Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.
The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors can't shut up about. This time, I'm highlighting three exceptional hair products—Fable & Mane's HoliRoots Repairing Hair Mask ($34), HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Treatment Oil ($36), and MahaMane Smooth & Shine Hair Oil ($38).
I love highlighting my hair to give my natural brown color some golden-blonde dimension. That's why, every three to six months or so, I book an appointment for a partial bleach and tone. I've been doing it for years, and I never suffered a hair emergency from a bad dye job...until recently. Blame it on the fact that I had moved across the country and lost access to my favorite colorist, but I booked an appointment at a new salon with a new stylist only to leave close to tears. My color was nowhere near what I wanted it to be, and the bleach had left my hair feeling weak, brittle, and rough.
I couldn't stand it, so I booked a follow-up appointment with yet another stylist to fix it. Thankfully, she worked wonders, and I left the salon much happier than I did the previous time. The only problem? My hair had been chemically processed twice in the same week. It's already prone to dryness, breakage, and split ends, but after two rounds at the salon, it was in extremely rough shape. I knew it needed some major TLC, so I started using a new brand of haircare products I'd heard good things about—Fable & Mane.
If you're like me, you've probably seen the brand's hair oils all over Instagram and TikTok. People swear they helped them rehab their hair, so I thought it was high time I tried them too. I hoped the products would smooth, soften, and strengthen my bleach-ravaged hair. And guess what? They did. While I love just about every product I've tried, there are three I hold closest to my heart (and head).
The first product I actually ended up trying was this hair mask, and it's still my favorite one. With a thick and creamy texture, it coats each strand of hair in nourishing moisture. No matter how rough and dry my ends feel, this mask makes them smooth, soft, and shiny after one use.
So, yes, it's effective, but it's also incredibly sensorial. Thanks to yummy ingredients (more on that in a minute), it has a fragrance that whisks me away to a tropical beach with a single sniff. In fact, each time I use it, I'm reminded of the "coconut girl" aesthetic on TikTok. The scent is warm and tropical while still being subtle and sophisticated. I'm obsessed with it.
The key ingredients in this hair mask are coconut cream, banana, and mango butter. The first one smooths and hydrates hair; the second one improves strength and fullness; and the third one moisturizes parched strands. I don't know how or why these ingredients work magic, but they do. Use it just once, and I guarantee your hair will feel smoother, softer, and stronger.
The next product I need to talk about is this TikTok-viral hair oil. I swear, I've seen almost every influencer I can think of using this pre-wash treatment in their hair. As a result, I had high expectations. Spoiler: those expectations were met—nay, exceeded.
I used it primarily on my roots and ends, although the brand suggests focusing it only on your roots/scalp. After using this for a few weeks, my hair is all the better for it. I'm seeing fewer split ends and less fall-out every time I brush my hair. Plus, my hair looks shinier than it did before using it. That's why I used every last drop until the bottle was totally empty. That might not sound that special, but as a picky beauty editor who regularly cycles through products, it is.
Just like all other Fable & Mane products, this one is based on traditional Indian ingredients. First, there's Dashmool, which is an Ayurvedic blend of medicinal herbs. This calms the scalp (personally, it soothed my itchy scalp that results from dryness and overuse of styling products like dry shampoo). Second, there's ashwagandha, which boosts circulation to encourage hair growth and density. Third, there's castor oil, which also thickens the hair and repairs damage.
Here's the third damage-reversing product I must share; it's too good not to. Instead of using this as a pre-wash treatment, like the HoliRoots Hair Oil, it's meant to be used after shampooing and conditioning for a boost of strength and shine, not to mention heat protection.
After my hair was dry, I'd run a few drops of this through my mid-lengths and ends before reaching for my hair straightener or curling iron. It provides up to 450-degree heat protection, so I felt like I wasn't just treating existing damage; I was preventing new damage from occurring. I like that it makes my hair look instantly shiny and smooths fly-aways too.
No surprise here: this hair oil contains strengthening ashwagandha, plus shine-boosting shikakai, and antixoidant-rich passion fruit oil. Together, they minimize my split ends, which is a big deal, considering I usually have so many of them.
