If you’re like me, your hair takes a beating during the winter. Freezing temps, strong winds, strands becoming a knotted mess between that bulky coat and scarf — it’s the cruelest season for your locks. When mine feel like they could use a little TLC, I reach for my favorite hair mask: NatureLab Tokyo’s Perfect Repair Treatment Masque. This plant-based, cruelty-free formula is safe for color-treated hair and promises to leave behind a hydrated and shiny mane. And you know what? It works.

NatureLab Tokyo’s Perfect Repair Treatment Masque is rich but lightweight, packed with coconut oil, prickly pear oil and bamboo extract. It’s a miracle mixture formulated to help strengthen and protect both hair and scalp. I love that the formula is free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oil and gluten, too.

I reach for the product at least once a week during winter, but, according to the brand, you can use it up to three times a week (there’s no need for conditioner when you use the mask). I have long hair, so I take about half of a handful, starting at my ends and working my way up to the scalp. After leaving the mask on for three to five minutes, I rinse it out. My hair is so much smoother and more hydrated than before — but never greasy — and my ends feel like they were just trimmed at the salon.

In addition to delivering great results, this mask happens to have an amazing scent. I can’t get enough of it. With hints of green tea and cypress, it conjures the feeling of a fancy spa.

I’m not the only fan of the NatureLab Tokyo’s Masque — it’s earned scores of five-star reviews on Amazon.

One pleased shopper shared: “This is the best hair mask I have used! I’ve bought different brands but this is by far the best! It does not coat your hair, it nourishes it! I have suffered from thin hair and this [has] helped….”

Another fan wrote, “If your hair feels like hay, this product is for you…. This product is absolutely divine. I have been searching for YEARS for something like this. It makes my hair feel like literal silk. The directions say to apply to the scalp, as well as the strands, which I questioned at first thinking it would make my scalp greasy. NOPE! It’s just a magical way to make your scalp feel fresh, and restored. It’s a bit of a task to rinse it out, but it’s worth it. The scent smells like fresh greens, which is lovely in a hot shower.”

A third happy customer reported: “…This stuff has been amazing especially at the price point. My hair looks and feels fuller and softer. All big bonuses especially since the texture has started to change as I get older. [The mask] doesn’t mess with my color, has smoothed out the couple of wild silvers I’ve grown in and has drastically improved my ends…”

NatureLab Tokyo

The prickly pear oil in this deep conditioning treatment protects your hair against free radicals and UV rays. And the fragrance is amazing. 

$19 at Amazon$19 at Ulta Beauty

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.