To save her hair from getting dry and brittle thanks to switching the heating on full-blast, Ella Walker puts a selection of intensive conditioners to the test.
Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Moisture Mask, £4.99
Although it was slightly medicinal smelling, this treatment pleasantly surprised me. I’m not a huge fan of products with screw top lids (hard to undo with bubbly hands!) and you do have to leave it in for three minutes before rinsing out, but the results were great. Next morning my curls were smoother, bouncier and definitely healthier looking, plus, the doctor smell had been replaced with raspberries. I might start dragging out my showers just to fit in using this from now on I think…
4/5
Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Intensive Mask, £4.07
Another screw top tub (boo) this product was insanely pink and pretty gloopy. It didn’t smell fantastic and you have to leave your hair coated for five minutes, however, recommended use is only once a week (unlike the Umberto Giannini moisture mask) so I suppose it evens out. My hair was left super light and soft but unfortunately it seemed to straighten out my usual curls.
2/5
Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner, £3.67
Light and delicious to sniff I’m not sure there’s a limit to how much of this you can spray on – all it leaves is gloss, gloss, gloss so there’s no need to worry about over doing it. It’s easy to use; you just spray it onto damp hair and tousle dry. My locks were left with added bounce and the ends were much less straw like than usual.
4/5
Vitapointe Leave-in Conditioner, £2.03
This is a proper old school conditioner. Even the bottle has a kitsch vintage-feel to it. Unfortunately you have to shake it well before each use as some of the oils in it separate. It’s great for smoothing down fly away fuzz though and it smells sweet. You really don’t need much though; crispy ends are not a good look and too much of this can make your hair look a bit stringy. If you use it sparingly though, the conditioning results are pretty good.
3/5
