There’s nothing quite like coating your hair in nourishing creams, dozing off and treating yourself to an #EverythingShower come morning to make you feel like you have your life together.
Overnight hair masks work their magic while you catch forty winks. The fuss-free beauty practice means that while you're getting your REM sleep, your strands are also getting a restorative treatment.
There are formulas designed to tackle every hair concern, from encouraging growth with scalp stimulators and counteracting dehydration with moisture-enriching ingredients, to rejuvenating dry, brittle strands with bond builders. These treatments may just be the secret to healthier hair and they require no time out of your busy schedule.
However, it is important to note that some caution must be heeded.
Younes Khassal, Director at Taylor Taylor London, Liberty Salon explains, “Hair is much more fragile when it is wet, so if you go to sleep with damp or wet hair the friction from moving your head against the pillow can cause more breakage”. For this reason, he suggests intensive formulations that can be applied to dry locks. He adds, “Hair is much more absorbent when it's dry so the ingredients are more effective”.
Another way to protect your mane is to cover it with a shower cap or better yet, a silk scarf, silk hair wrap or opt for a silk pillowcase. Not only will this protect your pillow, but this frizz-fighting material prevents friction by creating a smooth surface, reducing split ends, tangles and breakage in the process.
So, which overnight treatment is best? Khassal advises to “Look out for those that contain natural oils such as jojoba, macadamia, avocado or lavender as well as my golden ingredient - vitamin E, which is a non-negotiable for hair health”. He continues, “Always avoid anything with paragons, sulphates or silicones as they will dry out and weigh down the hair over time”.
Coat your tresses in the best overnight hair masks below
Davines OI Absolute Beautifying Hair Butter
Give your tresses the TLC that they deserve by slipping the Davines Oi Butter into your weekly haircare routine. The hard-working product is on hand to inject moisture and shine back into your dull and lacklustre locks.
The Italian hair expert is known for its use of premium, natural ingredients selected after rigorous scientific research and this roucou oil-based formula is no different. Derived from the achiote fruit, the Amazonian extract provides a potent hit of beta carotene to leave your mane silky smooth, nourishing and fortified. Leave on your locks for five to 10 minutes or overnight for deeper nourishment.
Buy now £31.50, Cult Beauty
Innersense Hydrating Hair Masque
Hair looking a bit flat? Restore its va-va voom with Innersense’s masking ritual. The volume-inducing ingredient line-up includes such nourishing heroes as shea butter, coconut and tamanu oils, quinoa and flax seed, the latter of which is rich in fatty acids.
These elements combine to coat the strands in conditioning goodness, transforming the appearance of coarse, dehydrated and damaged tresses. For a speedy treatment, it needs just five minutes out of your precious schedule but is best left overnight to maximise the reparative properties.
Buy now £28.00, Cult Beauty
Lore Originals Legend
The intensive Lore treatment can be applied to all hair types but, unlike many other formulas on the market, it is designed to slathered onto dry strands. This allows it to penetrate deeper into the hair shaft as the tresses are much more absorbent in this state.
In the cuticle, it gets to work repairing and restoring the strands with amino acids, vegetable proteins, plant oils and omega-rich acids. The deeply conditioning product uses natural ingredients like green tea extract, grapeseed oil and unusually, potato to strengthen from the inside out. It’s entirely vegan and PETA-approved.
Buy now £38.00, Amazon
3'''More Inches LifeSaver Deep Sleep Overnight Hair Treatment
This brand makes its intentions clear from the get-go. 3'''More Inches wants to add length to your locks and it does so through its signature cashmere protein complex that is as luxe as it sounds. HydrobondRx, as it has been dubbed, is designed to work from roots to ends to provide the enviable shine that you’ve no doubt spotted on your Instagram feed. Making swishable, smooth and glossy locks a reality, it protects the hair shaft while rehydrating.
There is also the welcomed fragrance of Egyptian geranium and lavender to encourage you into a sound slumber, while also treating the strands to anti-bacterial properties, especially when it comes to the latter.
Buy now £11.00, Amazon
Larry King Hair Spoilt for Choice Hair Oil
Rosemary oil has been lauded with such benefits as encouraging growth, counteracting flaking, calming and soothing and so it should come as no surprise that the ingredient has gone viral on TikTok.
This is the component at the heart of the Spoilt for Choice Hair Oil from Larry King, expert hairstylist to the stars. The naturally-derived formula includes this antimicrobial ingredient as well as the nourishing and hydrating cocktail of jojoba, argan and squalene that combine to fortify each individual strand - all without leaving a greasy seal.
To apply, simply add a few drops from the pipette applicator and massage it into the scalp. Leave for three minutes before you shampoo or overnight to soak up the goodness. It can also be incorporated as a finishing oil too, just use less.
