Salvatore Tanino Therapy Water Replenishment Mask Step D (500ml) is the moisture mask of Salvatore's smoothing system. It is a rich rinse-out mask with moringa, macadamia and coconut oils, elastin and vitamins A, E and C, and it carries no formaldehyde. It is Step D, the water-and-softness step that follows the Step B tannin smoothing and sits between services. The 500ml back-bar size.

Why this mask

A tannin smoothing and the iron that sets it leave the fibre sleek but thirsty. Step D is the step that puts the water back. The plant oils and elastin coat and soften while the vitamins condition, so the fibre feels supple again rather than dry and squeaky. We would send every smoothing client home knowing this mask, because a smoothing that is looked after simply lasts better. Made in Brazil at Salvatore's plant in Presidente Prudente.

Key ingredients

The softness comes from moringa, macadamia and coconut oil, which coat the fibre and hold water in. Elastin adds slip and bounce, while vitamins A, E and C condition. It is a rinse-out mask that does its work while it sits and leaves no heavy residue. Full INCI on the product image.

What to expect

Lengths that felt dry and rough after a service come out soft and shiny, easy to comb. It will not smooth, straighten or lift a colour; it simply puts moisture and slip back. Used once a week between services, it keeps a smoothing feeling fresh far longer than washing alone.

Who it is for

• Clients whose hair feels dry or rough after a smoothing, a colour or a lot of heat
• Salons wanting a rich, rinse-out hydration step in the Tanino ritual
• A weekly at-home mask a client can keep the result up with

Who it is not for

• Anyone expecting it to smooth or straighten; that is the tannin step's job
• Very fine hair that a rich mask can weigh down, where a lighter conditioner suits better
• A leave-in use, since this is a rinse-out mask

Professional tip

The name is the instruction: Salvatore calls this step Water Replenishment, and that is exactly the job you give it. The mistake we see is treating it like a daily conditioner and rushing the rinse. We would apply it to towel-dried hair, not soaking, so it is not diluted, work it mid-lengths to ends where the dryness lives, and give it the few minutes it needs before rinsing. On very porous ends we would go back with a second, thinner pass.

How to use

Use it after the wash, as the hydration step, on hair towelled to damp rather than left soaking. A mask works on contact, and the drier the hair when it goes on, the more you get from it.

Keep it to the mid-lengths and ends, where a smoothing pulls the most water out, and give it time to sink in before you rinse. Cool water at the end keeps the cuticle flat and the shine up.

1. Wash and towel-dry. Wash the hair, then blot it towel-dry, because a mask on soaking lengths is diluted.
2. Apply mid-lengths to ends. Apply Step D from the mid-lengths to the ends and comb it through, so every strand that needs it is covered.
3. Leave to absorb. Leave it to absorb for a few minutes while the oils and elastin sink in, since contact time is what feeds the fibre.
4. Rinse cool. Rinse with cool or lukewarm water until it runs clear, and finish as usual, because cool water keeps the shine.

Where it fits in the range

Step D is the hydration step of the system. It follows the Capillary Styling Step B tannin smoothing and the Cuticle Prepper Step A wash that starts it, and the three sit together in the Complete Set ABDE. We would pair it with the smoothing for any client who wants the result soft as well as sleek. The rest of the line sits under Salvatore Tanino Therapy.

In short

• 500ml rinse-out tub for the ends after a service
• Rich in plant oils that hold water in; no formaldehyde
• Apply to the ends after washing, leave briefly, then rinse cool
• Step D of the system; the hydration step after the smoothing