Review | Dove Intensive Repair Self Warming Hair Mask

I’m constantly on the lookout for deep hair treatments. My hair is surprisingly in reasonable condition considering the amount of years I've been dying and styling it, however like most of us, my hair is often in need of a little TLC (especially at this time of year, when the humidity makes me look like a scarecrow). So this evening, I thought... why not try out the Dove Intensive Repair Self-Warming Mask to see if it would help to make a difference?! 

The treatment claims to "generate a gentle heat for a deep hair treatment. This powerful fusion, with KERATIN REPAIR ACTIVITIES (I have no idea why this is capitalised either... maybe to emphasise the overall greatness of this Dove product), penetrates to help repair and restore proteins at a cellular level. Helps restore at the deepest layers to leave hair strong, shiny and up to 10x more resilient against future damage." Well, let's see shall we?

When I first looked at the packaging, I did have a little giggle to myself because it looked like a sample you get in the post instead of a full-sized product BUT once you actually open it (aha!), you will see that inside there is a regenerating treatment mask sachet and a small heat activating serum i.e. the hexagon shaped thing in the photo above. BLOG FACT OF THE DAY: I had to look on the internet to make sure it was actually a hexagon (better to be safe than completely wrong). Now, I know it doesn't look like there's much product in there, but trust me on this one... there is! 

As with most deep conditioning treatments, you have to wash your hair first. I used the Dove Damage Solutions Colour Care shampoo. It smells absolutely wonderful and keeps it looking vibrant and refreshed. I must emphasise the importance of wetting your hair properly BEFORE you apply any sort of shampoo to your scalp (ALWAYS the scalp, NEVER the ends. It isn't necessary and when focusing on your scalp you are washing away the dirt build-up. Conditioner is for the ends... the oldest part of your hair). Whenever I feel like it's time to massage my shampoo in, I always stand under the shower head for just that little bit longer because the wetter it is, the better the shampoo will spread and lather properly. Once you've shampooed the hair, the back of the sachet says to empty it's contents onto just the mid-length and ends of the hair and to leave it in. After that, the heat activating serum is ready to be applied over the top. It will feel very warm as soon as you put it into your hands, so it's best to put it in your hair straight away so it gets the full benefit of the treatment.

It says to leave it in for just three minutes, but I ended up wrapping my head in a towel to make sure the product is warmed even more and left it in for ten minutes instead. It's amazing what you can do in ten minutes... I listened to a few of Backstreet Boy's Greatest Hits (as you do) but it's entirely up to you how you spend your time! When it was time to wash it out, I blasted my hair with freezing cold water instead of lukewarm as it's a proven way to add shine intensity (if you're not crazy like me, then don't do it but it has its benefits!). I noticed afterwards once it had started to air dry that it smelt gorgeous and the ends of my hair felt incredibly softer than before. Different people may get different results when using this Dove treatment, but I am quite pleased with it! Who has used this product and what did you think?