This £5 hair brand will see you through pay day, and it works!

Let's face it, hair care is expensive and when it comes to buying the products you actually need to look after your lengths (we're talking shampoo and conditioner; a hair mask and treatment) you don't want to fork out a hefty sum of money. Sometimes, spending £30 on a mask before pay day is not it, and that's A-OK.

But alas! There's a solution. MONDAY is the viral hair care brand proving that performance is not indicative of its price tag. With 25.5 million likes on TikTok and an impressive celebrity fan base (ahem, Kris Jenner, Addison Rae), you almost wouldn't believe that its entire range costs £5 per product – well, other than the jumbo sizes that ring in at £10.

The brand launched with a wide range of shampoos and conditioners, formulated for every hair type and texture. There's a duo for volume, smoothing, clarifying, protecting colour... you name it! But now, MONDAY has just introduced a range of conditioning masks and leave-in conditioners and, yes, they're all £5.

The new range features the moisture leave-in conditioner, repair leave-in conditioner, the deep moisture mask, anti-frizz mask and curl restore hair mask. Each formula spotlights a specific ingredient, like hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil or keratin, depending on what your hair goals are. And, like the rest of the MONDAY collection, they are dermatologically tested, Leaping Bunny approved and are free of sulphates and parabens. Show off, am I right!? So not only will this collection do good for your hair, but it's also suitable for those with colour treated lengths or a sensitive scalp.

It doesn't end there! Not that a product's packaging should solely influence your decision to buy it, but if its pale-pink bottles can look cute in your shower cubby, that's a bonus right. They're also 100% biodegradable, JSYK.

A fiver for a hair treatment almost seems unbelievable, right? You'd barely secure your Pret order for that kinda price. So doing what they do best, our e-commerce beauty team put the range to the test, on two different hair types, to see if a £5 product can rival some of the spenny players they've tested. Here's what happened...

£5.00 at tesco.com

Spoiler alert, I absolutely adore this hair mask. There are some products that as soon as you apply them onto damp hair, you just know it’s a winner, and this one is *chef’s kiss*. My hair was incredibly easy to detangle in the shower with a small scoop of product distributed through lengths and ends, and I had a lot less hair shedding than normal – so I was absolutely thrilled.

I used the mask following the award-winning MONDAY Smooth Shampoo to prepare my hair for heat styling, and it’s the best blow-out I’ve ever done. The shampoo has similar ingredients to the Curl Restore Mask – Coconut Oil and Shea Butter – but without the Bamboo Extract. The result was super silky and shiny strands, and the smooth, frizz-free style lasted much longer than it usually does in London’s humid weather.

£5.00 at Tesco

After totally falling in love with the MONDAY Anti-Frizz Hair Mask, I was eager to try the Curl Restore for a wash and go. It claims to be formulated for curly and coily hair, which means type 3 and type 4 texture.

I have type 3C/4A, and I’m pretty familiar with the ingredients my hair loves. Shea Butter is always a winner for deeply nourishing type 4 coils, which I have around my crown, while Coconut Oil is great for adding shine. However, I was surprised to see Bamboo Extract as the main ingredient of the cocktail. It’s meant to enhance curl definition with some anti-frizz benefits, but my texture just didn’t drink it up.

It was great for detangling and maybe a co-wash mid-week, but as my hair dried, there were some defined coils and other parts were fluffy. Aloe Vera or Macadamia Seed Oil would have been a great third ingredient. That being said, that was my second wash day in a week – and if you’re a curly girl, you know how quickly your hair’s moisture balance can be thrown off with too much manipulation. I can see it working better on type 2 wavy hair and type 3, looser curls, so I’m going to give it another try and report back.

£5.00 at tesco.com

I have a confession. Since wearing tape-in extensions, I've seriously lacked in my hair care routine. I used to commit to a mask every week, so testing out the MONDAY mask range gave me the perfect excuse to get my mo-jo back. The Deep Moisture Mask is right up my street – as a recovered bleach blonde, I'm still looking for all the help I can get – and I can confidently say this treatment put the 'hi' in hydration.

Even after one go, I was impressed at how soft and supple my strands felt. With old extensions, my ends were starting to feel too brittle for my liking and this deep treatment bought them back to life, making them feel much healthier. Also big shout out to keratin that gave my hair a glossy and smooth appearance.

£5.00 at tesco.com

I have fine hair and a lot of it, so it's very prone to a humidity puff up or frizz in general. I've used many treatments to keep flyaways at bay (Color Wow's Dream Coat will remain a top player) but I found this anti-frizz mask to work wonders too. I tested the mask with the perfect, drizzly UK weather conditions (cry) and I found my hair stayed smoother and less Monica-Geller-vibes when I finally escaped the rain. Throughout the day my lengths also felt less prone to tangles, which is a bonus as my fine hair often gets caught in a knot.

As the formula is rich with jojoba oil, I would say those with fine hair (like me) only need a small amount of product – too much and the oils could weigh down your lengths. But those with thick, textured or curly hair will benefit from a good slather to deep condition.

£5.00 at tesco.com

For real, I'll be using this leave-in conditioner for the foreseeable. Not only does it smell like a sweet floral fragrance (these things are important) but the cream is so lightweight, it seamlessly sinks into my strands leaving them feeling soft and supple.

To be honest, I haven't tested this long enough to see if it makes a difference to my split-ends, but as far as moisture goes, my lengths instantly felt healthier and less like a barrel of straw. How's it done? The treatment calls on our fave hydrating hero, hyaluronic acid, to bring moisture to dehydrated strands. That's right, not only is the humectant great in your fave face serum but it can also be used on the hair too!

£5.00 at tesco.com

I'm always looking for a treatment to cure my brittle ends and this £5 leave-in conditioner is up for the job. It's formulated with keratin, a protein that works to strengthen the hair, so it will work at split ends and areas of damage to reinforce the structure. Keratin also contributes to shine and overall manageability, so it really is an over-achiever in the hair world.

Like the Moisture Leave-In conditioner, this formula has a stunning aroma that makes it so inviting to use, and it sinks in without leaving a trace. TBH, there are other (more highly advanced formulas out there designed for bond repair) but if you're in the market for something that will do good for your crying split ends – oh, and you only want to spend a FIVER – you really can't go wrong with this treatment.

£5.00 at lookfantastic.com

£5.00 at lookfantastic.com

£5.00 at lookfantastic.com

£5.00 at lookfantastic.com

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