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If your hair has lost its luster lately, consider trying a hair gloss treatment to revive its shine and vitality. These treatments can serve as an excellent solution for maintaining your hair’s health between salon visits. Celebrity hairstylist and colorist Dimitris Giannetos emphasizes that hair glosses do more than merely enhance shine; they also improve color, boost softness, and seal the cuticle for a polished finish. When selecting a gloss, Giannetos advises opting for products that hydrate while enhancing vibrancy, ensuring your hair appears healthier and more radiant in just a few minutes.
Vogue’s Top Picks for At-Home Hair Glosses
Overview
Whether you’re seeking a no-rinse option or a creamy treatment to address brassiness, there is a selection of high-quality at-home gloss treatments available. These products can serve as a valid reason to delay your next salon appointment—our secret!
Best Shade Range: Supergloss Glaze Toning Conditioning Gloss
Why We Love It: Glaze promotes its conditioning gloss as a “tinted moisturizer for hair,” capable of adding moisture and correcting tones. With 16 different colors and undertones available, you are sure to find the perfect match for your hair, whether it’s natural or treated. After just one application, your hair will look significantly shinier, more toned, and softer.Key Ingredients: Babassu oil, vitamin EShades: 16Staying Power: Lasts up to 10 washesHow to Apply: After shampooing, skip conditioner and apply the gloss to clean, damp hair. Leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.Size: 6.4 fl oz.
Best for Color Touch-Up: dpHUE Gloss+ Semi-Permanent Hair Color & Deep Conditioner
dpHUE
Gloss+ Semi-Permanent Hair Color
Why We Love It: Is your regular colorist unavailable? dpHUE’s gloss can serve as a temporary fix until you can book an appointment. This semi-gloss treatment offers a highly pigmented color in 13 shades that lasts for up to eight washes, resulting in radiant, shiny hair. Key Ingredients: DimethiconeShades: 13Staying Power: Lasts up to 8 washesHow to Apply: Apply to clean, damp hair and let it sit for up to 20 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.Size: 6.5 fl oz.
Best for Fighting Brassiness: Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat + Tone
Pureology
Color Fanatic Top Coat + Tone
Why We Love It: Say farewell to unwanted brassiness! Pureology’s Color Fanatic helps tackle warm tones for dark blondes and brunettes using a blue pigment. The blend includes plant-based ingredients, such as oat milk for softness and camelina seed oil to enhance shine.Key Ingredients: Oat milk, camelina seed oil, olive oilShades: 1Staying Power: Lasts up to 8 washesHow to Apply: Apply to damp hair in a zig-zag pattern, concentrating on mid-lengths and ends, using a wide-tooth comb for even application before rinsing well.Size: 6.7 fl oz.
Best Long-lasting Rinse: Oribe Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment
Oribe
Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment
Why We Love It: This transparent, ultra-lightweight treatment is ideal for adding shine without imparting color to any hair texture. Plant-derived humectants ensure hydration while softening the hair. Furthermore, extracts from watermelon, lychee, and edelweiss flower deliver antioxidants to guard against sun damage and degradation.
Key Ingredients: Watermelon, lychee, edelweiss flower, polymer blendShades: ClearStaying Power: Lasts up to 15 washesHow to Apply: Post-shampoo, replace conditioner with this treatment, applying to mid-lengths after squeezing out excess water. Leave on for 1 minute, repeating weekly.Size: 5.9 fl oz.
Best Mess-Free Glaze: IGK Expensive Clear Gloss Top Coat
IGK
Expensive Clear Gloss Top Coat
Why We Love It: For extra shine without the mess, IGK’s clear gloss is a great choice. This cream formula applies easily and is packed with naturally-derived ingredients, including amla for deep conditioning and sunflower seed oil to fight frizz by sealing the hair cuticle. Sea kelp extract is known for its antioxidant properties, which help prevent UV damage.Key Ingredients: Amla oil, sea kelp extract, sunflower seed oilShades: ClearStaying Power: Lasts up to a weekHow to Apply: After shampooing, apply to wet hair from roots to tips. Rinse after three minutes and repeat once or twice a week.Size: 4.2 fl oz.
Best for Quick Shine: Davines Oi Liquid Luster, Nourishing Rinse-Off Treatment
Why We Love It: This lightweight treatment from Davines is perfect for adding radiance with each wash. Its eco-friendly formulation and packaging comprise 95% biodegradable components. The standout element, roucou oil, is high in vitamin A, which encourages hair growth, enhances texture, and imparts shine.Key Ingredients: Roucou oil, glycerin, lactic acid, annatto extractShades: ClearStaying Power: Best used with every wash, as an additional step.How to Apply: After shampooing, remove excess water and apply the treatment in sections from mid-lengths to ends. Rinse after 5 minutes.Size: 10.14 fl oz.
Best Cream Gloss: R+Co Gemstone Ultra Shine Glossing Treatment
R+Co
Gemstone Ultra Shine Glossing Treatment
Why We Love It: Replace your deep conditioner with R+Co’s creamy treatment to achieve added luminosity. Its vegan formula includes guava butter for deep hydration and a blend of vitamins C and E that shield against UV damage while enhancing shine.Key Ingredients: Guava butter, vitamin C, vitamin EShades: ClearStaying Power: One weekHow to Apply: Apply to wet hair from roots to ends post-shampoo, and let it sit for five minutes before rinsing.Size: 5 oz.
