Reddit reviews amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask, 16.9 Fl Oz

How often do you wash your hair? My hair was more oily when I wash it every day (I did high school swim team), but now that I'm washing every other day (or even less), it's not nearly as oily (as I understand it, same principle as an over-cleansed/under-moisturized face producing excess oil). If you feel like you can't stand not washing it every day, maybe try alternating with a dry shampoo until you feel better about it? My favorite dry shampoo is this Klorane one, though I know there are cheaper drugstore options too.

For the dandruff, I've found that for me, shampoos with sulfate tend to dry/irritate my scalp, so I'm currently using Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle shampoo ($4 at my TJ's). It's sulfate free and has tea tree oil in it, which is supposed to help dandruff. If you have some tea tree oil lying around, it might be worth a try to put a few drops in your shampoo & see how that turns out. For the sulfate-free shampoo; there are a lot of drug store options, though I haven't really explored them myself...

I don't condition my hair every time because it weighs it down & my hair is fairly straight & detangles easily by itself, but currently I'm loving this Amika nourishing mask (I got it in my Birchbox and really want to buy it but it's totally $40 & I can't justify it T_T). It makes my hair really soft and silky; I apply it only to my ends (from about chin-length to my ends, anyway)

In the past, I did try the Avalon Organics Tea Tree Shampoo & conditioner, but they just didn't play well with my hair & scalp. The shampoo dried out my scalp, which led me to condition my scalp, which led to scalp acne. :( YMMV, though!

Hope that was helpful!

hair masks can be a god-send. my hair is naturally almost black, and I dye it bright pink and white regularly, so I've spent a lot of time finding affordable, easy-to-use products that will restore its texture and keep it healthy.

my personal favorite hair mask is amika's nourishing mask with obliphica. it's not cheap, but you can find it discounted in certain places - just be careful, as there are fake versions of it all over the place. that link right there, I've tested myself several times, and know it's the real deal.

use a hair mask in place of your conditioner sporadically. I'm not sure of your dyeing history, or how damaged your hair is currently, but it doesn't look too bad. I would probably suggest using it once a week, and after every time you dye it. If it's still seeming dry, bump it up to a couple times a week. After you shampoo your hair in the shower (which, btw, you can look for a low-sulfate shampoo to keep it in better condition from the shampoo angle - pureology is fantastic, but it's mighty pricey), put the mask in your hair like you would regular conditioner. Be a little more generous with it on the ends of your hair. Clip it up (if you don't already have a claw clip in the shower, go ahead and get one - that'll keep your hair out of your way while conditioner and hair masks are working their magic). You need to leave it in for 3-5 minutes (you can leave it in longer if you'd like), so it's a good idea to use that time to do all the other shower things so that you're not just standing there. And rinse with lukewarm-cool water. When rinsing, focus on your roots, it's okay and actually good to leave a little bit on your ends.

If you don't want to spend for the amika right now, Sally's carries an alright mask called Miracle 7. That one uses argan oil, which works for some, but not for everyone - overall it tends to help, though. And if your hair is only a little bit damaged, and only needs a little extra help, don't overthink it.. Aussie's 3-minute miracle (that you can get in any grocery or drug store for under $5 - get the kind that says Moist) is surprisingly good.. I actually use it as my regular conditioner since I put my hair through hell.