GLOW Standard · Hair · Mask
Five masks worn weekly for six weeks across damaged, dry and over-styled hair. Olaplex took both bond seats. The Kérastase length-repair masque earned its $75.
The verdict
Olaplex No.8 at $49 #1 (9.1/10) · Olaplex No.3 bond-bridging runner-up · Kérastase Resistance Masque length-repair premium · 5 masks · average 8.88/10 · Read the Olaplex review
The best hair mask in Australia is Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask at $49 from MECCA. Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector runs second at $45 from MECCA. Kérastase Resistance Masque Extentioniste is the salon-luxe length-repair pick at $75 from Adore Beauty. All five tested over six weeks by GLOW editorial team across damaged, dry and over-styled hair.
Average GLOW Score across 5 masks tested: 8.88 / 10 · Updated 4 June 2026 · By GLOW Editorial Team, Hair
The ranking · At a glance
| Rank | Product | Best for | Price | GLOW Score | Apply time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture MaskOlaplex · Post-shampoo deep mask | Best overall · Bond + moisture | AU$49MECCA | 9.1 / 10 | 10 minutes |
| 02 | Olaplex No.3 Hair PerfectorOlaplex · Pre-shampoo treatment | Best bond bridge · Pre-shampoo step | AU$45MECCA | 9.0 / 10 | 10+ minutes |
| 03 | Kérastase Resistance Masque ExtentionisteKérastase · Length-repair masque | Best length repair · Salon-grade | AU$75Adore Beauty | 8.9 / 10 | 5 minutes |
| 04 | Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! MaskBriogeo · Clean-formulation mask | Best clean formulation | AU$65MECCA | 8.8 / 10 | 10 minutes |
| 05 | Oribe Hair Alchemy MaskOribe · Luxury strengthening mask | Best luxury · Editorial reach | AU$105Adore Beauty | 8.6 / 10 | 10 minutes |
The picks · June 2026
Ranked by GLOW Score, descending. Six-week weekly-wear panel across three hair conditions, bleached, heat-damaged, length-grown. Each link goes to the brand or retailer.
Rank 01
The bond-repair mask that runs on the No.4 chemistry. Ten minutes, thick application, the deepest softness payoff in the test. Once-weekly for bleached and coloured hair, the post-shampoo step the colour desk runs after a balayage refresh.
Read the Olaplex reviewRank 02
Technically a pre-shampoo treatment, earns a mask spot for the bond-bridging payoff. Ten minutes on damp hair before the wash, the cortex repair is measurable at week three. The first Olaplex product most readers buy.
Read the Olaplex reviewRank 03
Kérastase
Salon-grade length-repair masque. Ceramide and creatine, dialled for hair grown out through colour. Ten-minute mask twice a week, the lengths read measurably stronger at week four.
Rank 04
Briogeo
Clean-formulation deep-conditioning mask from MECCA. Rosehip, algae, B5, B12. The pick when the panel asks for repair without the patented chemistry trade-off, gentle scent, gentle finish.
Rank 05
Oribe
The luxury strengthening mask, the Oribe signature scent, the slow-release polymer, the $105 receipt. The mask the editorial desk reaches for when the brief is hair-as-statement, not just repair.
Also tested · The shortlist
Tested, scored, didn't make the photographic ranking, but earn an honest mention. Each link goes through to the retailer.
Swedish minimal-formulation mask, ocean silk technology, light scent, low slip. The lift for fine-to-medium hair that bloats under heavier deep-conditioners.
Bioactive peptide leave-in, four-minute window, no rinse. The competitor to Olaplex No.3 on cortex-level repair, faster ritual, comparable result on the panel.
Budget repair mask from the cult clean-beauty hair brand, moringa seed oil, glycerin, low-fragrance. The under-$30 buy if Olaplex and Kérastase are out of the budget this week.
30%
Formula
25%
Finish
15%
Slip
15%
Strength
15%
Value
The method · In five axes
Every GLOW ranking runs the same five-axis rubric. Weights are published.
GLOW Standard scores every hair mask against five axes, formula (30%), finish (25%), slip (15%), strength (15%), value (15%). Formula carries the most weight because a mask is concentrated, ingredient choice and concentration drive the cortex-level result.
Finish is the second axis: how the hair reads at the rinse-off and the blowdry. Slip and strength are tracked separately, an over-soft mask wins on slip but loses on the tug-test for strength. Value pulls the $45 No.3 and the $105 Oribe onto the same chart by modelling per-application cost against the panel result at week six.
Full method at GLOW Standard. PR samples accepted and disclosed; affiliate links may appear; neither determines rank.
The method · In full
Every mask in this ranking ran a six-week weekly-wear panel in-house with GLOW hair desk. Three hair conditions, freshly-bleached Type 2A, heat-damaged Type 2C, length-grown coloured Type 2B, were measured at rinse-off, air-dry and Day 3 styling. The tug-test for strength was repeated at week one, week three, week six.
