I resigned myself to having perpetually meh hair until I met this cleansing mask

Aside from a brief period of time where my hair was colored both bright red and blonde at the same time (with swoopy emo bangs), my hair has always been…fine. Never terrible (red-blonde mashup aside), and never amazing. Like the equivalent of your third day of eating meal prep. It doesn’t taste bad, but you’re kind of over the chicken and sweet potatoes you’ve been munching all week.

Despite the fact that I have tried many things (perms! tape-in extensions! products galore!), the only times it ever looked better than meh was when it was professionally styled. And even then, it was living on borrowed time. So, one day, I just kind of gave up, until French colorist Christophe Robin came to Los Angeles for a day, and changed my hair with a tub of his Cleansing Mask with Lemon ($49).

Robin’s philosophy is to take care of your scalp like you take care of your skin. When products build up on your scalp (ahem, my multiple days of dry shampoo), they can block your hair follicles and weigh down your hair. The solution: mask and exfoliate.

In short: You take a scoop of the product and work it through damp hair—starting at the roots—and let it sit for anywhere from five to 20 minutes. I usually last about five because I am impatient. Then you add a little water and emulsify it by massaging your scalp, finishing by rinsing it off. Yes, it’s a little more time consuming than my normal shampoo and conditioner routine but it’s worth it. It contains lemon peel extract, which is a gentle exfoliant and helps cleanse product buildup.

I typically let my hair air dry, because I work from home most days. The first air dry after using the mask, I noticed that my hair was fuller, bouncier, and shinier. And I hadn’t even touched a round brush or a curling iron. But maybe it’s just me, I thought. Like a placebo effect. But I met up with a girlfriend for dinner later, and she complimented my hair. The next day, I saw an ex-boyfriend who also commented on how great my hair looked, and I mean honestly isn’t that the dream?

Since starting to use this product, I have gotten more compliments on my hair than I ever have in my entire life. The best part is that it requires so much less effort than I used to put into my hair. Because my hair is fuller and bouncier, I spend less time wrangling it into something presentable with my curling iron. Just a few twists around the barrel is all it takes. Though honestly it looks pretty good without any heat styling. Before, I also used a ton of styling products. Now I just use a styling cream and I’m good to go. It is rare that I wax poetic about hair products, but this one has been a complete game changer for me.

In short, Christophe Robin is my new religion.

Master the perfectly messy bun with this easy tutorial. Also, you should definitely look into getting a scalp serum—they can make a huge difference in your hair health.