Salvatore Tanino Therapy Restructuring Mask Step 2 (250ml) is the strengthening rinse-off mask for damaged hair, built on rice and wheat proteins, three Amazonian butters and macadamia oil. The list carries no formaldehyde, no formaldehyde releaser, no glyoxylic acid and no sulfates. It is Step 2 of Salvatore's home pair: after the Step 1 shampoo has cleaned, this jar adds body and strength to weak, brittle lengths in 3 to 5 minutes. Sold on its own here, or as the 550 ml duo.

Why this mask

Weak, over-worked hair has lost some of the protein and the lipids that give it body. Salvatore's own label describes the job in one line: replenishing actives for daily use that give strength and body without weighing the strands down. The proteins sit near the top of the list, which is what a body-and-strength mask should show. We'd hand this jar to any client whose ends have gone limp, because a shampoo alone cannot put back what heat and colour take out. Made in Brazil at Salvatore's plant in Presidente Prudente.

Key ingredients

Rice protein sits fourth on the list, with wheat protein, silk and sericin close behind, so the actives lead rather than trail. Three butters from the Amazon, murumuru, tucuma and cupuacu, plus macadamia oil, give the lipids back. Panthenol and silanetriol hold moisture, and five vitamins ride underneath: B3, B5, B6, C and E. Cetearyl alcohol and conditioning quats form the cream base, citric acid sets the pH, and a light methicone gives slip. Preserved with sodium benzoate. Full INCI on the product image.

What to expect

Ends that feel stronger, lengths that comb through wet without snapping, and body that holds without a heavy, coated finish. What we tell clients is plain. This is where the strength comes from; the shampoo only cleans. On daily use, brittle hair stops feeling limp within a week or two.

Who it is for

• Weak, over-processed hair that has gone limp and splits at the ends
• Fine hair that needs body, since the mask is built not to weigh the strands down
• Anyone replacing the mask half of the Restructuring pair

Who it is not for

• Hair fresh from a colour or a smoothing that mainly needs its pH settled, where the Chemical Repair pair fits better
• Anyone expecting a smoothing effect from the jar, because it adds body and does not straighten
• The root area, which the Scalp duo covers; this is a lengths-and-ends mask

Professional tip

The mistake we see most is the mask piled on the top layer while the underneath stays bare. Comb it through with a medium comb before you start counting, because it only works where it touches. Salvatore's own jar says the same: detangle so the mask is taken up completely. On very fine hair, keep your amount small and your timing short, so you get the body without the weight. And alternate this jar with Chemical Repair when your client is fresh from a chemical service.

How to use

Use it as the second of two steps, after the Restructuring shampoo, daily if the label's daily-use line fits the client, or on wash days at the very least. Rinse with cool or warm water; hot water is hard on fragile ends.

The order matters because the mask bonds best to lengths the shampoo has just cleaned. A small amount is the printed quantity, so a 250 ml jar lasts a good few weeks.

1. Squeeze first. After the shampoo, press the excess water out with your hands, because the mask spreads further on damp lengths than on dripping ones.
2. Glove it through. Take a small amount and work it through the lengths and ends with your hands, so the ends, which need it most, get it first.
3. Comb. Comb it through with a medium comb until the whole length takes it up, which is what the label asks for.
4. Leave 3 to 5 minutes. That is the time the label gives, because the mask is absorbed within it and a longer wait adds little.
5. Rinse and finish. Rinse thoroughly, because any mask left behind weighs the hair down, then style as you like. Close the jar afterward.

Where it fits in the range

This is the second half of the pair; the Step 1 shampoo 300ml is the half that cleans, and the 550ml duo is the two together. We'd buy the pair first and this jar alone when the mask runs out first. The other concerns, scalp, blond, chemical aftercare, curl and moisture, each have their own pair under Salvatore Home Care.

In short

• 250 ml of the body-and-strength mask for weak, brittle, damaged hair
• Rice and wheat proteins, silk, murumuru, tucuma and cupuacu butters, macadamia oil; no formaldehyde, releaser or sulfates listed
• Daily use printed on the jar; squeeze, glove through, comb, 3 to 5 minutes, rinse
• Step 2 of the pair; the 300 ml shampoo goes before it

The Restructuring line is the strengthening home care for weak, brittle lengths, between salon visits. The Salvatore home care chooser shows which set follows which service, and the aftercare guide covers the first thirty days.