Get the best sleep and hair of your life
If you’re like most people, your hair probably goes through a lot. From dyes and blowouts to relaxers and hot curlers, day-to-day stresses can take a toll on your hair. But luckily, there’s an easy solution. Enter: overnight hair masks.
What is a hair mask, exactly? It’s essentially a deep conditioning treatment that helps nourish and repair weakened, damaged, or brittle strands. You can find options that moisturize parched hair, smooth frizz, add shine, strengthen, detangle, fortify—you name it. Some are supposed to be left in, and others are meant to be rinsed out after a few minutes. With the overnight variety, you let the product do its thing for several hours while you get your beauty sleep.
To help you narrow down which overnight hair mask is best for you, we researched and thoroughly tested some of the top options on the market, keeping ingredients, ease of use, efficacy, and price top of mind. Then, we chatted with several experts to get their thoughts on how to use each properly in order to see best results. Scroll on to check out our picks for the best overnight hair masks.
Best Overall: Drunk Elephant Silkamino Mega Moisturizing Masker
To put it plainly, we love this mask from Drunk Elephant. Now, you’re probably familiar with the brand’s popular skincare staples, but believe us when we say that their hair care products are legit, too. If we had to describe this luxurious hair mask in two words, we’d use “soft” and “airy,” and we have, in our best hair masks review, in which we crowned this one the best of the best. It’s lighter than most other masks we tried and it melts into hair on contact, making it a great option for daytime use. (Just apply some to your hair, slick it up into a tight bun or pony, and you’re all set). It’s also a good option for nighttime, too. The mask is so effective, it made us think it was reversing years worth of heat damage and skipped haircuts. If you’re battling nearly-dead, straw-like ends, we urge you to give this lovely hair mask a try overnight, just be sure to rinse it out in the morning.
Best Drugstore: Pantene Pro-V Overnight Restoring Serum
What does it take to achieve the shiny, cascading hair you see in Pantene commercials? While we can’t make any promises, the brand’s Overnight Restoring Serum is definitely a step in the right direction. As you dream of good hair days, the restorative formula repairs damage and nourishes your hair. After using it weekly for about a month, we saw (and felt) a huge difference in our hair—it was softer, smoother, and more manageable when styling our hair before work each morning.
Best Hydrating: Vegamour HYDR-8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask
This reparative hair mask from Vegamour isn’t exactly intended for nighttime use, but we don’t see why you couldn’t lather it on and catch some zzz’s before rinsing it out in the morning. It’s designed specifically to target damage (aka flyaways, broken ends, and more), plus it’s been clinically proven to smooth, hydrate, and strengthen hairs with it’s formula powered by Karmatin™, a vegan silk alternative to keratin and silicone. Unlike other bonding hair products, Karmatin™ stays locked onto strands, bonding them together, rather than washing out with water.
Best Leave-In: K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
If your hair has been through the wringer (i.e., damaged from heat styling, too much chlorine, or bleach gone wrong), this leave-in mask is an absolute must. The formula features the brand’s proprietary peptide (sh-Oligopeptide-78), which is intended to repair damage from heat styling, chemical processing, and more. We love how it softens and smooths hair for an instant result, while it also works its magic over time, giving hair a brand new life with continued use. You can expect your hair to feel healthier, look less brittle, and show less signs of breakage. The bottles are tiny—at 0.5 oz. for a travel size and 1.7 oz. for the full size—but we assure you that a little goes a long way, further justifying the splurge. Best of all, you don’t have to rinse it out, so you reap the benefits while you sleep.
Best for Damaged Hair: Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Moisture+Damage Defense Leave-In Treatment
Briogeo makes some of the best hair treatments out there, and for an overnight treatment, New York-based hairstylist Sky Kim of Serge Normant at John Frieda tells that the Don’t Despair, Repair! line is one of her favorites. “It’s a clean line and smells great. Plus, the formulas aren’t too heavy, so it works for all hair types, including fine hair,” she says. The Moisture + Damage Defense Leave-In Treatment is the newest addition to the line and serves as an invisible leave-in treatment that seals split ends, repairs breakage, and moisturizes dry, damaged hair. It has a serum-like consistency that applies evenly throughout hair, and we love that it comes in a cute little pump bottle for easy access. The only thing we would change if we could: The size of the bottle. We love it so much that we wish it was available in a bigger size!
Best for Split Ends: Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Masque
Split ends got you down? Reach for Coco & Eve Like a Virgin. This cheekily named, award-winning hair mask works overtime to condition, hydrate, and mend, all while enhancing texture and helping to prevent frizz and flyaways. During testing, we took note of how thick the formula was. Although we grew to love it over time (the results spoke for themselves!), it may not be for those with thin or flat hair. Those with thick, curly, or color-treated hair will love this one, especially if you value an organic approach with fewer chemicals. The tub of product comes with a tangle-taming brush, which we loved, but several of us who already own a plethora of brushes found it unnecessary.
Best for Frizz Control: Kérastase Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum Hydrating Treatment
Got frizz? Kérastase Magic Night Serum has you covered. This leave-in treatment draws on a blend of vitamins and iris root extract to coat each strand and smooth out the follicles, keeping flyaways in check and preventing future damage. The formula is loaded with a blend of oils and butters that help hydrate and nourish strands, making hair feel softer and smoother after use. And, because it offers so much slip, the formula helps detangle hair for an easier brush and style. The formula does have a pretty floral scent (which many of us loved during testing), but those who have sensitive skin or those prone to fragrance-induced irritation may want to skip this one.
