You can spend hours in a colorist’s chair getting the most beautiful, high-end highlights (and spend a fortune doing so), but if you go home and use a stripping shampoo, you’re washing that rich-girl color down the drain. You can apply a luxe night mask every evening, but if you’re not actually getting those eight hours of quality rest—then it really means nothing come morning. And as one of our favorite hairstylists Matt Newman shared recently on his TikTok, if you’re making this very common hair care mistake, then you’re wasting money. “If you’re not leaving your hair mask on for at least three to five minutes, you’re not getting the full benefits and you’re kinda wasting your money,” says Newman. See, a lot of folks make the mistake of applying them like a conditioner: Apply on the strands, work in for a bit, then rinse out. But in order for these hydrating ingredients to penetrate the hair fiber, they need time to actually do the work. If sitting in the shower for an extra five minutes seems wasteful to you (I get it, I’m trying to take shorter showers), then apply your mask on dry hair prior to getting in. A bonus: This will allow your hair to drink up the formula!
