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Side by side

Matrix Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask vs Matrix Food For Soft Hair Mask

75% function match · 8 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 36%. Matrix Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask and Matrix Food For Soft Hair Mask share 1 ingredient among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask — protein-sensitive hair
  • Food For Soft Hair Mask — protein-sensitive hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Matrix Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask — 16.9 oz container Matrix

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask

  • Mask / treatment
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Matrix Food For Soft Hair Mask — 2.5 oz container Matrix

Food For Soft Hair Mask

  • Mask / treatment
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$26.57 16.9 oz · $1.57/oz
$46 16.9 oz · $2.72/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most masks and treatments $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 78% of the 347 masks and treatments we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 58% of the 347 masks and treatments we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Time on the hair
—
Short A short wait — it fits inside an ordinary shower. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Mask / treatment
Mask / treatment
Where to buy
Salons · Grocery / mass
Ulta · Target · Amazon …
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Time on hair
—
3–5 min
Treatment focus
—
moisture

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientBrass Off Custom Neutralization MaskFood For Soft Hair Mask
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#7Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#12Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#13Below the 1% line
#13Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#9Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask

Food For Soft Hair Mask

Full ingredient list — Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask (21)
Full ingredient list — Food For Soft Hair Mask (19)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsBrass Off Custom Neutralization MaskFood For Soft Hair Mask
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
4
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask

  • Highly pigmented blue-violet pigments to effectively reduce brassy/orange tonesStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Customizable toning system (3 or 5 minute dwell for subtle vs maximum neutralization)Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Repairs and protects fragile hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Up to 10X less breakage when used as complete systemStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Food For Soft Hair Mask

  • 72 hours of moisture retentionSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • 7x more moisture, 5x smoother hair (as a system)Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Reduces frizz and porosityPartly supportedSome smoothing, in dry air.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Matrix Food For Soft Hair Mask draws complaints about tangling.

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask

Several reviewers say the mask did nothing noticeable for their brassy or orange tones despite following the directions exactly.

Many reviewers who liked the mask report it left their hair feeling noticeably softer, shinier, and less brassy after a single use.

Multiple reviewers describe pairing this mask with the Brass Off shampoo and conditioner as one complete toning system.

Food For Soft Hair Mask

One of the best deep conditioners tried, with compliments on hair quality after use

Ulta verified reviewer "Charlene", 5 stars

Pleasant scent, leaves hair soft, smooth, and hydrated; preferred over competitor amika mask

Ulta verified reviewer "Ms. Frizzle", 5 stars

Made hair feel like straw with zero slip and zero softness despite repeated use

Ulta verified reviewer "Bri", 1 star

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$1.57/oz vs $2.72/oz — Matrix Food For Soft Hair Mask costs about 1.7× more per ounce than Matrix Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask.

$0.19/oz median $3.49/oz $24.50/oz $1.57/oz Brass Off Custom Neutraliz $2.72/oz Food For Soft Hair Mask

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 347 masks and treatments with a computable unit price.

Value readBrass Off Custom Neutralization MaskFood For Soft Hair Mask
Label
Lower cost than most masks and treatmentsCosts less per ounce than most masks and treatments we have researched.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for masks and treatments per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask vs Blond Absolu Masque Ultra-VioletKerastase · 90% function matchFood For Soft Hair Mask vs Born to Repair 60-Second Moisture Treatment with Shea ButterCarol's Daughter · 100% function matchBrass Off Custom Neutralization Mask vs LOVE SMOOTHING MaskDavines · 80% function matchFood For Soft Hair Mask vs Strength Restorative Deep ConditionerCamille Rose · 99% function matchBrass Off Custom Neutralization Mask vs Bright Blonde Radiance & Repair TreatmentOribe · 80% function matchFood For Soft Hair Mask vs Hydration Hair MaskRahua · 99% function matchBrass Off Custom Neutralization Mask vs Chebe-Ginger, Supa Deep ConditionerSoultanicals · 80% function matchFood For Soft Hair Mask vs Color Full Hair MaskRahua · 99% function match

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask · Food For Soft Hair Mask · All masks and treatments in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 8 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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