You know that feeling when everyone on the internet is raving about a product? Like “OMG this saved my hair!!” or “Holy grail hair mask, I’ve repurchased 1000x!!” Well, that’s what happened with the UNOVE Deep Damage Treatment Ex. TikTok. Reddit. YouTube. Pinterest boards. I couldn’t escape it.

So I bought it. Of course I did. My dry, frizzy hair was begging for a miracle. It had been through heat styling, winter air, and one ill-advised box dye from CVS. I thought this was going to be the product that finally turned it all around.

I was wrong.

Let’s talk first impressions: The packaging is fine. Clean, aesthetic. Smells okay, kinda like a floral salon scent, nothing too strong. The texture? Thick, creamy, promising. I slathered it on in the shower with the kind of hope you reserve for therapy and prayer. Left it in for five minutes. Rinsed.

At first, I was like, okay… feels smooth. Maybe this is working?

But then it dried.

😐

My hair dried into a dull, heavy, greasy-but-still-frizzy disaster. It felt limp. It felt coated in something I couldn’t wash off. And no, I didn’t overuse it—I used a moderate amount, followed the directions, even tried less the second time. But every time I used it, my hair came out looking worse. Like I deep-fried it in fancy lotion. Soft at first touch, yes—but completely lifeless and sad by the time it dried.

To make things worse? The buildup. I thought it was just a one-off, so I gave it a week. Used it again. And by the third use, my hair started feeling like it was rejecting conditioner entirely. Tangly. Slippery at the roots, crunchy at the ends. I was losing MORE hair in the shower than usual, which freaked me out enough to stop using it cold turkey.

I also noticed little breakouts creeping along my hairline and nape, something I never get unless a product is comedogenic. So I checked the ingredients again and yeah—coconut oil + panthenol + some heavy occlusives? Might work for some, but my hair and scalp just hated it.

And don’t get me started on the keratin.

Everyone always talks about how keratin is great for strengthening—but overdo it, and it can make your hair brittle. I think this mask pushed me into protein overload territory without even trying that hard. I could feel my strands snapping easier when I brushed.

TL;DR:

Hair felt limp and coated

Caused buildup and mini breakouts

Made my hair fall out more during wash days

Didn’t hydrate or repair the way it promised

Zero shine, zero bounce—just dull puffball energy

$18 down the drain (thanks Amazon)

And before someone comes for me—yes, I tried clarifying. Yes, I double-checked it wasn’t my shampoo. I even paused everything else in my routine to test this one product. I wanted it to work. I was ready to make an “it changed my life” TikTok. But instead? I’m writing a rage post on Reddit while wearing a bun because I can’t even face my hair right now.

So if you’re out there thinking this will be your miracle hair mask? Maybe it will be. But maybe it’ll also turn your head into a sad, heavy mess like it did to mine. Proceed with caution.

Final rating: 2/10

(+2 only because the bottle looks cute in my bathroom and it didn’t catch fire)