Apply on clean damp hair lengths and ends. Leave on for 5 mins. Rinse thoroughly. Use every 1-2 weeks.
These are the brand’s directions for use, not a claim about the formula.
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How to use it, not a claim.
Mask / Bond treatment, lightly emollient
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Manufacturer page: wella.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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Your avoid-list
Priced with its peers
$1.66/oz at 5 oz — less than 74% of the 341 masks and treatments , which mostly run $1.63–5.59/oz. The cost less.
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 are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch.
Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Humectants in the working part of the formula.
Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.
A short wait — it fits inside an ordinary shower.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterAqua/Water/Eau | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Stearyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol | Softens |
| Bis-Hydroxy/Methoxy Amodimethicone | conditioning agent | Reduces combing force | Buildup |
| Behentrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through | Detangles |
| Cetyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol | Softens |
| FragranceParfum/Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Panthenol | humectant | Adds a little water-binding | Detangles |
| Malic Acid | pH adjuster | Fine-tunes the pH | pH balancer |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | drying alcohol | A small amount, for fast drying | Drying |
| Linalool | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Limonene | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Geraniol | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
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 fatty alcohol that thickens conditioners and helps them coat the hair evenly.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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.
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
A silicone. Silicones coat the strand for slip, shine and frizz control; unless the name carries PEG or PPG, removing one takes a detergent rather than water.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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 positively charged conditioning agent that binds to damaged, negatively charged spots on the hair. It is the main detangling ingredient in most rinse-out conditioners.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Electrokinetic measurement puts the C22 quat ahead of the C16 ones for deposition: the longer chain adds van der Waals stabilisation on top of the charge binding. That extra deposit is what coarse hair usually needs to comb through.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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.
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
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.
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.
An apple-derived acid used to bring the formula to an acidic pH.
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 fast-evaporating alcohol used as a solvent and to speed drying. Well down the list it is a processing aid; near the top it can leave hair feeling dry.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.
A UV filter added to protect the product's colour and, in leave-ins, to slow colour fade.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Sunlight oxidises hair pigment, and on gray, silver or lightened hair that shows up as yellowing. A UV filter on the label absorbs some of the light that drives it.
A base used in trace amounts to neutralise acidic hold polymers so they thicken and set properly.
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.
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.
A floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised contact allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.
A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to 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.
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.
A rose-scented fragrance component, listed on its own because some people react to 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.
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.
A rose-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.
One of the amino acids that make up hair protein, added 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.
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 silicone. Silicones coat the strand for slip, shine and frizz control; unless the name carries PEG or PPG, removing one takes a detergent rather than 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.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
A rich oil used in masks and heavier creams for softness on coarse or dry 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.
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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-24. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 5 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.
Sizes
The 16.9 oz costs 67% less per ounce than the 5 oz.
5 ozmost listed
16.9 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
Nothing separates this from the middle of the range for masks and treatments, on formula or on cost 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
Hair that stiffens on protein — for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or very dry or high-damage hair
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.
Apply on clean damp hair lengths and ends. Leave on for 5 mins. Rinse thoroughly. Use every 1-2 weeks.
These are the brand’s directions for use, not a claim about the formula.
—
How to use it, not a claim.
Up to 8 weeks color protection
It avoids sulfate detergents, which are the usual cause of fast fade.
Less fade per wash.
Vibrant shine
The formula carries a recognised shine system — silicone, oil, or light ester.
Reflects light for visible shine.
Stronger hair versus no treatment
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
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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.
Hair feels extremely soft after a 5-minute treatment and quick blow dry
Ulta verified reviewerRestored softness to over-processed, damaged hair
Ulta verified reviewerSome found it weighed hair down and left a residue feeling even after rinsing thoroughly
Ulta reviewer, 3-starSome reviewers felt it was not as hydrating as other Wella treatments and unremarkable overall
Ulta reviewer, 3-star