As I continue transitioning all of my hair products to those with clean ingredients, I was recently introduced to the brand Amika, which is known for being both clean beauty certified as well as sustainable. With bright packaging and a signature vanilla, clove, and citrus scent, Amika’s products are also known to be paraben, phthalate, SLS and SLES free, as well as vegan, cruelty free, and color-safe.

I prefer to use hair masks instead of conditioner as I have color-treated hair and shampoo my hair daily; they add extra hydration, minimize split ends, and add lots of shine. Two of Amika’s masks are bestsellers – the soulfood nourishing mask (with orange packaging) and the hydro rush intense moisture mask with hyaluronic acid (blue packaging). The masks seem very similar and are highly rated with thousands of 4+ star reviews on Sephora, so I decided to try both to see which is best.

amika soulfood nourishing mask review

Amika’s soulfood nourishing mask is specifically designed for dryness and works for all hair types (1-4) and all porosity. You can apply it weekly in place of conditioner, and the directions say to leave it it on for 5-7 minutes. While this mask does not contain mineral oil, it is not silicone-free and I kept that in mind when seeing how my hair felt after. Silicones can add surface-level softness, but it’s almost a band-aid effect.  

The texture of this mask is similar to a conditioner, and it was very easy to work through my hair. The scent is Amika’s signature vanilla meets clove and citrus scent; it’s very light and didn’t trigger a migraine.

One downside to this mask is it does contain alcohol, which dries out your hair, so while I do like it as a weekly hydrating mask, I would not use this exclusively as I do think it can affect the strength and hydration of your hair over time.  

This mask retails for $34 and even using it every day, it has lasted me at least two months so far, so I do think it’s worth the price. I subscribe on Amazon (one delivered every 4 months) to save around 10% each delivery.

You can buy the soulfood nourishing mask here.

amika hydro rush intense moisture mask with hyaluronic acid 

The hydro rush intense moisture mask with hyaluronic acid is specifically made for dry, coarse 2c-4c hair with low porosity. Meant to be used weekly, this works best when you leave it on for 5-10 minutes and use it weekly. This mask is targets intense dryness and dehydration, and unlike the soulfood mask, it is silicone free.

The texture of this mask is much thicker than the soulfood mask; it’s whipped almost feels like a body butter. I found this slightly harder to work through my hair, and even after the 10-minute mark, it felt it sat on my hair, instead of soaking in like the soulfood mask did. After letting my hair air-dry, I also felt like my hair felt drier and more brittle than before using the mask. Because this isn’t specifically designed for my hair type, I also had my mom try this and she had similar results. Her gray her felt slightly frizzier and harder to style the next day, so I’m not sure how beneficial this hair mask ultimately.

This mask retails for $42, and if you use it once a week as directed, I think it would last at least a few months; it’s available to purchase here. You can also save by subscribing on Amazon.

which amika mask is better - soulfood nourishing mask or the hydro rush intense moisture mask with hyaluronic acid?

Overall, I recommend the Amika soulfood nourishing mask over the hydro rush intense moisture mask with hyaluronic acid. While the hydro rush mask felt more like a mask as it was thick and almost had a whipped texture, I found that it tended to sit on my hair rather than fully soak in – even after I left it on for 15+ minutes.  

comparing amika hair masks for shine, softness, dryness, frizziness, and low porosity hair 

• For shine, I recommend the soulfood nourishing mask as the silicones do add superficial shine and a gloss-like effect to hair.

• Amika’s soulfood nourishing mask made my hair noticeably softer and sleeker than the hydro rush intense moisture mask, even if I used the soulfood mask like conditioner and washed it out immediately.

• If you have dry or frizzy hair, I would recommend the soulfood nourishing mask as I noticed the other one made my hair noticeably drier.

• The hydro rush intense moisture mask is specifically designed for those with low porosity hair, so if you have 2c-4c hair type, it would probably be the one to try.

• The soulfood nourishing mask is better for fine hair.

• When it comes to price, the hydro rush intense moisture mask is $42 and the soulfood nourishing mask is $34, so there’s an $8 difference. The soulfood mask is cheaper and also easier to use, so I’d recommend that one.   

For a list of my all-time favorite hair masks, click here.

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