Review: Straand The Halo Hydrator Calming Hydration Scalp Mask

If you don't get an itchy scalp in the Winter, you're either superhuman, or I'd like to know your secret! I will say that I didn't previously get an irritated scalp in the cooler months, back when I was younger, but over time, my scalp, like the skin on my face, has changed, and it now seem to be more susceptible to the extreme weather. As such, in the Winter, I tend to go for skincare that targets dryness, and the same applies to my shampoo and conditioner. In fact, this time, I thought I'd try a scalp mask that would specifically aim to keep the skin of my scalp calm and hydrated, so say hello to the Straand The Halo Hydrator Calming Hydration Scalp Mask!

 

I became familiar with Straand back when I bought something from Cult Beauty, and you can read my first post on the brand over here, and I was pleasantly surprised to see them being carried in Sephora. For anyone who might be keen, there's also a hair perfume that smells divine, but I digress. This is a hydrating gel mask that's meant to help soothe the scalp by hydrating it, so that it can relieve itching and flaking. It's supposed to prime and protect the hair shaft, so that it's meant to reduce frizz and help give your conditioner a big hit of moisture.

 

 

 Essentially, this is supposed to help prime the scalp, making it so that it can stay hydrated for longer, and be prepared for environmental stressors. This comes in a large standard orange jar, with a baby blue screw cap, and I was surprised to see a clear gel mask when I first opened it. I was further surprised by the cooling sensation that I experienced when I smoothed this all over my scalp, and subsequently, all through my hair. For this to work, it has to be worked into the skin of the scalp, which means that you have to clear a path for it by sectioning the hair, so that you can rub it directly into the skin, letting it work on the roots. 

You're meant to leave it on for 10 to 30 minutes, or even overnight, if you're a keen bean! Once you've rinsed it out, you're then meant to work your shampoo and conditioner through the hair as you would normally. This scalp mask relies on some beautiful ingredients, like niacinamide to help strengthen the skin barrier and calm the skin, as well as aloe vera to help moisturise it, and hyaluronic acid to give it that massive hydration boost. 

 

 

I don't find this to cause the colour of my hair to run anymore than I would with any other in shower hair product, which I appreciate. It has a bit of a minty scent that I find refreshing, and I find that to get this to work, I section my hair before breaking the mask out, so that I can really rub it in without wasting large gobs of it on my hair. This is truly a scalp specific mask, as the label states, and it doesn't do much for my hair itself, but it does seem to help settle the discomfort that I sometimes run into when the air is too dry, or I've been in the company of too many heating devices. I use this on an as needed basis, and even though I can only manage to keep it on for about 10 minutes each time, it still seems to do the trick. It retails for about $32 for 150ml, and you can find it over here. Have you ever tried a scalp mask?