Best Hair Mask for Coloured Hair: Shop Colour-Safe Masks

Best Hair Mask for Coloured Hair

The best hair mask for coloured hair puts back the softness that colouring takes out, and is gentle enough to use on your shade every week. The right one depends on what your colour has done to your hair, so start there rather than with the label on the jar.

Start with what your colour did

Lightened or bleached hair. Lightening is the hardest thing you can do to hair. It loses moisture faster and the ends can feel rough and straw-like. Go for a rich, repairing mask and use it every week. If the ends are starting to split as well, look at the best hair mask for split ends.
Dyed darker, or a gloss or semi-permanent colour. The hair is usually in better shape, so the main jobs are keeping the colour in and the shine up. A lighter colour-safe mask is enough. You don't need the heaviest one on the shelf.
Toned blondes. Brass creeps back in between toner appointments. A purple toning mask once a week helps keep yellow in check. Stick to the time on the pack, because left on too long it can leave a lilac tint on very pale blonde.
Reds, coppers and vivid colours. These fade the fastest. A colour-depositing mask in your shade adds a little colour back each time you use it, which can stretch out the time between salon visits.
Going grey and no longer colouring. Your hair's needs change once you stop colouring. Our best hair mask for grey hair covers that.

Match the weight to your hair

Fine hair goes flat under a heavy mask. Choose a lighter formula, keep it on the mid-lengths and ends, and rinse well. Thick, coarse or curly hair can take a richer mask and a bit longer on.

Sometimes colour isn't the main problem. If your hair is frizzy more than it is faded, our best hair mask for frizzy hair is the better fit. If it feels dry all over, start with the best hair mask for dry hair.

How to use it

Wash with a colour-safe shampoo, then squeeze out as much water as you can. A mask works better on damp hair than on dripping wet hair. Work it through the mid-lengths and ends, leave it for the time on the pack, then rinse with cool to lukewarm water. Hot water lets colour wash out faster.

Once a week suits most coloured hair. Lightened hair can take it twice a week. Any more than that and fine hair gets heavy, and you're rinsing product down the drain.

What a mask won't do

A mask makes coloured hair softer and easier to manage. It won't bring back colour that has already faded, unless it's a colour-depositing one. And if your hair is snapping when you brush it after lightening, a mask on its own won't fix that. Talk to your colourist before your next lightening appointment.

What to pair it with

A mask is your weekly step. Between masks, a leave-in keeps coloured hair easier to brush and the ends softer from one wash to the next. Our best leave in conditioner for coloured hair is the lighter everyday option. If your hair needs more than that, try our best leave in treatment for coloured hair.

For shampoo, conditioner and everything else made for colour, browse our coloured hair range. If you want to compare every mask we stock, not just the colour-safe ones, shop all hair masks.