Shiny. It’s a word that makes us shriek when it comes to our complexions, but utter these two syllables when we’re talking hair and you can hold our attention better than a “Real Housewives” finale. As beauty nomads, we’ve run the gamut on shine-inducing treatments—from glosses, to slathering our hair with mayonnaise (that was… savory) to cracking a couple of eggs overhead—but, at the end of the day, we’ve learned that, in the long run, healthy hair is shiny hair. We know, that’s like saying a happy plate is one covered with kale, not French fries—such an annoying truth. Luckily, there are a few quick tricks and changes to make in your hair care routine that can make strands shinier instantly.
- Get a Trim: Split ends can make your hair look dull, dry, and damaged so haul that precious mane to the salon for a good snip and a boost of shine!
- Pat Dry: If you normally hop out of the shower and rub your hair dry with a towel, STOP in the name of shine. Hair is shiniest when the cuticle lies flat, but rubbing your hair with a cotton towel forces the cuticle open, making your hair more likely to frizz, and less likely to glisten. Instead, squeeze out excess water as soon as you’re out of the shower, and pat your hair dry gently.
- Cool Off: Cold water seals your hair’s cuticle (which you now know boosts your shine) so at the end of your shower, blast your strands with a cool rinse.
- Spritz Smartly: Some days, despite all of our best efforts, flyaways and frizz take the place of what-could-be shiny, luscious strands. To combat this annoyance we like to smooth a tiny drop of Redken Glass 01 Smoothing Serum or Kérastase Cistalliste Lumiére Liquide on our mane throughout the day (behold, it’s liquid magic).