Can you leave a hair mask on too long?

Stylists explain what happens when you give your hair too much of a good thing.

At times, I even sleep with my hair masks, even if theyre not branded as overnight masks.

alt

However, it recently came to my attention that theres a reason for instruction labels (shocker!

What happens if you keep a hair mask in for too long?

You also can have an allergic reaction.

An unrecognizable male hairdresser combs the dried hair of middle aged blond woman sitting sideways

Celebrity hairstylistAndrew Fitzsimonsechoes these sentiments.

This creates an imbalance between protein and moisture in your locks, which can weaken and damage your strands.

Keeping these formulas on for too long can result in a darker hair color than initially desired.

Various scattered hairdresser’s tool on blue, including user-friendly hair tools

With that being said, semi-permanent glosses do not penetrate the scalp, meaning they are still perfectly safe.

Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.

alt

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Shay Mitchell attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images)

Hailey Bieber attends 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell

Young women wearing swimwear, showering together at outdoor shower while talking about how often should you wash your hair