Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask

Initially, I wasn't impressed by this creamy, lightly scented hair mask. Sure, my first use of this product, which is made with Moroccanoil’s signature argan oil, did result in soft, shiny hair but for some reason, it just didn't wow me.

However, the packaging for this mask does say that, “With continued use, this highly effective mask revitalizes hair, restoring shine and manageability” so I kept using it and sure enough, with each use, my hair got softer and shinier. I’m not entirely convinced that it repaired damaged hair, one of Morrocanoil’s claims for this product, but I will agree with the company’s assertion that this mask hydrates hair.

But even after several successful uses, I still wasn't sold on this product. I've tried a couple of great hair masks/leave-in treatments this year and I wasn't convinced that this mask was superior to say, Joico’s K-pak Revitaluxe Bio-advanced Restorative Treatment, a product I'm quite fond of.

So I did the only logical thing: I shampooed and conditioned my hair as normal, and after dividing my hair into two sections, covered one half with the Moroccanoil mask and the other half with the Joico’s treatment. Then, after leaving the products for the prescribed time, I washed them out, blow dried my hair and assessed the results.

And those results were actually really, really close. The Joico product did leave me with a bit less frizz on my crown but other than that, the two products were identical and left me with visibly softer, smoother and shiner hair.

After seeing how the Intense Hydrating Mask stacked up against the Joico treatment, I can now say that while the mask isn't amazing, it is a great product that does deliver solid, consistent results. Also, I think I'm getting a bit spoiled with all the great hair care products out there.

One noticeable difference between the Moroccanoil product and the Joico one is that the former needs to be applied to towel dried hair and left on for five-ten minutes, twice as long as the Joico mask, which is applied to wet hair. So the Moccocanoil product is a bit fussier to use.

It’s also pricier and this is really my biggest issue with this product.  A regular size tub of this product costs around $60! Okay, that does get you 8.5 oz, which should last you for most of the year unless you’re Rapunzel but still, that’s expensive. I currently own a smaller, 2.35 oz-sized tube, which I received as a deluxe sample in my Luxe Box, but sadly I've never seen that size for sale.

Would I buy this product: I would certainly buy the 2.53 oz. tube if I could find it in stores but I won’t be buying the full size tub. While this is a great product, it’s not an amazing one and I’m not shelling out $60 for a hair mask that’s not amazing.

Should you buy this product: Moroccanoil says that this is a product for hair that’s dry, damaged and/or thick but I'm using it on my fairly healthy, and somewhat fine hair and getting great results so really, I think this mask is for anyone who’s hair could do with a boost of shine. If that describes you, and you’re comfortable with the price (or can track down the smaller size tube) pick it up.