Best Dry: IGK Antisocial Overnight Bond Building Dry Hair Mask
You’re probably familiar with dry shampoo, but what do you know about dry hair masks? Allow us to introduce you to IGK Antisocial, the first of its kind to deliver a bond-building, cuticle-smoothing, dry overnight formula that strengthens tired hair from the inside out. The lightweight serum-like formula is easy to apply and absorbs into the hair on contact, making for a non-greasy, residue-free dose of hydration. It could be more moisturizing—so it may not be a great option for those with dry or super curly hair—but it’s suitable for all hair types and can be used on the daily.
Best Bonding: Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
At this point, Olaplex is synonymous with hair health. The brand has reached a cult-like status over it’s many innovations that promote bond repair. The No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask is no different; it touts a proprietary technology that repairs the disulfide bonds that get broken when hair is colored or chemically treated, helping it stay stronger and healthier for longer. It’s creamy and rich, yet easy to disperse evenly throughout all of the hair on your head, regardless of length or texture. The bottle itself is on the smaller side—sigh, we know—but we promise, a little bit goes a long way, so you don’t use as much product as you might think. Admittedly, results take some time (you won’t notice miracle results right away), but the more you use the mask, the faster your hair will spring back to life. If you have thicker, drier, or curlier hair that thrives off of moisture, you may want to double up with another leave-in conditioner in order to avoid feeling dry.
Best for Fine Hair: Amika The Kure Dream Routine Overnight Hydrating Hair Mask
Infused with hyaluronic acid and coconut water, this mega-hydrating, silicone-free overnight treatment reduces breakage, boosts moisture, and nourishes hair while you sleep. The brand recommends applying it just before bedtime from the lengths to the ends of your hair. We love that it’s lightweight enough to use every night if you needed to and doesn’t require a rinse in the morning. While testing, we appreciated the fact that the formula didn’t make hair feel greasy and it didn’t stain our pillows.
Final Verdict
If we could only recommend one overnight hair mask, we’d definitely go with the Drunk Elephant Silkamino Mega-Moisturizing Masker. This easy-to-use, highly effective treatment smooths and repairs each and every strand, creating supple, healthier-looking hair. But if you want something a little more affordable, you can’t go wrong with Pantene Pro-V Overnight Restoring Serum.
What to Look For in an Overnight Hair Mask
Intended Use
With so many hair masks on the market, you’ll want to pay attention to the intended use when shopping around. Many options are meant to be rinsed out after a few minutes, but overnight masks are formulated to work for several hours. Amika’s Dream Routine Overnight Hydrating Hair Mask is one such formula that doesn’t require a rinse-out come morning. Unlike rinse-out treatments and leave-in conditioners, an overnight hair mask won’t typically offer a styled look. Especially if you’re using a mask for damaged hair, you can usually expect the formula to be thick, goopy, or oily, which may make your hair look temporarily greasy or heavy. When you wake up in the morning, you can wash it out and style it as usual. There are several formulas on this list that can be rinsed out, though, like the Vegamour HYDR-8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask.
Ingredients
One of the most important things to look for when browsing overnight hair masks is the ingredients list. While there isn’t one specific ingredient that makes a good formula, several are known to condition, fortify, repair, smooth, and nourish. Look out for products containing natural butters and oils, like shea, cupuacu, coconut, avocado, sunflower, argon, or castor, as these will nourish and moisturize your hair. Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair! Moisture + Damage Defense Leave-In Treatment, for example, features several nourishing oils. Wheat protein, amino acids, sea kelp, algae extract, and other ocean-derived ingredients help repair and strengthen. Ingredients like iris root extract, collagen, and aloe vera promote elasticity while smoothing the hair follicles.
Instructions
Anytime you’re leaving an intensive treatment on for several hours—whether it’s a haircare or skincare product—you’ll want to carefully read the instructions. Most are relatively straightforward and won’t harm your hair if you leave them on longer than directed. However, some call for using a plastic cap to allow the product to penetrate (while keeping it off your pillowcase), and others will have a more absorbent, less goopy finish. In any case, you’ll also want to ensure that when you wake up in the morning, you’re washing or rinsing it out as directed—at least the first time to see how your hair responds.
FAQ
Can you leave any hair mask on overnight?
Hair masks that don’t specifically say they can be used overnight should not be used in that way. For one thing, a regular hair mask that isn’t designed for overnight use might contain heavy ingredients, like strong oils, that don’t allow your hair to breathe if left on for longer than they’re supposed to be, which isn’t good for it. Another reason is that some masks contain protein, and while you do want to add some amount of protein to your hair occasionally, adding too much of it can cause breakage.
Should I wash my hair before applying an overnight hair mask?
Yes, you should wash your hair before applying an overnight hair mask. Not washing your hair will cause your hair cuticles to stay closed, whereas washing your hair opens the cuticle, allowing the hair mask to absorb into the hair shaft. If you have no products in your hair and you don’t normally use shampoo, you can consider washing your hair with water only before applying your mask. That method should be used only by people whose hair errs on the dry side, not for anyone with oily hair.
Which is better, an overnight hair mask or conditioner?
Hair masks and conditioners are two different products with two different purposes, so neither is necessarily better than the other. A hair conditioner is used every time after you wash your hair, and most people wash their hair a few times a week. On the other hand, an overnight hair mask is used once a week or once a month. Think of an overnight hair mask as something occasional, whereas conditioner is for frequent use.
