Editors Love IGK’s Semi-Permanent Hair Color Mask

Around these pieces, we like a multi-use beauty product. Vitamin C mineral sun serums have decimated the time I spend in the bathroom before work, and now hybridization has arrived in hair care: thanks to IGK’s new invention, giving you a change Temporary tinting or highlights at home is as easy as using a hair mask.

It almost sounds too good to be true, but after receiving the color deposit mask to test when it launched last month, I’m happy to confirm that there’s no bait and switch. Hair color at home has taken leaps and bounds over the past decade with innovations like semi-permanent tints from Overtone, and the IGK Mask takes the concept one step further with ultra-permanent ingredients. moisturizing and shiny like squalane, meadowfoam oil, spiciness. pear oil and antioxidant-rich quinoa.

To be honest, until recently I was holding back from the siren song of hair coloring for fear of losing my natural color, a dark gold that is probably a little too integral to my sense of self. I’ve always wondered what the life of a redhead would be like, thanks to the combined influences of Kim Possible, Sailor Jupiter, Jessica Rabbit and The parent trap — so when IGK offered to walk me through the process using the copper shade of the mask, it was the perfect storm.

Using the mask couldn’t be simpler: I saturated my dry hair with the thick cream (plastic gloves are a good idea), I left it on for 15 minutes, I washed it in a psychology– color scene swirling down the drain, and voila: my hair was instantly the strawberry blonde shade I’ve always wanted, and it stayed that way for just under two weeks (long enough to make me want to try permanently, TBH ).

Buy now: $29; amazon.com and ulta.com

Your mileage may vary depending on how often you wash your hair, the brand says, and if you want a more sheer effect, applying the mask to damp strands will tone down the tint. True to IGK’s word, the semi-permanent color faded out gracefully; the second week saw me with red highlights and ends, until my natural color finally reasserted itself.

Other reviewers were equally impressed: one Ulta fan said he used it to enhance her blonde highlights between salon visits, while another said it covered her grays and added shine. softness and shine. Like most bleach-free semi-permanent formulas, the amount of color you’ll see largely depends on the starting shade. as one reviewer with “quite dark” hair put it, it only changed their lighter areas. But if you use it for greys, another customer wrote that it gave them 100% coverage in 12 minutes and called the result “excellent”.

I also love that the brand launched with 18 shades, covering both the natural spectrum and adding fun burgundy, blue, and purple options. I’m keeping a bottle of the copper shade “On the Money” in my shower for the foreseeable future, and maybe I’ll see what life in lavender is like. If you want to try it out for yourself, pick up IGK’s Color Deposit Mask for $29 from Amazon or Ulta.