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Bleaching your hair is inherently damaging. It’s a truth I learned the hard way, after bleaching my brunette strands into snowy-white oblivion, which, eventually, rendered them frail and breakage-prone. Luckily, fortifying hair treatments can mitigate bleach-induced damage — and can also revive hair that’s thinned with age, or breaks easily by nature. My favorite strengthening masks are, frankly, pricey — though, per nearly 1,000 Amazon shoppers who’ve awarded a $14 option from Advanced Clinicals a perfect five-star rating, a solid strengthening mask needn’t cost a small fortune.
The Advanced Clinicals Biotin Hair Treatment Anti-Breakage Repair Hair Mask is a strand-strengthening, cream-based treatment for brittle, thin, and breakage-prone hair. Used twice weekly, the in-shower mask fortifies weak areas in the hair; consequently, it quells breakage and, ultimately, promotes more sustainable growth and healthier hair overall.
Key ingredients include biotin and almond oil. Biotin, a vitamin needed to produce keratin — the “protein that makes up the main structure of your hair,” according to dermatologist Dr. Morgana Colombo, MD — “supports healthy hair.” That said, evidence that topical biotin actually strengthens strands, per se, is lacking, she notes. Almond oil, however, has been shown to fortify feeble strands. “Almond oil is full of protein and vitamin E,” Dr. Colombo shares with InStyle, which “helps with the overall strength of your hair,” in turn, lessening breakage. Furthermore, the ingredient “conditions and moisturizes” strands, thus imparting shine and softness.
The mask is straightforward to use: Simply apply from the roots to the tips, in the shower, ensuring strands are thoroughly saturated. Wait five to 10 minutes, and rinse. In addition to its ease of use, the mask is a treat from an olfactory standpoint per shoppers, who swoon over its “amazing,” fresh scent.
Most importantly, the fortifying formula works as promised. One shopper in their 70s, who’s always worn their hair “short” due to breakage, says the mask has helped them grow hair “down to [their] shoulders.” Another reviewer notes their hair is “so soft, bouncy, and shiny” when they use the mask, while another fan says their fine, mature hair had less breakage after a mere three weeks' use. Finally, one shopper who had “splitting, thinning” strands says the mask stopped breakage and has made their hair “thicker” than before.
For stronger, shinier hair that sheds less, grows more, and appears healthier after a few uses, shop the Advanced Clinicals Biotin Hair Treatment Anti-Breakage Repair Hair Mask at Amazon for $14.