Essential Ultra Honey & Shea Butter Intensive Hair Mask

I'm actually using this as my "hair conditioner" at the gym. I found out that I had bought way more shampoo than I have bought conditioner... either that or it's my Shampoo Conspiracy Theory at work. I wound up with no conditoner and I was rushing off to the gym. Decided to plop in the Essential Ultra Honey & Shea Butter Intensive Hair Mask instead. Hey, hair mask = better than conditioner right? And since I go to the gym every 2-3 days, it follows the recommended frequency of how often we need to do hair masks!

The bottle is REALLY REALLY cute. It comes in a baby pink, semi-translucent jar. The hair mask inside is a buttery yellow, all very cutesy. Generally, I don't like products that come in packaging that makes me have to dip my fingers inside, but with things like hair masks, body scrubs and body butters, it seems like the industry standard is jars and they've just stuck with that.

The first time I opened the jar --- I nearly died. And not in a good way. The product stinks like crap! You know that rather-horrible smell you get when you walk past hair salons? Imagine it all concentrated and stuck into a pink jar. There you have it. It's noxious and nauseating. I read a review that said it smells amazing and smells like honey. Girl, are you high on drugs? Have you not smelled what real honey smells like?

Braving the smell, I smoothed a generous amount down my freshly-shampoo-ed hair and waited. The general waiting time is about 15 minutes - which is cool with me. It's not too long that you end up shivering in the shower. I used to have hair mask that I would allow to "sit in" for 30 minutes. Usually that meant I towelled up and sat in front of the laptop reading blogs.

When I rinsed off the hair mask, I could instantly feel how smooth and tangle-free my hair had become! It has really great results, and for that I could easily overlook the stench scent of the product. After drying off, I feel like my hair is bouncier and is has more volume... and on top of all that - smooth and manageable. Thanks to this hair mask, I feel like my hair still looks sleek even though it's been quite a while since my last hair rebonding session!

If I remember correctly - there are two different types of product under this Essential range. One is the pink one called "Nuance Airy" and the orangey-yellow one is called Rich Premier. I have both product ranges, but not for the same products. Which is a pity, because I find this hair mask so awesome (minus the smelly bits) that I would like to try it under both ranges! The "Nuance Airy" one is supposed to be for more light & bouncy hair, while the "Rich Premier" one is more for smooth & managable hair. Lol! This is funny, because I find that my "Nuance Airy" hair mask gave me the "Rich Premier" AND "Nuance Airy" results!

The Intensive Hair Mask is said to contain 3x more high purity honey and milk protein, which can provide you the intensive care needed for severely damaged hair. And as their blogger ambassador keeps stressing - ESPECIALLY THE LAST 15 CM! For me, I apply all over my hair, not just the last 15 cm.. :P

All in all it gives limp and flat hair a light & bouncy feel, the honey & milk protein protects and strengthens hair while shea butter repairs and moisturises. I find this product so indulgent for your hair! You hardly hear hair products containing so much goodness, right?

On the negative side (aside from the smell), it's a rather pricey product, and I can't get this in Malaysia. Bought this during one of my SG hauls... :)