Nikita Mehta is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Fable & Mane. She started the brand with her brother, Akash, to share the traditional Indian hair care secrets.
I'd love to know more about the brand. What was the inspiration behind it?
"When Akash and I were children, Nani (grandma) would visit us from India and we'd sit in a hair-oiling train while she massaged our heads lovingly with a handcrafted blend of Ayurvedic plants and herbs. Her healing hands would help to melt away any feelings of stress or anxiety, and she'd tell us magical fables of India's rich plant and animal kingdom. A few years ago, during a time of stress, I experienced hair loss so I went back to my roots to this time-tested ritual to help grow healthier, stronger, and more hydrated hair. We wanted to share these ancient rituals of Ayurveda and Indian beauty secrets with the modern, everyday consumer, and that’s how Fable & Mane was born."
Can you tell me more about the Ayurvedic ingredients that are used and what makes them so beneficial for the hair and scalp?
"Our triple-A complex of amla, ashwagandha, and aloe is found in all Fable & Mane products for ultimate hair hydration, strength, and growth. Amla is nature’s miracle berry and a natural conditioner that’s rich in vitamin C. It’s brilliant for adding shine to lackluster locks and adding hydration to strands. Ashwagandha strengthens the scalp barrier and protects it from external stressors, making it brilliant for hair growth from the root. Finally, aloe is nature’s hydration hero – it gives hair that coveted natural gloss and shine, retains moisture in each strand, and is especially beneficial for sensitive scalps."
Do you have any tips and tricks for using the HoliRoots Repairing Hair Mask?
"I always apply a generous amount on wet hair in the shower, but my favourite way to use this is on dry hair before a steam or sauna. I find the results last twice as long, I don’t need to put any product on after washing as my hair is already detangled and silky smooth and soft."
What about the HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Treatment Oil?
"Not only is the HoliRoots Hair Oil great for weightless hair hydration and stimulating healthy hair growth, but it can be really grounding and a mindful experience. I always inhale the scent before applying, rubbing a few drops on my scalp with deep breaths. I also love to mix some of the oil with our hair mask for a double hydration mask which leaves my hair silky soft and smooth."
What about the MahaMane Smooth & Shine Hair Oil?
"The best way to use this oil is to press it into the ends, rather than rub. Use it on the mid-lengths and ends on damp hair and blow-dry in. My hair is left frizz-free and it smells amazing!"
Shop More of My Favorite Fable & Mane Products
This lathering scalp scrub stimulates hair follicles to boost circulation (and growth!) while exfoliating away product build-up. Using it once a week is enough to see a visible improvement in the volume of my hair. Plus, my roots don't look flat and weighed down and my hair doesn't seem to get as oily as quickly.
"This is best used after hair oiling as it’s a more potent clarifying shampoo, removing all traces of oil from the scalp," Mehta says. "I use this once a week for a scalp detox – the Himalayan salts are great for sloughing away excess dirt and oils, and the ginger is a brilliant stimulant for blood circulation, while Neem has anti-fungal properties to help with dandruff and dryness."
If you get a dry scalp, like me, this product is a must. It quenches dry skin and soothes itchiness and irritation with amla (AKA Indian gooseberry), bakuchi, and aloe. The first is an ayurvedic fruit that's rich in vitamin C; the second is an ayurvedic herb that soothes sensitivity, and the third is the hydrating ingredient we all know and love.
"I adore this product," Mehta says. "My hair is super dry and just drinks this up – I use this all over my scalp and hair, leave it overnight in a loose braid, and by morning, my hair has absorbed most of the product. I rinse with warm water and shampoo, and as my hair is so hydrated from the oils, no conditioner is needed."
This beautiful comb functions as a scalp massager to boost circulation and ritualize a hair care routine. Personally, I love using this when I'm oiling my scalp for an extra kick of relaxation and scalp-centered TLC.
Mehta is a big fan of scalp massage, or as it's called in India, champi. "Find your crown chakra (at the top of your head) and massage using firm but gentle motions," she says. "Your whole body will be relaxed; it’s the marma point that helps to stimulate hair growth due to it being connected to the whole nervous system. We encourage everyone to give themselves a loving champi as part of the hair oiling ritual to experience the full benefits."
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