The Shine-Boosting Hair Products You Need Now
By Marissa DeSantis
Whether slicked-back ponytails or long, loose waves are on trend, one thing is certain: Shiny, glossy hair is always in. Yet regular heat styling and piling on the dry shampoo, mousse and hairspray can leave your hair looking dry and dull.
Getting your hair into healthy, shiny shape is now as simple as reaching for an at-home gloss, or spritzing it with shine spray. Like a choose-your-own-adventure for shine enhancing products, these picks are exactly what your styling routine (whether it’s one step or 10) has been missing. Get ready to do a slow-motion hair toss.
Related: How to Get the Hair of Your Dreams? Ditch the Shampoo
Daily Dose of Shine
Put your regular shampoo and conditioner on hiatus, and try one of these shine duos instead.
Redken Diamond Oil High Shine Shampoo, $18, and High Shine Conditioner, $19, use mica particles similar to our favorite face-illuminating products to reflect light and add a sparkling finish to hair.
To add shine while protecting hair from future damage, try R+Co Moon Shine Shampoo, $24, and Moon Shine Conditioner, $25. They contain ingredients like hibiscus and rice extracts to immediately condition and add moisture, as well as ingredients to protect hair from free radicals that can strip it of color and shine.
Related: FYI: You’re Brushing Your Hair All Wrong
Your Once-a-Week Solution
If you really want to enhance shine, use a gloss once a week.
To give hair a softer, shinier look without depositing color, try Rita Hazan Ultimate Shine Gloss in Clear, $26, Madison Reed Color Reviving Gloss, $24.95, or John Frieda Luminous Glaze Clear, $9.99. They work similarly to hair color, but they close the hair cuticle, making it appear smooth and shiny.
If you’re looking to boost blonde color too, Shu Uemura Color Lustre Shade Reviving Balm, $58, deposits color to cool and warm shades of blonde hair while moisturizing.
Deep Conditioning Treatments
Keep your hair in tip-top shape with one of these in-shower masks to give hair a glossy finish while also leaving it more manageable and healthy.
The magnolia wax in this Klorane Mask, $24, smoothes the hair cuticle to repair split ends and detangle while restoring shine.
If dryness is what’s preventing your hair from shining to its fullest potential, Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Brilliance Mask, $39, contains jojoba oil and guar gum to restore moisture to the hair.
Related: Make Your Hair Color Last Twice As Long
Set in Shine With a Serum
Most serums are best for thick or curly hair. They coat the outside of the hair and lock out frizz.
Kerastase Styling Touche Finale Supershine Polishing Serum, $36, is an exception to that rule. It gives styled hair a glossy finish that’s light and soft. Ken Paves You Are Beautiful Repair & Nourish Shine Serum, $14, is formulated with a blend of essential oils including avocado oil to fight dullness.
Related: The Secret to Getting Hair With Tons of Volume
Oils to Make Hair Light and Bright
These days, hair oils can work for any hair type — they range from extremely light to heavy and deeply moisturizing. Use an oil if you’re looking for a conditioning treatment that really penetrates the hair — not just a superficial shine.
To strengthen hair while smoothing, Wella LuxeOil Reconstructive Elixir, $48, contains a hydrating blend of argan, almond and jojoba oils, as well as keratin to repair damaged hair.
If you don’t want to change your current styling product routine, try L’Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil Nourishing Oil, $32, which can be mixed with your existing products. It contains super-moisturizing avocado and grape seed oils.
While everyone’s favorite beauty hero, coconut oil, is the star in Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Weightless Shine Dry Oil Mist, $11, it also contains avocado, jojoba and grape seed oils. And the spray pump means you don’t have to deal with greasy hands.
Finishing Touch
If the thought of coating your thin hair with an oil or serum has you nervous that you’ll end up more greasy than glossy, opt for a dry finishing spray instead. It will add a healthy shine to hair without weighing it down.
Oribe Shine Light Reflecting Spray, $38, adds shine while keeping frizz and static at bay. Plus, in typical Oribe fashion, it smells like a dream.
To punch up blonde color (or a light ombre) and fight brassiness while giving hair a bonus does of shine, spray Schwarzkopf Professional BlondMe Color Correction Spray Conditioner, $23, on wet or dry hair. We think this first-of-its-kind conditioning spray is primed to start a new trend in color-enhancing products. (The only catch: It launches in February.)
For a finishing spray that also has hold, try Show Beauty Premiere Finishing Spray, $47. It will keep your hair in place all day while ingredients like vitamin B and argan oil help repair damage and add moisture for your softest hair yet.
Related: 12 Best Hair Care Products Under $10
