HOW TO GET GLOSSY HAIR - SHINY HAIR TIPS

Woman with long, glossy hair

Achieving a glamorous mane of glossy, shiny hair can be harder than it looks. Fading color, too much product, heat styling, hard water—all these and more can strip your strands of their shine. So how do you get brilliant, shiny locks? Here’s everything you need to know about how to get glossy hair.

Shop Clear Shine Gloss


Regular price $11.99

What is Glossy Hair?

Like most things, there’s a scientific explanation behind why your hair appears shiny and glossy or dull and matte. And it’s all about the condition of the hair fiber.

Healthy-looking hair reflects light like a mirror, creating a brilliant shine. This is called specular reflection. Rough, damaged hair produces what’s known as diffuse reflection. It scatters light and makes hair appear lusterless. So to get that glossy, shiny hair we all crave, we need to encourage more specular reflection than diffuse reflection.

What Causes Dull Hair?

Hair becomes less glossy and dull because damage to each strand causes it to stand up and break, making it difficult for the hair to reflect light. Heat styling and harsh chemicals are common causes of damaged hair, causing the hair cuticle to open and lose the moisture needed to maintain its shine. Therefore, the key to achieving shiny hair is to ensure that the hair cuticle is closed and smooth to reflect light. From shampoos to hair masks, glazes and glosses, to oils, here’s how to achieve glossy hair.

Top Tips for Getting Glossy, Shiny Hair

1. Use a Deep Cleansing Shampoo

Styling products are great for helping you achieve that perfect look. But after a few days of styling, product buildup can transform your ‘do from fabulous to lackluster. Hit the reset button by using a detoxing shampoo at least once a week to regenerate your locks and boost shine.

2. Restore Moisture With a Hair Mask

Dry hair has a rougher cuticle. Since we know rough surfaces make the hair appear dull, hydration is key to getting shiny hair. If your locks are looking extra parched, try a restorative hair mask. Infused with avocado oil, this mask will take your hair from dull and dry to vibrant and illuminated.

3. Use Blue Shampoo

A few weeks after leaving the salon with a gorgeous new color, that color may start to look brassy, orange, and less shiny. Washing and conditioning with a blue shampoo and conditioner can help balance out dull, brassy tones to reveal a cooler, brighter color with plenty of shine.

4. Refresh Your Color with a Gloss

Maintain your hair color with a weekly color-refreshing gloss. A gloss treatment can restore vibrancy and tone to your color, leaving you with fresh, glossy hair that looks like first-day color. Specifically for brunettes, with the color-refreshing brunette hair gloss, your hair will revitalize in color and shine in no time.

5. Try a Glaze for Shinier Hair

Need a serious boost of shine? Try a clear hair glaze to restore your color to salon-fresh. A glaze treatment adds depth to your shade and refreshes your color. It also adds dazzling shine for a glossy style.

6. Turn Down the Heat

Heat leads to dryness. Hot tools, blow drying, and even washing with hot water can strip your hair of its natural oils and lift your hair’s cuticle. When you shampoo, rinse with cool water to seal the cuticle and lock in shine. And if you must style with heat tools, use a good heat-protecting leave-in conditioner to create a barrier against heat damage.

7. Add Gloss with Hair Oil

Nourish extra-dry or damaged strands with a smoothing, gloss-inducing hair oil. Infused with a natural oil like argan, smoothing on a couple of drops of hair oil can leave your locks soft, smooth, and shiny without weighing them down.

8. Take Care of Your Scalp

To have healthy hair, it is important to have a healthy scalp. Give yourself a scalp massage to improve blood circulation and stimulate the production of natural oils. This can also prevent buildup in the scalp and hair loss. Hydration shampoos and conditioners with hyaluronic serum can help to revive dull, dry, and damaged hair.

9. Brush Carefully

Brushing wet hair can cause damage and breakage—enemies of shine. Detangle hair with a wide-tooth comb after showering. On dry hair, a natural boar bristle brush can help distribute your scalp’s natural oils from root to tip, smoothing the cuticle and creating luxuriously glossy hair.

10. Give Your Body the Nutrients it Needs

Your hair reflects your health, so getting glossy, shiny hair starts with a well-balanced diet. Be sure to eat plenty of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables, like blueberries and spinach and consider adding a multivitamin to balance out any gaps in your diet. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water can also help your locks look luscious and glossy.

Love that shine! Check out more hair care tips for colored hair and our hair glaze products.

Featured collection