I remember stumbling upon a store in New York filled with all the hottest K-Beauty products, including racks of facial masks. I loved that there were masks for every possible skin concern — from redness to anti-aging. And each mask contained a sheet — with eye, nose and mouth holes — bathed in product that could be easily applied.
At the time, I wished there was something similar for hair – one-use masks that could be customized for my hair’s different needs.
My wish came true in a big way. Just like K-Beauty transformed the skincare market with masks, it’s transforming the way we care for our curls. K-Beauty, of course, is an umbrella term for beauty products from South Korea that have taken the West by storm in the last few years.
Hair masks now are one of the hottest trends in haircare, with numerous brands launching their versions of these one-use, easy-to-use conditioning treatments. While many have been launched by U.S. hair brands like SheaMoisture, L’Oreal Paris, and Garnier, the K-Beauty brands have also launched a wide variety.
Of course we wanted to get our hands on some of these masks, and we had the opportunity to try the new Lindsay Home Aesthetics line of 2-Step Self-Heating Hair Masks. The company was started by Korean entrepreneur Lindsay Yu.
The masks are each formulated with different butters, oils, proteins, and other ingredients depending upon your hair’s individual needs. One of our staffers, Cara, tried the Bye Bye Tangles & Knots mask (with shea oil, argan oil, and natural keratins”>, and Alex tried the Anti-Frizz Detangling Mask (with argan oil, elastin, silk amino acids, and carotene.”> Each came with a self-heating cap that is put on over the product to help it absorb into the hair follicles and strands more effectively.
These 20-minute masks come in a variety of formulas, with ingredients designed to address problems ranging from heat-tool abuse to itchy scalp. Each contains customized combinations of ingredients such as tea tree oil, argan oil, Manuka honey, sunflower seed oil, and shea butter.
Lindsay also makes two other types of masks: Overnight masks that you leave on while you sleep, and the Split Ends Prevention masks, which also include a leave-in serum to be applied after the 20-minute treatment. They all are available at Walmart for about $4 each.
The benefits of using a hair mask include:
1. They’re convenient: Everything is self-contained, from the formula to the foil cap.
2. They’re portable: When flying, I often was forced to check my bags just because of my hair products. With these hair masks, there is no need. They can slip into a purse or backpack. “If you’re traveling a lot and you don’t want to bring your whole jar of deep conditioner, these are perfect,” says Alex.
3. They’re problem-solution oriented: Whether you’re suffering from heat damage or your color-treated hair needs some extra pampering, you can buy masks that are customized to address specific needs.
4. They’re inexpensive: Each mask is available for less than $4.
5. They’re self-heating: The foil-coated hair cap creates a steaming effect, which allows the ingredients to be better absorbed.
6. They appeal to the product junkie: There are so many different varieties to try; you won’t get bored. If you’re like me, by the time I’m halfway through a tube of conditioner, I’m getting antsy to try something new and different.
If you’d like to learn more about K-Beauty, check out this article.
