Alterna has been one of the most buzzed-about haircare brands for years. Remember the height of the Jennifer Aniston hair craze? When everyone was yapping about her super expensive white truffle shampoo? It was Alterna.

Up until a week ago, there was a jar of Alterna Ten Hair Masque sitting in my beauty closet. I think it had made its way in via a gift bag, and I decided to hold on to it until I was experiencing a hair emergency of at least DEFCON-3 level.

The hair emergency occurred last week (extreme dryness and crispiness brought on by cold weather), and combined with the fact that I had made enough room in my shower to introduce a new product, I decided to break out the big guns.

Alterna Ten Hair Masque combines a ridiculously luxe roster of ingredients including African Cacao Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Caviar Age-Control complex™, Photozyme Complex™ with Color Hold™, White Truffle Oil, Champagne Grape Seed Oil, Bulgarian Evening Primrose, Arabian Frankincense, Moroccan Quillaia Bark and Arnica Flower.

See now, I don't think Champagne Grape Seed Oil is any better than regular Grape Seed Oil, or that it matters that the Evening Primrose comes from Bulgaria, but it sure sounds good, doesn't it? African Cacao Extract is particularly amusing to me, since cacao is native to the Amazon. Is African Cacao better than cacao from, say, the Orinoco river?

These are things to ponder when you're massaging this product into your hair. Meditate on these fancy ingredients. Repeat to yourself, "I live a life of luxury," The Secret-style.

Now let's get down to business. Alterna Ten Hair Masque has the texture of a thick body cream, but is far easier to distribute through hair than many other deep conditioners/masques (Fekkai Shea Butter Hair Mask, I'm talking to you). It smells like violet candies, which I find absolutely lovely. Did it do the job on my hair emergency? YES. My hair is now soft and normal looking, without frizz or knots.

I wouldn't use this hair masque every day; once or twice a week should do the trick...and will also make the jar last longer. The price is admittedly steep at $55 for 5.1 oz.

Bottom line? If the cost is going to make your wallet explode, skip it and buy some Neutrogena Triple Moisture. But if you've got the cash to spend and you're looking to add a little luxury to your hair care routine, you can't get much better than Alterna.