by Hairstyle trends often dictate how long a bob is in fashion, the right blonde tone for the season or whether a cropped fringe is ‘in’ or firmly ‘out’.
But there is one beauty ideal – swishy, shiny hair of all hair lengths and textures – that will ever go out of fashion.
It is now enjoying some revival thanks to the younger generations; The term ‘glass hair’, which is Gen Z-speak for ‘shiny hair’, has amassed nearly 400 million views on TikTok. It’s great that shiny hair is attainable whether you’re in your twenties or sixties.
“Shiny hair instantly looks expensive,” explains lead colorist and hairdresser Anita Rice, who runs a chain of salons in London. “It is considered and shows elegance.”
Rice points out that healthy hair is at the heart of shiny hair. While undyed, well-nourished hair is healthy, and therefore shiny, what if you color your hair and use styling tools and heat? Fortunately, there are many products to give a great ‘artificial’ shine, because even if you take care of your hair, once you start coloring it, you will reduce the natural reflective quality of the hair.
Here are five ways to get your most shiny hair, from preparation to styling.
Start with oil
Shiny hair starts before washing the hair. Pre-wash oils, such as the Bringadi Scalp & Hair Oil, £49, by Kama Ayurveda, nourish the scalp, helping to promote healthy, shiny hair. The best way to use a pre-wash oil without overloading the hair is to apply a few drops evenly across the scalp. Massage the oil in for a few minutes to promote blood circulation and ideally leave the oil in overnight, washing off the next morning. When it comes to washing your hair, Redken’s Acid Color Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner (£25.70) is a great duo. It contains citric acid to restore the hair to a healthy pH level, and seals the hair cuticle to protect it from pollution.
Bringadi Scalp & Hair Oil, £49, by Kama Ayurveda; Redken Acid Color Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner, £25.70, Sephora
The new ‘laminators’
This summer, hair care brands have taken attention from trending skin care ingredients to create concoctions that improve the condition of the hair. The new Glycolic Gloss range by L’Oreal Paris is excellent. The Lamination 5 Minute Rinse-Off is an at-home gloss treatment that uses glycolic acid to improve hair quality: apply once a week for five minutes after shampooing and conditioning, and rinse. It’s £8 on the Boots website at the moment, which is great value for such a great haircare innovation.
Glycolic Gloss from L’Oreal Paris£7.99, Boots; Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer£329.99
Protect from heat damage
Heat protection sprays are becoming more popular in the hair care world, and for good reason: they help protect your hair from the intense heat from dryers or hair tools. The Moisture Sealing Lotion, £38, by Beyonce’s new haircare brand, Cecred, is a great holiday treatment that you can apply after washing your hair. It makes straight hair shinier and curly hair more defined. We also love the smell of the products – with notes of oud, musk and sandalwood, these products make your hair look and smell expensive.
Moisture Sealing Lotion, £38, Cecred
The correct blow drying technique
To maximize shine, you may need to change the way you dry your hair. “When using your hair dryer, make sure the air flow is working with the hair shaft,” explains Rice. This strictly means not wearing your hair upside down and blasting it with heat, and instead drying it with the heat directed down from the root to the tip.
“You want to use the hot air going from the top of the head to the end to seal the hair shaft, thus adding more shine.” The £330 Dyson Super Hair Dryer has a ‘woven attachment’ which is a game changer for smoothing hair cuticles and preventing frizz.
Shiny hair with a straightener
The look can also be achieved with hair straighteners that encourage the glass-like finish. The new styler Chronos by ghd, £289 gives three times faster styling than a regular hair straightener, with 85 percent more shine: it is a tool used by the famous stylist Halley Brisker on his clients including Julianne Moore and Lily James. “Shine is a really important factor in my work, and this straightener creates a glossy finish without the need for many products,” he explains.
Chronos styler by ghd£289
100 strokes a day
The humble hairbrush also affects how shiny your hair looks, despite being often an afterthought. According to Flore Robert, co-founder of the French luxury hairbrush brand La Bonne Brosse, it seems that our grandmother’s golden rule of 100 strokes of the hairbrush a day still holds true.
This is the best way to remove particles of pollution from our hair, which could affect the overall shine. The Universal Hair Care Brush by La Bonne Brosse, costing £138, is a real investment piece. Or, try the best-selling Manta Healthy Hair Brush, £30.
The Universal Hair Care Brush by La Bonne Brosse£138; Manta Healthy Hair Brush£30
The final touch
In the same Glycolic Gloss range, L’Oreal Paris has a very good Leave-in Serum, £8, which you can apply to wet or dry hair for a glossy finish. Anita Rice is a fan of the Davines Shimmering Mist, £21.75, which she describes as “instant gloss in an aerosol can”.
Rest assured, it doesn’t make your hair look greasy – just glowy. She also says that any serum or oil repair product will also help to improve the condition of the hair while giving a glossy effect. Try the Taming Balm, £11, by Kerasilk.
Taming Balm£11, Cersilk; Davines Mist Shimmering£21.75
