amika was founded in Brooklyn in 2007, and the name means friend in Esperanto, which the brand says stands for community and the beauty of diversity. Its chief executive Chelsea Riggs, a founding member, told Forbes in September 2026 that amika is a Brooklyn-born, salon-raised brand. You can feel that in the products. They are made for people who wash, style and repeat, not for a shelf of fancy jars.

The amika Soulfood nourishing mask is the one most people start with. amika says it is made with jojoba seed oil and its signature sea buckthorn, a berry the brand calls one of the most potent omega-rich plant sources, to restore lipids and add shine. The brand also claims hair is more than eleven times more moisturized and up to 91 percent more manageable after use. amika describes it as rich and creamy but never heavy, which is rare for a mask this thick.

Use it once a week, after shampoo, in place of your conditioner. If your hair is very dry or bleached, use it twice. Leave it on for three to five minutes, longer if you have time, and work it through with your fingers so it reaches the ends, where hair is oldest and driest.

The first grid is amika, Soulfood plus seven other masks and treatments from the same line. The second grid is eight other hair masks I compared them with. My tip: squeeze the water out with a towel before you apply any mask, because a dripping head dilutes it before it can do anything.

Soulfood Nourishing Hair Mask is the most reviewed amika product here, and it is the everyday mask for all textures. Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Hair Mask is the thirsty-hair pick, with squalane and hyaluronic acid, and it has one of the higher ratings in this grid. Dream Routine is an overnight mask with hyaluronic acid that you sleep in and rinse out in the morning.

For frizz, Smooth Over is a sixty-second rinse-out treatment the brand says cuts frizz by 73 percent, even in humidity, and Frizz-Me-Not is a heat-activated formula that locks in three days of frizz protection. Both are for smooth styles, not curls you want to keep springy.

The Kure Intense Strength Repair Hair Mask is for breakage from bleach or heat, and it is the one I would pick if your ends snap. Soulstruck is a dry, leave-in mask in a spray, with no rinse needed, and it has the highest rating in this grid. The Wizard is a light, silicone-free detangling primer that protects up to 450 degrees.

What I would skip: Soulfood and Hydro Rush in the same week on fine hair. One is plenty, and two can leave your roots flat and your ends greasy by day two.

K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask has the most reviews in this edit, but it works differently from the rest. It is a leave-in treatment for damage, used on towel-dried hair after shampoo instead of conditioner, not a creamy weekly mask. Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask is the most reviewed rinse-out mask in this grid, made with argan oil for medium to thick, dry hair.

OUAI Treatment Mask is for fine to medium hair, with shea butter, panthenol and keratin. Gisou Honey Gloss Ceramide Therapy uses the brand's Mirsalehi honey and ceramides for shine. Vegamour HYDR-8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask shares the top rating here and focuses on frizz and strength.

adwoa beauty Baomint Deep Conditioning Treatment is the one for dry, textured hair, and it has the other top rating. Oribe Signature Moisture Masque is the rich, silky one. Briogeo Superfoods Avocado and Kiwi Mega Moisture Mask is protein-free, which matters if protein makes your hair stiff.

If your hair is fine, look at the OUAI mask. If it is thick or curly, look at Moroccanoil and adwoa beauty. If it is damaged from bleach, start with K18.

What I would skip: a heavy mask right before a blow dry on fine hair. Save it for an air-dry day.

I think the amika Soulfood nourishing mask is a good weekly habit for most hair, because it softens without much weight. If your hair is thirstier, try Hydro Rush, and if it breaks, use the Kure. Compare it with Moroccanoil if you have thick hair, or K18 if you bleach. Whatever you pick, leave it on for a few minutes, rinse with cool water, and go easy on heat that day. Your hair will tell you within two washes whether the mask is right for it.