks?
You should apply most hair masks after you’ve shampooed your hair and towel-dried it.
Shampooing your hair with warm water opens up the hair cuticle and lets the hair absorb nutrients and vitamins from masks.
If you’re using a hair conditioner as part of your hair care routine then apply your mask of choice after you’ve rinsed off the conditioner.
How to apply Korean hair masks?
There are masks that you apply in a similar way to hair conditioners.
You need to distribute these masks all over your wet hair and massage it in gently.
If your hair mask is oil-based then you should apply it mostly to the hair ends, avoiding the roots and the scalp.
Some masks come in form of shower caps.
These Korean hair masks are even easier to use.
You just need to put that shower cap on your head and fix it with tape.
How long should I keep the Korean hair mask on?
Keep the mask on your hair for the amount of time indicated on the mask’s packaging.
Most masks require keeping them on for 5 to 20 minutes.
There are even masks that you can wash off almost immediately.
How to remove a Korean hair mask?
Most Korean hair masks require washing them off with lukewarm water.
No need to use shampoo again after the mask. This can make your hair and scalp too dry.
If you’re using a “shower cap” kind of mask then first toss the cap away.
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