From lips to locks, our glossy obsession has reached new heights. Following suit, with over 279 million views on TikTok alone, ‘glossy hair’ takes liquid-lengths to a new extreme – and we couldn’t be more pleased.
But, for many of us achieving glassy locks doesn’t come easy - without a ring light or an appointment to your local salon. With that in mind, here at Cult Beauty we’ve done the hard work for you and got the gloss on how to get shiny hair from the comfort of your own home.
WHAT DOES GLOSSY HAIR REFER TO
Inspired by glass skin and a progression of the skinification of strands, glossy hair refers to boosting a serious shiny sign off. Like many things in life, there’s a scientific explanation behind why some manes appear more matte than others. And in this instance, it’s all about the condition of your hair fibres. From adding colour and too many hair care products to being exposed to heat and hard water – all these things can strip your tresses of your natural shine and in turn damage your fibres. But how can you determine the condition of your locks? We’re glad you asked… Healthy-looking hair can reflect light to create a great gleam, whereas damaged lengths diffuse the reflection – making the finish lustreless.
WHAT CAUSES DULL HAIR
Without getting into the nitty gritty, dull hair tends to occur when tresses have been damaged, causing them to stand up and break. Each individual strand is covered in tiny cuticles that look like shingles to overlap the outer layer of your locks. On healthy-looking hair these cuticles lie smooth, putting them in a prime position for reflecting light and creating shine. However, on tresses that have been exposed to wear and tear (heat tools and humid weather, we’re looking at you), ends appear broken and shredded – making it difficult to reflect brightness.
HOW TO GET GLOSSY HAIR
But don’t worry, it needn’t be all doom and gloom. Looking on the bright side, you can easily get your hair back to its healthiest self with seven simple steps. Keep scrolling to reveal our not-so-secret, secrets on how to get glossy hair.
CARRY OUT A CLARIFYING CLEANSE
While we can’t live without our trusted styling products, after a few days the formulas begin to build up. That’s where detoxing shampoos come into play. Hitting the rest button, these nourishing formulas refresh and revive for a smooth, supple and shiny sign off. Designed with unique blends to banish oil, dirt and residue, they’re more concentrated than your typical concoctions and feature higher pH levels – which is why we recommend using them once a week to avoid the stripping of natural oils.
SHOP ALL SHAMPOOS >>>RESTORE MOISTURE WITH A MASK
Just like all your beauty regimes, hydration is key. As we’ve learnt, dry hair has rougher cuticles making it appear dull, therefore flooding it with moisture will leave your mane looking shiner than ever before. Formulated with thirst quenching butters and oils (we’re talking everything from shea butter to argan, coconut and avocado oil), hair masks replenish and add brighten your lengths over to become brighter over time.
SHOP ALL HAIR MASKS >>>HERO HAIR OILS
Cleverly shielding your follicles from surfactants by filling the gaps between your cuticle cells, hair oils boost a host of nourishing properties to restore and enhance a long-lasting gloss. Suitable for all hair types (even oily ones), they work hard to repair dry and damage tresses while restoring equilibrium to oily scalps.
SHOP ALL HAIR OILS >>>GO FOR GLOSS
Contrary to popular belief, hair glosses do not damage your hair. In fact, they do quite the opposite, they improve its appearance through hydration and shine. Fine-tuning your strand’s shade to become more even, hair glosses are a semi-permanent hair treatments that soften and illuminate tresses from root to tip. But that’s not all... seeping into each and every individual hair molecule, the featherweight formulas also add volume, texture while combating signs of sun damage.
