“Hair gloss is the best,” says Carlyn Griscti, a hairstylist at New York’s White Rose Collective salon. I’m leaning back in the shampoo bowl as a clear shine treatment is ripped through my hair where it will sit for ten minutes, just like a conditioner. “We push them as an addition to a haircut or blowout because they’re quick and make the hair look so healthy,” says Griscti.
I love the way my hair feels after getting a salon shine: shinier and more manageable. But it’s still a semi-niche category in the hair world. Google and TikTok searches for hair gloss have been on the rise, with people asking: ‘what is a hair gloss?’, ‘Is a hair gloss worth it?’ and “what are the best hair gloss brands and colors?” – so let’s get into it.
This article originally appeared on refinery29.com
What is a hair gloss?
Hair colorists liken it to a moisturizing lip gloss for your hair that leaves it shiny. Traditionally, a hair gloss is a salon color treatment, but you can also gloss your own hair at home (we’ll get to that). Most hair salons offer a gloss service as an add-on, with a range of colored glosses and also clear. If you choose a colored gloss, it’s like a semi-permanent hair color lite that lasts for about four weeks or ten washes, whichever comes first.
The gloss itself is what colorist Leland Olsen describes as a “liquid acid,” which basically means it applies as a toner and not a cream-based colorant or lightener. Because of this, the process is faster and does not require foils or heat. “You can put [a gloss] on wet or dry hair,” explains Olsen. “When you dye dry hair, because there is no moisture in it, it will absorb the color more intensely. When you apply a gloss to wet hair, it becomes a little more diluted and soft. It’s perfect when you’re looking for gentle refining or hair color deposition.”
Whether you choose a clear or tinted gloss, your stylist or colorist will typically replace the conditioner step with a hair gloss, which will sit in your hair for five to ten minutes. It gets rinsed out and you move on to a blowout or styling.
What are the benefits of a hair gloss?
Shine, vibrancy and frizz control are the most obvious benefits of a hair gloss. In my experience, a clear shine means I don’t have to fight with my long, thick hair to do what I want it to do. After my latest shine, a Kevin Murphy Color.Me treatment, I didn’t wash my hair for a full six days afterwards. My blowout remained intact and actually looked better as the week progressed. By day three, I was even able to style the blowout for a very Jennifer Aniston-inspired ’90s look that lasted all weekend.
Olsen notes that a gloss can be a cost-effective treatment in the long term. “The price is going to depend on what the salon chooses to charge,” he says, “but when I do a quick shine at the sink, it’s like a $20 treatment. So if you’re in for a haircut, think , whatever the cost of the haircut is, and you just add $20.” So at home you don’t really need to keep the shine with anything fancy.
When I wash my hair after a shine, I don’t need any expensive ‘bonding’ treatments like Olaplex or K18 because my hair feels healthy without them. My current routine is just shampoo and conditioner; I’m not precious. The results of a gloss are more akin to a keratin-based smoothing treatment, but again much lighter without any heaviness (or the keratin smell).
With a color gloss there are a lot more advantages. If you gloss over previously colored hair, it will extend the life of the color. “For example, if you’re a single-process redhead, a red gloss will cover all your natural gray or brown or blonde peeking, so you don’t have to book in for another color appointment for a few more weeks,” Griscti explains. A flush allows you to play with color with much lower stakes. “Some people don’t want to dye their hair permanently,” Olsen explains, “so we can do a combination of glosses and get life, but you don’t feel like your hair is dyed.”
On TikTok, @schaelove talks about the benefits of a clear shine on natural hair. They use Redken Shades EQ, which makes their curls more defined and conditioned until wash day. Olsen explains how a hair gloss evens out hair porosity on a molecular level, essentially making each strand the same from root (new growth) to tip (old growth, prone to dryness and breakage).
What is the best home gloss?
Given the choice between a salon gloss and an at-home gloss kit, I’d go for the salon gloss and have it applied by a trained stylist who knows what they’re doing. Griscti explains that the results of a professional gloss will last longer than your at-home treatment because salons have access to professional fire systems. Plus, a colorist can mix different gloss tones to get a shade you won’t find in a box.
But the home options are also good. They’re basically like DIY toning treatments that can be applied to wet or dry hair for a subtle tint and shine, depending on whether you’re going for a color or a clear version. You may have seen Kristin Ess Gloss in Copper Penny, which recently went viral on TikTok and took a natural strawberry blonde to a richer, more auburn tone.
Kristin Ess Gloss, which comes in ten shades and costs $15 at Target. Another favorite of mine is dpHUE Gloss+, which Grischi says she also recommends to her clients. It’s a gloss plus deep conditioning treatment that comes in a bottle as opposed to a box. It’s a bestseller at Ulta in its category. I’ve been using Clear, but Medium Brown is the latest shade to help tone almost any brunette. Award-winning Le Gloss from L’Oreal Paris is another easy, in-shower tint that boosts shine and enhances color. Don’t expect drama with a hair gloss, as Olsen explains, it’s a “refined” treatment.