Review: Hask Mint Almond Oil Thickening Haircare Collection

I’ve never been one of those people who are really attached to a hair regimen, but I’ve also never been one to explore different types of haircare either; so when I had the opportunity to try the Hask Almond Mint collection from BrandBacker, I thought “Why not?”.

Now, just for the sake of background, here’s a little info about my hair: I have straight hair that’s pretty thick and can get coarse and become prone to split ends if not conditioned well, otherwise the texture is pretty soft. I don’t have any particular dryness, fineness, or frizziness but I typically use a very moisturizing and heavy conditioner anyway. Due to this, my hair ends up being quite silky smooth, but also hard to style and hold a curl. My hair tends to shed a lot but I still don’t have many thinning problems.

With all of that said, I already knew going in that the Thickening line was probably not going to be my best fit, but I really wanted to put it to the test and try something new for once. I normally go for Argan or Macadamia Nut oils in my haircare, which Hask also has lines of, but like I said it was time to step outside the box. Before we get started though, here is my general disclaimer on working with brands.

Thickening Shampoo

• Formula- This is pretty much your average shampoo consistency, but it is more milky colored than clear in the bottle. It lathers very generously, so a little goes a long way. 3.5/5
• Ingredients- I don’t know much about haircare ingredients, but I don’t see many natural ingredients until the eighth ingredient down. The key ingredients, though look pretty good. 2.5/5
  • Ginseng- Stimulates hair growth and combats hair loss.
  • Gleditschia- Known to cure dandruff, head fungi, prevent hair loss, stimulate hair growth, giving hair a smooth and silky appearance. (source)
  • White Nettle- Also a hair loss combatant/ hair growth promoter. Also,”Nettle blocks excess DHT (dihydrotestosterone) – the number one hormone responsible for hair loss.” (source)
  • Bio 3 Complex- A stimulating thickening complex.
  • Keratin- Decreases drying and styling time, adds moisture and shine, and de-frizzes.
• Scent- All of these products smell faintly familiar of the Mint Julips lip scrub from Lush— like mint and chocolate goodness. The shampoo is a little more almond and tea tree smelling, though. 4.5/5
• Packaging- The packaging is very basic dark plastic bottle with a pop top cap. 3/5
• Effectiveness- As far as thickening, I haven’t noticed a difference, however this claims to also invigorate and volumize which I find is more accurate. 3/5

Pros:

• Very affordable, at less than $6 for 12 fl. oz.
• Free of: sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, drying alcohol and artificial colors.
• This gives me a completely different texture to my hair that I find easier to style. The ends are a bit fuller and I definitely have more volume and body. This is very invigorating and refreshing to the scalp and feels very cleansing.

Cons:

• I don’t know much about hair ingredients, but I do see a few PEGs, chlorides, and added fragrance among other long chemical sounding ingredients.
• The packaging is pretty cheap, and I don’t particularly like this type of cap as it is hard to get the last of the product towards the end.

Thickening Conditioner

• Formula- This is a pretty thin consistency for conditioner; very lightweight and similar in texture to the Wen cleansing conditioner, if you’re familiar with that. 4/5
• Ingredients- The key ingredients remain the same as above, with a few added bonuses. There still isn’t an abundance of ingredients I recognize, though. 3/5
  • Coconut Oil- Adds luster, shine, and softness to preserve the ends.
  • Shea Butter- Contains vitamins A & E which aid in moisturizing the hair.
• Scent- Again, this smells like Lush Mint Julips and even more so with the conditioner. It’s much richer in scent and a bit more chocolatey smelling. 4.5/5
• Packaging- Same as the shampoo, see above. 3/5
• Effectiveness- Again, I still haven’t seen a bunch of thickening happening but it does give volume and fullness to my hair. This isn’t as moisturizing as I had hoped, but my hair is still soft. It also alters my hair texture and I find that it gives me more of a wave and the drier texture allows for easier styling. 3.5/5

Pros:

• See above, they’re all the same.

Cons:

• Also the same, see above.

 

Root Thickening Spray

• Formula- This is a liquid spray. It’s not very fine or airy, but it’s alright. 3/5
• Ingredients- The key ingredients are ginseng, gleditschia, and white nettle. My opinions remain the same as before. 2.5/5
• Scent- Just like the rest of the line, but with a bit more pepperminty smell. 4/5
• Packaging- This is a pretty standard spray bottle, and the product is distributed nicely without being very spotty. 3/5
• Effectiveness- I haven’t really noticed a difference at all with this, to be honest. I spray it in before blowdrying and still find the the roots are not that lifted, which is one of my “problem areas”. 1/5

Pros & Cons:

• Same as before.

Conclusion: I’ve only been through 4-5 uses, so maybe I haven’t used it long enough to see a difference. Or it might be that my hair is already pretty thick. Either way, I don’t think that I’d particularly purchase these again, but I will finish them. I do like that this gives me a new texture that I can easily style so I don’t think I will use this every day, but rather on an as needed basis for when I plan to style my hair or when I feel like switching things up. It is a pretty affordable line, however, so if you are dealing with fine or thin hair problems I would give this a try since there is a few nice ingredients in here including keratin. Overall, though, I just don’t think that this is the right fit for me, as I suspected in the beginning. 3/5

If you are interested in checking out these products you can purchase them at most drugstores or using the links above. You can also check out other Hask products at their website here. That’s a wrap on this week’s post! Be sure to stay connected with me on social media using the links below.

 

All my love,

Megan

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