Amika Hair Masks: Soulfood Mask and Which to Choose

amika was founded in Brooklyn in 2007, and the name means friend in Esperanto, which the brand says stands for community and the beauty of diversity. Its chief executive Chelsea Riggs, a founding member, told Forbes in September 2026 that amika is a Brooklyn-born, salon-raised brand. You can feel that in the products. They are made for people who wash, style and repeat, not for a shelf of fancy jars.

The amika Soulfood nourishing mask is the one most people start with. amika says it is made with jojoba seed oil and its signature sea buckthorn, a berry the brand calls one of the most potent omega-rich plant sources, to restore lipids and add shine. The brand also claims hair is 11.4x more moisturized and 91 percent more manageable after one use. amika describes it as rich and creamy without weighing hair down, which is rare for a mask this thick.

Use it after shampoo, as a weekly treatment or as an everyday conditioner. Leave it on for five to seven minutes, and work it through with your fingers so it reaches the ends, where hair is oldest and driest. I went deeper on a related idea in Jen Atkin's Five-Minute Ouai Hair Mask, and the Masks That Sit Next to It.

The first grid is amika, Soulfood plus seven other masks and treatments from the same line. The second grid is eight other hair masks I compared them with. My tip: squeeze the water out with a towel before you apply any mask, because a dripping head dilutes it before it can do anything. If you want to keep going, Coco and Eve Self Tanners, Hair Masks And Body Oils For A Bali Glow is the one I would read next.

Soulfood Nourishing Hair Mask is the most reviewed amika product here, and it is the everyday mask for all textures. Hydro Rush Intense Moisture Hair Mask is the thirsty-hair pick, with squalane and hyaluronic acid, and it has one of the higher ratings in this grid. Dream Routine is an overnight mask with hyaluronic acid that you sleep in and rinse out in the morning.

For frizz, Smooth Over is a sixty-second rinse-out treatment the brand says cuts frizz by 73 percent, even in humidity, and Frizz-Me-Not is a heat-activated formula that locks in three days of frizz protection. Both are for smooth styles, not curls you want to keep springy.

The Kure Intense Strength Repair Hair Mask is for breakage from bleach or heat, and it is the one I would pick if your ends snap. Soulstruck is a dry, leave-in mask in a spray, with no rinse needed, and it has the highest rating in this grid. The Wizard is a light, silicone-free detangling primer that protects up to 450 degrees.

What I would skip: Soulfood and Hydro Rush in the same week on fine hair. One is plenty, and two can leave your roots flat and your ends greasy by day two.

K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask has the most reviews in this edit, but it works differently from the rest. It is a leave-in treatment for damage, used on towel-dried hair after shampoo instead of conditioner, not a creamy weekly mask. Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask is the most reviewed rinse-out mask in this grid, made with argan oil for medium to thick, dry hair.

OUAI Treatment Mask is for fine to medium hair, with shea butter, panthenol and keratin. Gisou Honey Gloss Ceramide Therapy uses the brand's Mirsalehi honey and ceramides for shine. Vegamour HYDR-8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask shares the top rating here and focuses on frizz and strength.

adwoa beauty Baomint Deep Conditioning Treatment is the one for dry, textured hair, and it has the other top rating. Oribe Signature Moisture Masque is the rich, silky one. Briogeo Superfoods Avocado and Kiwi Mega Moisture Mask is protein-free, which matters if protein makes your hair stiff.

If your hair is fine, look at the OUAI mask. If it is thick or curly, look at Moroccanoil and adwoa beauty. If it is damaged from bleach, start with K18.

What I would skip: a heavy mask right before a blow dry on fine hair. Save it for an air-dry day.

Does the amika Soulfood mask have protein? I read the full ingredient list on amika's site and found no hydrolyzed protein, keratin, amino acids, silk or wheat. The conditioning comes from jojoba seed oil, sea buckthorn oil, fatty alcohols and panthenol, which is a vitamin B5 precursor, not a protein. amika notes the list can change, so check your bottle.

How do I use the amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask? amika says to massage it through wet hair from roots to ends after shampooing, leave it on for 5 to 7 minutes, then rinse. Its tip is to blend in 2 to 3 pumps of a hydrating oil for added moisture.

What does amika say the Soulfood mask does? amika calls it a rich, creamy deep conditioner that hydrates, conditions and nourishes strands without weighing hair down. It says the mask is clinically proven to leave hair 11.4x more moisturized and 91% more manageable after one use.

How often should I use the Soulfood mask? amika recommends it either as a weekly treatment or as an everyday conditioner. I would start weekly and see how your ends feel, especially if your hair is fine.

I think the amika Soulfood nourishing mask is a good weekly habit for most hair, because it softens without much weight. If your hair is thirstier, try Hydro Rush, and if it breaks, use the Kure. Compare it with Moroccanoil if you have thick hair, or K18 if you bleach. Whatever you pick, leave it on for a few minutes, rinse with cool water, and go easy on heat that day. Your hair will tell you within two washes whether the mask is right for it. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Amika Shampoo, From the Brooklyn Brand Named for a Friend and Amika Shampoo, Matched to Your Hair.