Despite spending more time at home, and theoretically having more leisure time to deep treat my hair, months of being holed-up in indoor heat has taken my hair to another level of parched. Even though I haven't switched up the frequency of my wash days, nor am I heat styling more than usual, the ends of my hair, in particular, have been brittle and dry. It doesn't take much combing to see tiny scraps of split ends in the bathroom sink.
I've started relying more heavily on deep conditioning masks instead of traditional conditioners for giving my hair a quick and intense dose of moisture to help curb the dryness. What drew me to Aveda's Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Masque: Light was the fact that even though it's a targeted treatment, it says that it's lightweight. Masques are often laced with heavy moisturizers, which don't always suit my curl pattern.
Although dense, my individual curls are pretty fine. I have a head full of 3C to 4A coils that heavy oils and butters easily weigh down. This Aveda masque has a really light, but not water consistency right out of the tube. I can tell from how tacky a treatment is whether or not it will perform well on my hair. If it's too rich, even after a good rinse, my blowout or wash and go can feel and look limp. Even with serious moisturizing ingredients including glycerin, avocado oil, and squalane, I could tell from the texture in my hands that this treatment would work well on my curls.
After shampooing, I decided to skip the regular conditioner that I typically use to detangle and instead work this masque into my curls from root to ends. I let it sit for a few minutes and then I added a bit of water from the shower and started detangling. My hair not only felt softer right away, but it wasn't a struggle to get my comb through. I worked in sections and once all knots were cleared, I did a thorough rinse.
After drying my hair, it still felt hydrated and not greasy. There was room to add a heat-protecting leave-in before my blow dry without the need to add a ton of extra hydration with an additional leave-in conditioner. Aveda's Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Masque: Light gave my hair just the right amount of moisture replenishment to get me through the next few weeks.
You can find Aveda Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Masque: Light in our April 2021 Allure Beauty Box.
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