4 members of our beauty team with different hair types review this viral £40 hair mask

It is so easy to damage your hair - annoyingly easy. Heat styling, sun damage, bleaching, and tight hairstyles can wreak havoc on your strands, so it’s essential to have a couple of healers in your hair routine to keep your locks smooth and silky.

Even the best hair masks usually only provide hair with an extra hit of hydration or a richer form of nourishment, but Color Wow Dreaming Treatment promises to actually repair hair breakage. By resurfacing each strand and sealing cuticles, it leaves hair with a smoother, shinier look, and prevents humidity from getting into the follicles, which is what leads to the puffy, fluffy look.

So, how did it measure up when four members of our beauty team, all with different hair types, put it to the test? And how did it measure up to other repairers, like K18 and Olaplex? Let's dive into this Color Wow Dreaming Treatment review.

Color Wow Dreaming Hair Treatment - tested on four hair types

First impressions

Color Wow Dreaming Hair Treatment is housed in a very on-brand shiny silver tub. Once opened, the first thing you'll notice is the scent - it's fresh, clean and luxurious - like a posh washing powder.

The treatment looks and feels different from many hair masks we've tried. It's quite a thick cream; it's borderline a solid. The texture it most resembles is good French butter - firm, but it will soften on contact.

How does it perform?

Rhiannon Derbyshire, Senior Beauty Editor

Hair type: Naturally dry 3A curls, damaged by bleach

The telltale sign I like something is when I start to hoard it - I’ve been using this mask for a couple of months now, and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve squirrelled away four tubs. To cut to the chase, this is the best hair mask I’ve ever used - and I’ve used a lot of them.

I wasn’t initially very excited to try this - I’m quite apprehensive of using products that aren’t specifically designed for curly hair, but I was amazed at the results. I use masks for almost every hair wash, and this is unlike any other I’ve tried - the rich texture melts into hair, and within seconds, it feels softened and silky.

I can tell in the shower whether it’s going to be a good hair day - and every time I used this, I could tell it was going to be a great one. My curls were always springy, defined, and shiny after using it.

One of the best parts I noticed was how long my hair stayed moisturised and soft - I only wash my hair once a week, and usually by day four it starts to look a bit parched and undefined (note the 'before' picture). With this, I was silky well into days five and six.

Sarah Cooper-White, Beauty Director

Hair type: Fine, bleached blonde

This is silicone-free, which I was a bit worried about - controversially, my hair always looks better using formulas containing silicone. The first impressions were great - it left my hair looking really silky. I was in the south of France while testing this, and it really works to prevent puffy, fluffy hair from humidity - it stayed looking sleek for much longer than it normally would have.

On the second day, it did look a bit lank - I think the texture might be a bit heavy for my fine hair, and I wonder if the lack of silicone is a factor. I've been told that it can take a while for hair to adjust to silicone-free formulas, which I think might have contributed to the flatness.

Personally, I prefer to use a good conditioner rather than masks, so I’m not sure Color Wow Dreaming Treatment is quite right for my routine - but I could see it really working for someone with thicker, more unruly hair.

Stephanie Maylor, Beauty editor

Hair type: Coarse, frizz-prone

I am a huge fan of Color Wow - they can do no wrong in my eyes. I love their original Money mask, so I had high hopes for this formula, especially as I’ve started lightening my hair with bleach, so it’s in need of some extra TLC.

It did make a noticeable difference to my hair - it felt smoother and much less frizzy - and I love the scent. With its richer texture, this works better than the Money mask as a longer-lasting solution. I like to use this as a whole-day treatment - I loaded it on, then let it sit in a bun all day - the improvement was more obvious the longer it sat in my hair.

Having weighed it up, I think for my hair type, it’s not quite as effective as the Money mask - I need more hydration, whereas this focuses more on repairing, but I was impressed by its frizz-banishing capabilities.

Aleesha Badkar, Beauty eCommerce editor

Hair type: Dry, frizz-prone, oily scalp

I was so impressed by how smooth my hair looked after using this - especially my ends, which usually look frazzled thanks to damage from colouring. It made blow-drying a lot easier, and the finished look was so sleek and glossy - my colour looked more vivid too.

I really enjoyed using it, and I’m looking forward to carrying on - it works through hair nicely, washes out easily, and smells lovely. I’m a huge fan!

How does it compare?

Having tried a lot of the best ways to repair damaged hair, how does this treatment compare? Well, we'd say it's easier to incorporate than the cult Olaplex No3 treatment - nobody loves an extra step. It's also simpler to navigate than the K18 mask. With the Color Wow Dreaming Hair Treatment, you use it in place of your conditioner. You can leave it in for as long as you like, but the brand recommends at least 2-3 minutes.

As it's a repairing treatment rather than a hair mask, you may not find it as hydrating as other hair masks, so if your hair is naturally dehydrated, it might not be nourishing enough. However, if it's fragile or damaged, you'll notice an improvement from the first wash.

Color Wow Dreaming Hair Treatment: the W&H verdict

This Color Wow Dreaming Hair Treatment review verdict really comes down to your hair type. Our testers with the most fragile, damaged hair were impressed. They noticed an improvement immediately, and their hair stayed smoother and softer for longer.

All testers said that the difference to frizzy hair was the most noticeable - it's one of the best hair products for humidity we've tried for a long time.

If your hair is fine (that being, thinner and also generally well-behaved and not damaged), you might prefer the brands' Money mask - another cult favourite - for its hydrating, nourishing benefits. If your hair is coarse or damaged, you'll love the Dreaming formula.