Mask / Light treatment, lean
Scent:
No added fragrance, no scenting essential oils, and no declared fragrance allergens on the list.
Manufacturer page: hairstory.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, then reads every factor in this table against it — and tells you where this product fits, or what to use instead.
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Your avoid-list
Same job for less elsewhere
$5.88/oz at 4 oz — more than 76% of the 341 masks and treatments , which mostly run $1.63–5.59/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
Wash day
Read from the product’s own directions on the date shown. A step the label leaves out is shown as not stated, never filled in.
Scalp products are listed for browsing; we do not yet place them in a personal routine.
Browse technique guides (general — not matched to this product’s directions)
Source: brand page · checked 2026-09-16
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.
No oils or butters in the list.
Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here.
Nothing here is built to reduce combing force.
A short wait — it fits inside an ordinary shower.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
No fragrance is listed.
Ingredients that matter
The workhorse ingredients plus anything lower down that changes a decision. These 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Propanediol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Betaine | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Glycolipids | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| Inulin | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Polyglyceryl-4 Pelargonate | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| Levulinic Acid | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | pH balancer |
| Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate | hard-water chelator | Binds trace metals | Stabilizes |
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.
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.
A corn-derived humectant and solvent, often chosen as a lighter-feeling alternative to propylene glycol.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it hydrates without contributing weight.
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.
A sugar-beet derived humectant that binds water. Despite the name it is not a cleanser like cocamidopropyl betaine.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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.
A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.
Sugar-and-fat molecules used as gentle, fermentation-derived emulsifiers and cleansers.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A plant sugar used for light moisture and as a prebiotic scalp claim.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Hydration with no oil attached, so it adds very little weight even high on a list.
Aloe is mostly water carrying sugars that bind more of it, which is why it turns up as the base of moisture-first formulas.
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.
A plant-derived emulsifier used in PEG-free creams.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A plant-derived preservative usually paired with sodium levulinate.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
pH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.
A biodegradable hard-water chelator used in place of EDTA.
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 coconut-derived preservative booster that also binds trace metals.
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 small water-loving molecule that draws moisture into the hair and holds it there. It is the most common softening ingredient in conditioners and 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.
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 starch fragment that soaks up oil and water, which is what puts it in dry shampoos. It also carries spray-dried plant extracts and leaves a light 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.
Takes up oil at the root, which is where fine hair goes flat first.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
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.
An amino acid that holds water and carries a positive charge, so it is drawn to damaged spots on the strand.
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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-22. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 4 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $8 line; products that do this job typically go for about $15 at this size.
Sizes
The 8 oz costs 32% less per ounce than the 4 oz.
4 ozmost listed
8 ozBest per ounce
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 76% of the 341 masks and treatments we’ve priced, and 2 formulas we score as close matches cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.
See more alternatives in the product library
These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget
Final decision
People sensitive to fragrance who want a formula with no added fragrance and a product with no scent
Worth skipping for soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein, hair that tangles the moment it is wet, or very dry or very humid climates
Eva NYC H2-Whoa! Hydra-Jelly Hair Mask — 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 only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.
Purifies the scalp and balances its microbiome, letting you go longer between washes.
The detergent strength of this formula is not recorded.
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Detergent-free micellar technology gently and effectively cleanses while soothing the scalp with prebiotics.
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 marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Reduces scalp tightness/itchiness between washes, letting reviewers stretch more days between full washes
reviewers with irritated or itchy scalp, one referenced psoriasis plaque improvementMany reviewers report a noticeably cleaner, less oily scalp and visible buildup removal after use
oily-scalp / buildup-prone reviewersA vocal minority say they cannot perceive any difference versus skipping the step, calling it unnecessary or ineffective at removing heavier styling-product buildup
includes a reviewer noting it did not move drugstore hairspray residue from rootsThin, watery consistency makes it easy to over-apply if not careful
generalOne reviewer with fine, oily, curly hair reported the opposite of the "no residue" claim -- hair felt heavy and greasy after following New Wash
fine/2b-2c curly, oily scalp, daily-washer