SHOP ALL HAIR TREATMENTS >>>DETANGLE DELICATELY
Although brushing your hair two to three times a day helps the nutrients reach your hair follicles for a brightening boost, if you don’t brush the right way it can have the opposite effect. For example, brushing wet hair causes more breakages. Instead opt for a detangler with a wide-tooth comb. And when it comes to dry strands, we suggest selecting a natural boar bristle hair brush for a gentler touch over a tug. SHOP ALL HAIR BRUSHES >>>PROTECT FROM HEAT
We get it… turning down the heat isn’t always easy or possible. That said, there are ways to shield your strands from the damaging effects of rising temperatures. Firstly, avoid washing with hot water, as this can strip away natural oils and lift your cuticles. Instead, use lukewarm water before rinsing with cool water to seal in the shine. Secondly, always use a heat protector before picking up the styling tools. Creating an invisible barrier between the heat and hair, these strand-saving solutions seal in moisture while fending off unwanted frizz. Then last, but by no means least, deflect rays with a sun protector. While the sun can’t burn your tresses per se, it can fade colour and damage their overall look and feel.
SHOP ALL HEAT PROTECTION >>>SHOP ALL HAIR SUN PROTECTORS >>>SLEEP ON SILK
No beauty sleep is complete without a silk pillowcase. Less absorbent than your typical bedding, it retains your mane’s moisture to prevent dryness or an irritated scalp. Super smooth in texture, it acts as the ideal snuggle partner as your hair gently glides over its soft surface (sans friction and frizz). What’s more, it also avoids soaking up the all the product you may have applied prior to your shuteye session.
SHOP ALL SLEEP >>>BEST PRODUCTS FOR GLOSSY HAIR
Serving up salon-worthy swishes from the comfort of your own home, OUAI’s Hair Gloss boosts smoother, slicker strands that lasts up to three days. Powered by a hyaluronic acid, rice water and panthenol blend, it floods your follicles with hydration and protects your tresses’ tone. But that’s not all... it also acts as heat protector to – shielding your locks when working on your new ‘do. We’re thinking loose waves, how about you?
SHOP ALL OUAI HAIRCARE>>> READ MORE ABOUT OUAI’S HAIR GLOSS >>>Soothing stressed-out scalps (and strands), Ameliorate’s Clarifying Shampoo is the go-to for manes in crisis. Infused with two types of prebiotics (lactitol and xylitol), the detoxifying cleanser supports your skin’s microbiome to bring back some much-needed balance. Supercharged by the brand’s LaH6 Skin Hydration Complex, it’s proven to moisturise for up to eight hours for lustrous locks that are cool, calm and collected.
SHOP ALL AMELIORATE >>>Holding the title as the brand’s bestseller (that’s on a global scale, FYI), Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Oil can only be described as an overachiever. Why? Well, for starters it can be used as a pre-styling and finishing product or as an overnight treatment or mask. Passed down three generations, it’s enriched with the brand’s world renowned Mirsalehi Honey and Bee Garden blend to instantly hydrate and reveal supreme shine.
SHOP ALL GISOU >>>A match made in mane-heaven; Color Wow’s Shine Bundle illuminates your locks for the ultimate liquid hair look. Featuring the fan-favourite Dream Coat Supernatural Spray and the brand’s iconic Pop + Lock High Gloss Finish, this dreamy duo treats dry, dull and unruly lengths, before ‘shrinkwraping’ each strand with a waterproof cloak. Oh, and did we mention you can use it whenever, wherever you want? Add it to your routine as a pre-blowout treatment to retain moisture while heat-styling, as a finisher to break tights curls into shiny waves or as a styling aid to tame flyaways and frizz. The choice is all yours!
SHOP ALL COLOR WOW >>>Maintain your mane as you slumber courtesy of Slip’s Silk Pillowcase. Dreamt up from 100% pure mulberry silk – that’s been developed and refined over 10 years – this bedtime partner allows your tresses to rest peacefully with little to no friction. Now you can enjoy some shuteye knowing you won’t be exposing yourself to bedhead come sunrise.
SHOP ALL SLIP >>>So, there you have it, now you have all the tips and tricks on how to get glossy hair without having to book an appointment at the salon... phew!
SHOP ALL HAIR CARE >>>