Best for Dull Color-Treated Hair: Moroccanoil High Shine Gloss Color Depositing Mask
Moroccanoil
High Shine Gloss Color Depositing Mask
Why We Love It: For those who dream of extra shiny hair, Moroccanoil’s gloss mask delivers results quickly—often in under 10 minutes or even overnight. Rich in fatty acids, abyssinica seed oil adds shine, while quinoa protein protects against moisture loss and premature fading.Key Ingredients: Abyssinica seed oil, argan oil, hydrolyzed quinoaShades: ClearStaying Power: One weekHow to Apply: Best applied on clean, towel-dried hair. Use sections to apply a generous amount, comb through for even distribution, and rinse after seven minutes. For overnight use, cover your hair and rinse in the morning.Size: 6.7 fl oz.
Best Hyaluronic Acid Formula: Ouai Hair Gloss
Why We Love It: Ouai combines hyaluronic acid and rice water for an impressive duo that addresses hair damage and dullness while providing heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Both ingredients are renowned in skincare, offering similar nourishing effects on hair. Rice bran extract smoothes the cuticle, while hyaluronic acid ensures moisture retention, leaving your hair looking radiant for up to three washes.Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, panthenol, rice bran extract, rosemary leaf extract, sunflower extract, hydrogenated castor oilShades: ClearStaying Power: Up to three washesHow to Apply: After shampooing and conditioning, apply a pea-sized amount evenly to sectioned hair from mid-lengths to ends. Wait five minutes before rinsing.Size: 6 fl oz.
Quick Gloss Without Washing: Rahua Color Full Glossing Mist
Rahua
Color Full Glossing Oil Mist
Why We Love It: When you need a quick fix for dull hair without the time for an extensive wash, Rahua’s glossing mist provides a silky touch and instant radiance. This botanical oil-based formula blends rahua, morete, sacha inchi, and blue tansy flower oils to rejuvenate dry strands without weighing them down.Key Ingredients: Morete oil, sacha inchi oil, blue tansy flower oilsShades: ClearStaying Power: Provides short-term shine between washesHow to Apply: Hold the bottle about 16 inches from your hair and mist from mid-lengths to ends, brushing through for an even finish. Remember, a little goes a long way.Size: 2 fl oz.
Best for All Hair Types: Kérastase Chroma Absolu Hair Gloss
Why We Love It: This innovative lightweight formula transforms from a liquid to a rich lather upon contact with water. Chroma Absolu is highly concentrated, allowing it to work quickly to restore shine to your hair. Ingredients such as centella asiatica and tocopherol deliver hydration, while lactic acid acts as a humectant to help retain luster. Importantly, this product is suitable for all hair types, encompassing everything from fine and straight to thick and curly.Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, centella asiatica, tocopherolShades: ClearStaying Power: Lasts up to one weekHow to Apply: After shampooing, apply to hair, ensuring full saturation from mid-lengths to ends. Avoid the scalp and allow to sit for two minutes before rinsing.Size: 7.1 fl oz.
Best Drugstore Option: L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss
Why We Love It: With ten shades available, including a clear option tailored for gray hair, L’Oréal’s color-depositing gloss revitalizes faded color while imparting a glossy finish. Formulated with coconut oil, it is keratin-safe and has garnered praise from Giannetos for delivering quick results from home.Key Ingredients: Coconut oilShades: 10Staying Power: Lasts up to 10 daysHow to Apply: After shampooing, squeeze excess water from your hair, dispense the product into your hands, and evenly distribute throughout. Leave on for 5 to 15 minutes before rinsing.Size: 4.0 fl oz.
Essential Information
Are hair glosses beneficial for your hair?
In addition to enhancing shine, professional colorist Saint Latimer points out that glosses offer more significant benefits: they smooth the hair’s cuticle, effectively reducing frizz and providing a silkier touch. “Glosses can revive old, color-treated hair or enhance the natural glow of virgin locks,” Latimer explains.
What distinguishes a gloss from a glaze?
Latimer notes that the terms are often used interchangeably, but they do have distinctions. Celebrity hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos clarifies, “A hair gloss penetrates the cuticle to enhance or correct color while softening and adding shine. It generally lasts longer than a glaze, which merely coats the hair’s surface for a temporary boost but does not significantly alter the tone.”
Is it possible for an at-home gloss to match the results of a salon treatment?
At-home glosses exhibit user-friendliness in application, whereas salon glosses are typically mixed by professional colorists using stronger ingredients for more prolonged results. “Salon glosses can be customized to suit specific hair colors and conditions, and they generally last longer due to professional-grade components,” Giannetos explains. Still, at-home glosses can keep your color fresh and yield noticeable outcomes.
Latimer agrees, indicating that the porosity and health of your hair will influence the longevity of your gloss, whether from a salon or at home. “A home gloss generally lasts around three washes, while color-depositing glosses can have more durability based on pigment strength, hair health, and processing time,” he notes. “Clear glosses are often my go-to for home use since they usually don’t impact salon hair color.”
How to Apply an At-Home Hair Gloss
Experts recommend following the product’s instructions closely for optimal outcomes. However, some general practices are applicable regardless of the brand. “To achieve the best results, start with clean, damp hair to ensure even distribution. Always wear gloves to prevent staining, and apply the gloss from mid-lengths to ends, using a comb for even coverage. Allow it to sit for five to 15 minutes, based on your color intensity preference, then rinse thoroughly,” suggests Giannetos.
Source
www.vogue.com