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No matter the length, texture, or style of our hair, we’re always on the hunt for ways to make every last strand as lustrous as possible. But between monthly color appointments, an affinity for hot tools, and unpredictable weather conditions, this is no easy task; our hair has to contend with the big three: chemicals, heat, and Mother Nature.
So when we hear talk of a “wonder” product that promises to restore hair to its “virgin” condition, our interest is naturally piqued. Especially when said product has over 6,500 5-star ratings, each gushing with praise. Meet Coco & Eve’s Like A Virgin Hair Masque, $38, which is packed with a mix of raw virgin coconut, fig, shea butter, linseed, and argan oils, and is described as “pure paradise for your hair”.
Not to be confused with your daily conditioner, a hair mask is more intense, usually thicker in texture and can be left on for anywhere from three to 15 minutes — sometimes even overnight if your strands are in need of some extra TLC. “Daily conditioners just touch the surface of the hair,” says expert colorist, Renee Pelc. They do so by lowering the pH of your hair, adds Pelc, which makes it appear smooth and shiny. As well as an abundance of smoothing, shine-enhancing ingredients, this mask also boasts what the brand refers to as AquaSeal, which it says “strengthens and repairs hair” by minimizing split and broken ends.
Curious as to whether Coco & Eve lives up to its promises, we put Like A Virgin to the test on an array of hair types. Read on for our honest thoughts.
“I’ve always been very low maintenance with my hair. I’m embarrassed to admit that it took dying it for the first time last year (to cherry coke red) and then again recently (back to my natural dark brown), to learn how important deep conditioning really is. As you can see from my before picture, my hair is fine with a slight wave. I tend to air-dry it and often sleep on it wet (hello, I said low maintenance!) and so it tends to get pretty frizzy. My scalp is dry and sensitive, and has a tendency to itch and flake when imbalanced. Plus, I’ve recently had an issue with hair falling out and breakage (probably due to the coloring). After using Coco & Eve’s Like A Virgin Hair Masque, I noticed a subtle but instant difference. Yes, my hair looks thicker, healthier, glossier and the color is more intense, but my hair and scalp also feel great: my scalp is soothed and noticeably more flake-free; my hair feels stronger and is breaking off far less. Add to that the absolutely divine scent (like the tropical holiday of my dreams) and it’s a winner in my books.”
“I am no stranger to the transformative powers of a nourishing hair mask. They play a strong role in my afro hair care routine — my dry 4B hair needs all the moisture it can get. However, I’m currently wearing a sew-in with leave-out, so it can be tricky to treat both my natural hair and curly extensions — some hair products I use for my natural curls don’t always help maintain my extensions and vice versa. Still, my hair needed a treat. Coco & Eve is described as a ‘curl-conscious brand’ so I felt I was in safe hands. The brand’s super nourishing coconut and fig hair mask promises to reduce frizz and make hair more manageable and for the most part, it succeeded.
“My wash days always feel like an extreme sport but this experience was easier than normal. First, I shampooed my hair paying close attention to my leave-out and scalp, and removed any dried gel and mousse products. After I rinsed, I clipped my leave-out away and cleansed my extensions with L’Oréal Curl Professionnel Moisturizing Shampoo, $25.20, then separated my curls (this took a long time). While damp, I went straight in with the hair mask. At first impressions, it smelled gorgeous, like summer and tropical beach vacations. The mask’s consistency wasn’t too thick (lighter than what I’m used to) and glided straight through my hair, making it easy for me to go in with my Denman D3 brush, $21.95, and define my curls. I typically hate detangling my hair but this hair mask made the process far easier. I popped on a shower cap and luxuriated for 10 minutes to allow the mask to work its magic. After I rinsed, my hair felt soft and looked shiny and silky. Before the mask, the ends of my hair were brittle and bushy, yet now my curls are super-defined and soft. I’m very impressed. I added a curl cream (Mielle Coil Custard, $12.99, to my leave-out and Christophe Robin Luscious Curl Cream, $19.20, throughout) plus gel to keep my curls defined all day and blend with my extensions. I then diffused my hair to about 70% dry. My hair is bouncy and flowy and looks significantly more vibrant. I do wonder how it would fair on my natural ’fro (4A-4B) as I tend to prefer heavy-duty masks for extra moisture, especially after a protective style. Still, I’d recommend!”
“Even though I don’t have a lot of hair, I love to condition my virgin, 3B curls regularly to maintain moisture and shine. I use Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep-Conditioning Treatment, $31, two or three times a month. It works well to reduce frizz (which I get a lot of), reduce breakage, and define my curl pattern. After reading some of the reviews of this Coco & Eve masque, I was excited to potentially add a new treatment to the rotation.
“Overall, the Like a Virgin masque really moisturized my hair and made it feel super silky. Application-wise, I used a generous amount after shampooing — generous enough that my hair was slicked down — and kept it in for 30 minutes (longer than the five to 10 minute recommendation, but I got distracted). Since my hair is so short I can’t really comment on the resulting volume or thickness, but the next morning, my hair definitely felt softer, shinier, and less frizzy.
“Now, I personally wouldn’t drop near $40 for this mask as there are plenty of better alternatives for specific hair types (I still prefer Elasticizer for my hair); but if you’re looking for a fancy, nice-smelling treatment, I’d say go for it.”
“‘Use a generous amount’ is hands down one of my favorite phrases in the English language. In a moment where so much of our behavior is dictated by the ongoing cost of living crisis, the Coco & Eve Like A Virgin hair masque liberates us, albeit temporarily, from the tyranny of a scarcity mindset. And while use a generous amount I definitely did, the product didn’t feel at all heavy or oily going on (my hair is super fine, so this is something I’m pretty paranoid about). Similarly, it washed out really well — it left my still-wet hair feeling silky but not weighed down by lingering residue. I’m a naturally impatient person who is not a proponent of the everything shower, so I left the mask on for about five minutes (five to 10 minutes is the recommendation), which was more than enough to notice the effects. It worked really well as a detangler and left my hair smelling incredible — the coconut and fig scent was neither overpowering nor artificial smelling. In the interests of an uncontaminated test, I didn’t apply any of the products I usually would, and instead just clipped it up and left it to air-dry. It definitely added volume and encouraged my natural waves, leaving my hair feeling super soft but again, not at all weighed down. As you can see from my after picture, my hair is prone to frizziness and flyaways — I remedied this by working some hair oil through the ends.”
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