Each mask was applied to mid-lengths and ends, processed for the maximum recommended time on alternating weeks, scored on softness, strength, slip and shine. Heat application (warm towel wrap) was tested separately for the deep-conditioning masks; results held at room temperature for all five.
Olaplex at $45-$49 was judged on the same five-axis rubric as Oribe at $105. The salon-luxe formula does not get a category-winning seat unless it earns a strength result the chemist-shelf cannot match, and Oribe doesn't, which is why it sits #5 not #1 at its price.
PR samples are accepted and disclosed. They carry no influence on rank or inclusion. Affiliate links may appear and never determine placement. Retailer links on this page are tagged rel="nofollow noopener" and routed through our /out/ wrapper. Full method at GLOW Standard.
The range · Axis by axis
Olaplex No.8 and No.3 take the formula axis on the bond-bridging patent. Kérastase Resistance Masque takes third on the ceramide-and-creatine length-repair stack. Briogeo wins the cleanest ingredient list; Oribe wins the slow-release polymer luxury.
No.8 reads as deep softness, the cortex feels rebuilt at the towel-off. No.3 reads as strength, the lengths feel reinforced rather than coated. Kérastase reads as polish; Briogeo reads as bounce; Oribe reads as salon-finish gloss.
Olaplex No.8 leads on slip during detangle; No.3 leads on strength at the tug-test. The two run together in the same wash, No.3 pre, No.8 post. Kérastase Resistance holds the third strength seat behind the Olaplex pair.
Olaplex No.3 at $45 and No.8 at $49 are the price floor in this field. Kérastase at $75 buys the length-repair specialism. Briogeo at $65 buys the clean ingredient list. Oribe at $105 is the luxury reach, the only premium price the Standard cleared on sensorial alone this cycle. Stripped-list brands, Sachajuan, K18, Verb, sit between $30 and $90 and earned honest mentions.
The field note · On hair masks
Hair masks used to be the easy category. Five oils, a butter, twenty minutes under a towel, the conditioner-but-more pitch. The salon-brand monopoly held for fifteen years and the chemist-shelf alternatives lost on shine because nothing else moved the needle on cortex repair.
Then Olaplex showed up with the same patent that built its shampoo, and built two masks on it. No.3 runs pre-shampoo as a bond-bridging treatment; No.8 runs post-shampoo as a deep moisture mask. The pair sits on the colour-desk shelf in every salon worth visiting, and the panel result on bleached hair at week six is the strongest the index has ever recorded. Two seats at the top, both Olaplex, both at MECCA, both under $50. That is the moat.
The three brands stripped to the list, Sachajuan, K18, Verb, all cleared the rubric. K18 is the closest competitor to Olaplex No.3 on cortex-level repair; it loses on slip and on the panel's habit of skipping the four-minute leave-in window. Sachajuan is the right swap for hair that bloats under heavier masks. Verb is the under-$30 entry buy for readers building a routine for the first time. Five winners, three honourable mentions, average GLOW Score 8.88, the strongest mask field the index has run.
The questions · Asked most
Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask at AU$49 from MECCA. GLOW Score 9.1/10, #1 in GLOW's 2026 Hair Mask Index. Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector (9.0) is the pre-shampoo treatment runner-up at $45.
No.3 is a pre-shampoo bond-bridging treatment applied to damp hair before the wash. No.8 is a post-shampoo deep moisture mask applied after rinsing. They are paired tools, not competitors, No.3 for repair, No.8 for softness.
Once a week for damaged or coloured hair. Once a fortnight for healthy hair. Olaplex No.3 can run twice weekly during peak damage windows; No.8 stays at weekly to avoid over-softening.
Yes for length-repair on grown-out coloured hair. Ceramide and creatine target the lengths specifically, and the panel measured stronger mids at week four. For overall bond repair Olaplex No.8 at $49 is the better-value pick.
Yes, apply mid-lengths to ends only, leave for the minimum recommended time, rinse thoroughly. Olaplex No.8 is the lightest of the five winners on the root. Avoid heavy butters near the scalp on fine hair.
Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector (GLOW 9.0) for bond repair, paired with Olaplex No.8 (9.1) for moisture. The two-step protocol the colour desk runs on bleached hair. Kérastase Resistance Masque Extentioniste (8.9) is the salon-luxe alternative.
MECCA stocks Olaplex and Briogeo nationally. Adore Beauty carries Kérastase and Oribe. Salons stock the full Kérastase and Oribe ranges. The five winners sit between $45 and $105.
Olaplex No.8 (GLOW 9.1) wins on patented bond chemistry. Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! (8.8) wins on clean ingredient list and price-per-millilitre. Olaplex is the default for chemically-treated hair; Briogeo is the clean-formulation swap.