Being a fake blonde means my hair suffers with a lot of damage from dye, and it can be extremely costly.
If I’m not investing in the latest Olaplex product, which often has a hefty price tag, I’m looking for other alternatives.
After trying the Kérastase hair mask priced at £31.95 , my hairdresser recommended the ‘Amika The Kure Intense Bond repair mask’ for £28.00.
READ MORE: 'Amazing' Elemis £44 cleansing balm that's transformed my skin completely
It was £7 cheaper than the Olaplex No.3 , and you got 250ml as opposed to 100ml, and for someone that uses a lot of product, this was a relief!
I’m always after products that are just as good if not better than Olaplex for better value, so I thought I’d put the Amika mask to the test.
The mask
The hair mask smelt absolutely amazing, it had that classic ‘salon’ smell you always get when you’ve had a pamper.
In terms of consistency, it was incredibly thick, so I knew a little would go a long way, even on knotty hair like mine.
The product is said to be packed with a ‘bond cure technology’ that targets bonds in your hair.
In terms of ingredients, it’s infused with plant butters and vegan proteins to really help the strands of your hair.

Application was easy, I simply put a 50p sized amount of the mask onto my hands and massaged it onto the ends of my hair.
I also applied some on the mid lengths of my hair, as they felt particularly dry, and tied my hair up in a soft scrunchie.
It’s recommended that you leave the hair mask on for 10 minutes, but my hairdresser advised me that I could use it on my hair all night - so I did!

Even on my wet hair it felt a lot softer and smelt amazing, so I was really intrigued to see how it would look once washed and dried.
The results
As I was washing the mask off in the shower, I instantly noticed that my hair felt like silk even before I’d dried it off.
Since I’ve started to use heat on my hair again, I could really tell as the ends became frazzled.
Even when my hair was wet it felt weirdly dry, but not this time, my hair felt like it had a new lease of life!
Not to mention it smelt absolutely amazing, which is always a bonus.
My hairbrush glided through my hair perfectly with no knots (which is a very rare occurrence) and it dried beautifully.
Of course, your hair is going to look better after you’ve washed it anyway, but this time it had a soft silky shine to it.
I personally think this was a great investment, and I’ll continue to use the mask on a weekly basis.
Get the top stories straight to your inbox by signing up for one of our free newsletters