We purchased the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask for our writer to put to the test. Keep reading for our full, hands-on product review.
The Bottom Line
For anyone who wants to bring their hair back from the brink, it’s well worth having the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask on standby. It’s the perfect treatment for hair that’s dried out, stressed, or needs a treat. After just one use, hair will feel noticeably smoother, softer, and healthier.
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Sometimes, your hair just needs a treat. Dye, heat styling, and just day-to-day life can end up taking a toll on your locks, leaving hair looking dry, frizzy, and damaged. And for times like these, a hair mask can be the perfect solution.
But there’s nothing more disappointing than a lackluster hair mask. If nourishment is what you’re seeking, then you likely want a proper, hefty dose of nourishment – not just a gentle touch of gloss. And when hair is just at the end of its tether, the first mask I reach for is the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask. In terms of repairing, hydrating, and protecting my mane, nothing does it better.
Read on for my full review.
What We Like
- Super effective on dry, damaged hair
- A little goes a long way
- Chic and ergonomic packaging
What We Don’t Like
- A little pricey
- Could be too intense for everyday use
- Not suitable for fine or oily hair types
The Facts
- Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask
- Best For: Dry and damaged hair
- Can Be Used For: Straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair types
- Cruelty Free? Yes
- Price: Around $40, depending on where you shop
- Size: 8.87 ounces
- Key Ingredients: Olive butter, jojoba oil, cherry oil
About The Brand
Founded in Parma, Italy in 1983 by the Bollati Family, Davines Group began as a research laboratory to offer haircare expertise to other high-end brands, before launching their own range.
Davines offers a selection of different haircare ranges for different hair needs. The Nounou range is built around the principles of nourishment, offering hydrating and strengthening treatments for damaged or dried-out hair. The Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask is the star product of the range, offering the gold standard in terms of a reparative and moisturising hair treat.
About My Hair: Long, Color-Treated, and Straight
I have a lot of fine hair, in terms of both number of strands, and strand length. This means I want to keep my hair in a soft and shiny condition, but am wary of adding excess weight at the root.
I color-treat my own hair, and swim in a chlorinated pool several times a week, both of which dry out and damage my naturally pretty easy-going locks. Luckily, a good haircare routine can help to mitigate the damage I inflict on my poor mane.
I love using a hydrating or reparative hair mask around once a week to reintroduce some much-needed nourishment to my hair. After using a moisture-boosting mask, my hair typically feels softer, smoother, more manageable, and generally happier.
Which is where the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask comes in. This mask is what I will always reach for when my hair just feels desperately thirsty for any kind of moisture. It’s perfect for when hair is in serious need of relief but also works wonders as a weekly treatment to keep hair in a happy and healthy state.
The Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask Feel: Thick and Buttery
Upon initial feel, you can tell the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask is a treatment unlike any other. It feels thick and buttery, with a satisfyingly heavy-duty texture. Before you even apply this to your hair you can tell it’s going to offer intense nourishment.
But if this all sounds a little cloying, never fear – it does also have a reassuring slipperiness, which helps the product to glide through your hair, distribute evenly, and wash out without leaving a greasy residue.
The Results: A Total Reset
After washing with a gentle shampoo, I applied the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask and combed it through my hair’s ends. I then left it to soak in for around five minutes, before rinsing clean. After washing out the mask, I could already tell my hair was feeling softer and healthier, and this feeling only improved as I allowed my hair to air dry.
To offer some extra hydration and protection, I applied the Davines OI Oil to the very ends of my hair, which are most prone to frizz. I was super happy with the results, and expect that over time, using the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask could continue to improve the condition of my hair overall.
The Scent
The Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask has a sweet scent that’s anything but synthetic. The fragrance features notes of orange blossom, jasmine, and sandalwood, leaving your hair smelling fresh, clean, and gently perfumed.
It’s an unobtrusively sweet and clean smell that should agree with all noses. The scent is also quite soft, meaning you experience an enjoyably fragrant masking experience, but the fragrance shouldn’t go on to clash with any perfumes or body lotions you apply.
The Ingredients: Harnessing the Power of Nature
Davines’s haircare line uses natural ingredients to solve all types of hair issues. The Nounou range, in particular, is designed for dry and brittle hair, and the Nourishing Repair Mask is packed full of moisturising plant oils.
Olive butter feeds hair with hydration while adding softness, and jojoba oil adds sleekness and shine. The Mask is also packed with Vitamin E, which offers an antioxidant action to damaged locks. There’s also a dose of rhizobium gum, which helps bolster the hair’s individual strands and adds natural volume and body, preventing hair from feeling weighed down or lank.
The Value: You Get What You Pay For
The price point of the Davines haircare range is on the high-end side – but if you’re getting a product that truly changes the condition and look of your hair, I think that it’s well worth it. The Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask, in particular, is an investment product that goes a long way.
The vast majority of hair types wouldn’t need to use the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask more than around once per week, and each use only requires a grape-sized amount of product, even on my long and abundant hair. It’s uber thick but disperses easily through my locks, so a little goes a long way. One purchase of this mask should last for months, and the results over that time will speak for themselves.
Similar Products: Nourishing Hair Masks
The Drunk Elephant Silkamino Moisturizing Masker is another great option for offering intense hydrating to dry and damaged hair. It’s a little more lightweight-feeling than the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask, but still packs a punch when it comes to adding softness, smoothness, and shine.
For a more affordable damaged hair mask option, the Aussie Three Minute Miracle Moist is a classic for a reason. It’s not as intensive at the Davines Nounou but still adds smoothness and shine while tackling brittleness and frizz. And that price is hard to argue with.
The Final Verdict
For anyone looking to undo damage and give their hair some TLC, the Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask is the gold standard. The most satisfying thing about using this mask is its cumulative effect over time, After one use, your hair will look visibly better, but after incorporating the mask into your routine, the strand-by-strand condition of your locks will improve, too.
The Specifications
- Brand: Davines Haircare
- Product Name: Davines Nounou Nourishing Repair Mask
- Price: Around $40, depending on where you shop.
- Size: 8.87 ounces.