Improves strength and texture
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Mask / Protein treatment, oil-rich
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Manufacturer page: aphogee.com
Personal fit
Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, checks every factor in this table against it, and tells you where this product fits or what to use instead.
Start your consultation$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.
Your avoid-list
Same job for less elsewhere
$6.33/oz at 3 oz, more than 81% of the 576 masks and treatments , which mostly run $1.80–5.62/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
Oils sit high in the list: a softening, coating formula.
Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.
Protein high in the list: a strengthening formula, not a moisture one.
Humectants near the top: binding water is one of its main jobs.
Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list.
A few minutes on the hair before rinsing.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
The workhorse ingredients, plus anything lower down that changes a decision. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterStep One (Protein Treatment): Water (Aqua, Eau) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Collagen Amino Acids | amino acid | Small protein fragments that bind water | Protein |
| Polyacrylamidomethylpropane Sulfonic Acid | thickener | Sets the texture | Holds |
| Glycerin | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Hydrolyzed Elastin | protein | The strengthening step this treatment is built on | Protein |
| Panthenol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Detangles |
| Tocopheryl Acetate | antioxidant | Protects the formula | Stabilizes |
| Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit OilMauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil | oil | A small amount of oil for softness | Softens |
| Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol | film former | A supporting film former | Protein |
| Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone | conditioning agent | A supporting conditioner | Buildup |
| Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol | film former | A supporting film former | Protein |
| Silk Amino Acids | protein | A small amount of protein | Protein |
In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
An amino acid of the kind hair protein is built from. Small enough to sit inside the cuticle, and used for water binding rather than strength.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
A synthetic thickener that gels water and leaves a light film. Used for body in gels and curl products.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.
An animal-derived protein used for elasticity and body claims.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
Hair that reliably stiffens after protein reacts to a prominent hydrolysed protein first; near the top of a list is where it is most likely to be felt.
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
A stable form of vitamin E used to keep the oils in a formula from oxidising. It is used at fractions of a percent.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A rich orange fruit oil used in small amounts in curl and colour-care products.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A plant protein modified to bind more firmly to hair than a plain hydrolysed protein. Used for strength and body claims.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
A conditioning agent used for moisture retention and shine in leave-ins.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
An amino silicone that deposits selectively on damaged hair for smoothing.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Amino-functional silicone carries a positive charge, so it binds where the cuticle is worn rather than coating evenly. Damaged areas get most of it.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
Binds the metal ions in hard water so they cannot dull hair or destabilise the formula.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
A long-standing conditioning agent that flattens the cuticle and cuts static. It rinses less completely than newer alternatives.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
The class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.
A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
A sealing oil that sits on the surface, adds slip and shine, and needs a detergent to remove.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
A plant protein modified to bind more firmly to hair than a plain hydrolysed protein. Used for strength and body claims.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
A rich orange fruit oil used in small amounts in curl and colour-care products.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Silk protein broken into amino acids, used for slip and shine rather than strength.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
A conditioning agent used for moisture retention and shine in leave-ins.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
An amino acid found in hair protein, used in blends for moisture binding.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
An amino acid from hair protein, used in amino-acid conditioning blends.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
A heavy sealing agent that locks moisture in and takes detergent to remove.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.
A fatty alcohol that thickens conditioners and helps them coat the hair evenly.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
An amino silicone that deposits selectively on damaged hair for smoothing.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Amino-functional silicone carries a positive charge, so it binds where the cuticle is worn rather than coating evenly. Damaged areas get most of it.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
A soothing ingredient used in scalp formulas.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
The fully hydrogenated form of squalene, now made from olive or sugarcane rather than shark liver. Hydrogenation is what makes it so slow to oxidise; it spreads very lightly and absorbs without a greasy film.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also improves slip, used in conditioners and styling creams.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
An amino acid of the kind hair protein is built from. Small enough to sit inside the cuticle, and used for water binding rather than strength.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.
The acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
A small humectant and solvent that keeps formulas stable and helps active ingredients spread.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-24. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 3 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $6 line; products that do this job typically go for about $8 at this size.
Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.
Formula
It costs more per ounce than 81% of the 576 masks and treatments we’ve priced, and 6 formulas we score as close matches cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.
See more alternatives in the product library
These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget



Final decision
Soft, over-stretchy hair, looking for protein high in the formula and moisture that stays in
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or hair that stiffens on protein
MoKnowsHair ELASTICITY RESTORING TREATMENT for similar results at a lower price
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
Claims check
Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.
Improves strength and texture
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Prepares porous hair for color services
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Combats splits and hair loss due to breakage
Protein sits in the first eight ingredients.
Reinforces a damaged strand.
Repairs damaged hair and helps retain hair color
Protein sits in the first eight ingredients.
Reinforces a damaged strand.
No hair dryer required
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula, not at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.
Strands reported as stronger, bouncier, and more elastic; helped restore curl pattern on damaged ends
Many users report the kit stops hair breakage almost immediately, with benefits lasting two to three weeks per application
Results depend on following the two-step protocol exactly; at least one reviewer reported no improvement, suggesting variable results by hair type