Buy now £28.00, Cult Beauty
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep-Conditioning Treatment
There’s a reason why Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is a cult and award-winning product that regularly features in ‘Best’ roundups - it just works. The formula dramatically improves damaged hair after just one application. It provides a wave of moisture to the hair cuticle with UV protection.
You will notice that your locks appear silkier and smoother with extra bounce. Before you jump into the shower, wet your hair and apply this treatment for 20-60 minutes then rinse off. Or better yet, leave overnight. Use once a week to maximise the results.
Buy now £75.00, lookfantastic
K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask
This is the hero product in K18’s range and a holy grail among those in the know. The label uses scientific evidence to craft its range where each product contains its trademarked K18Peptide. This ingredient is made up of amino acids that are able to penetrate into the hair shaft to repair at a molecular level - and it’s able to do so in just four minutes with this mask. Lustrous sheen? Here we come.
Buy now £30.00, Cult Beauty
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil
Briogeo caters to everyone, focusing on texture when it comes to hair care - and this Don’t Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil was designed to heal and nourish stressed-out strands across the spectrum of hair types.
This intensive weekly treatment combines a two-part formula that utilises a unique set of natural and vegan ingredients, like the Proprietary Rice Protein Complex, which undoes existing damage and prevents further from taking place, and the fatty acid-rich rosehip oil, which not only injects moisture but also helps to reduce the appearance of split ends for an all-over more glossy mane.
Buy now £28.00, Cult Beauty
Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
Best for: Bond-building technology
All of the ever-growing Olaplex range puts the brand’s proprietary complex at its heart as it has the scientifically proven ability to repair the hair cuticle. This is step eight in the routine and is designed to follow the shampoo.
The light texture is quickly absorbing and should be applied onto the mid and ends (not the roots) for 10 minutes before washing out. The bond-repairing product boosts shine, moisture and body, while also smoothing in spades. No matter your concerns - be it thermal damage, frizz, or the desire to define curls - this product has visible results.
Perhaps the only downside is that it needs to be kept on for 10 minutes - a fair amount of time to be waiting in the shower, so perhaps best saved for a bath. Alternatively, since you can’t overuse Olaplex products, apply before you doze to work its magic overnight.
Buy now £28.00, Space NK
Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil
While the idea of putting honey on your locks might not initially sound like a sensible one, you’ll likely have a change of heart once you’ve reaped the benefits of this Honey Infused Hair Oil from Gisou.
Inspired by the founder’s mother’s secret honey-infused hair oil recipe, the formula promises to repair hair from the inside out, using honey to maintain your mane’s natural moisture levels.
Moisturising but never greasy, this delicate oil spotlights honey as an effective humectant that not only absorbs and holds hydration within your strands but also helps to actually rebuild and repair damaged locks at the cuticle. Use as a styling product or overnight as a treatment.
Buy now £35.00, Cult Beauty
FABLE & MANE HoliRoots Pre-Wash Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil
An ancient Indian hair secret, this cult-favourite HoliRoots Pre-Wash Strengthening Treatment Hair Oil includes strengthening ashwagandha and an active blend of holistic plant roots to nourish your lengths.
Vegan, cruelty-free and formulated without silicones, this gorgeous hair oil smells incredible when applied and comes formulated with castor oil, which thickens, nourishes and hydrates hair all at once. Massage into your scalp and coat your strands, leaving for at least five minutes or ideally overnight to maximise the smoothing, softening and conditioning ingredients.
Buy now £41.40, Sephora
Moroccanoil Treatment Original
Argan oil is a top choice for nourishing damaged or dry hair and Moroccanoil Treatment Original pulls together everything you need to restore your hair to its best condition. Instantly absorbing, this hair oil eliminates frizz, easily detangles and volumises to give hair a new lease of life.
Moroccanoil works perfectly alongside coloured or over-styled hair as well as extensions, to inject vibrancy and vitality into your strands. The unique absorption properties mean the product is non-oily, blends with other styling products and speeds up drying time.
Buy now £14.45, lookfantastic
RANAVAT Mighty Majesty Fortifying Hair Serum
RANAVAT may not be a brand you are immediately familiar with but it comes with a long list of awards certifying its powers. The brand takes its inspiration from Ayurveda, from the ingredients to the practices that it will encourage.
The Mighty Majesty Fortifying Hair Serum comes complete with monarchal levels of nourishment from a cocktail of jasmine oil, amla extract and sunflower oil that are packed with healthy nutrients for the strands. The combination shields against breakage, encourages growth and prevents further damage where the quality of the components is ensured through a cold-pressed method of extraction. It absorbs quickly into the hair with its light texture and leaves a lovely jasmine scent in its wake.
For a more intensive treatment, leave overnight.
Buy now £70.00, Sephora
