Hair gloss at home: a guide to keeping your hair glossy

We love and strive for glossy hair, but did you know some of the everyday things we expose our hair to could be killing our shine?

But it turns out: you don't have to sacrifice on shine! There are steps you can take, including hair gloss treatments you can add to your colour and hair care routine to keep your locks looking gorgeous, glamorous, and glossy.

So, what's a hair gloss and is this something you can do at home?

Get the answer to all your questions right here. Learn about the crimes against shine to avoid and the things you can do to be the boss of gloss (cue Rihanna's Shine Bright Like a Diamond).

What is a hair gloss treatment?

A hair gloss is a subtle colouring and rich conditioning treatment that adds tone and enhances shine in your locks. It’s perfect for breathing new life into coloured hair between full-colour top-ups or adding fresh colour to natural blonde, red, and dark hair. You can also add bold shades to natural hair colour or pre-lightened hair using a vibrantly tinted hair gloss (hot pink, rose or bright blue, anyone?).

Hair glossing is available as a salon treatment, but it's super easy to gloss your hair at home using our Colour Gloss Up temporary hair colour range.

What are the benefits of at-home hair glossing?

Using a home hair gloss comes with multiple benefits, including:

• • It removes unwanted tones and brassiness. Yellow and orange tones be gone! With a hair gloss, you can keep brassy hair at bay thanks to its colour-toning properties. 
• • It refreshes your colour. When you're in between hair dye touch-ups, a hair gloss is the perfect shine-boosting, colour-refreshing product. 
• • It's time-efficient. With a hair gloss, you can be ready to go out with a freshly styled do in just under an hour (including prep, application, and styling time).

Is a hair gloss different from a hair toner?

Yes, a hair gloss and a hair toner are different services.

Both have conditioning qualities and have shades to neutralise unwanted warm tones; however, unlike a hair gloss which works to freshen your colour, a toner is usually a demi-permanent colour, meaning you mix the colourant with a developer. The shades are very sheer in their result and are usually meant to go on pre-lightened hair for the best outcome.

Can a hair gloss damage your hair?

Are you ready for the best news yet? Our Colour Gloss Up range is damage-free and silicone-free!

Made with deep-conditioning ingredients like shea butter and argan oil, Colour Gloss Up provides enhanced colour while moisturising and smoothing your hair. Plus, with a salon-inspired formula, you get salon-quality results lasting up to 15 washes (depending on your hair type and habits).

Where do we sign up?

How do you apply a hair gloss?

Colour Gloss Up is easy to apply to natural and colour-treated hair at home in three simple steps and takes just 15 minutes maximum to deliver a boost of fresh hair colour and beautiful shine.

Step 1: Prep

Before beginning the application process, ensure you have clean and damp hair. Wear protective gloves to avoid staining your skin with the product.

Step 2: Apply

Got your tube of gloss? Squeeze a generous amount of Colour Gloss Up into your palm and massage the product into your hair from root to tip, ensuring full saturation and an even all-over application.

Step 3: Develop and style

Leave the product on for a minimum of 2 minutes (for a quick boost of shine) and a maximum of 15 minutes (for a complete shine and colour refresh). Rinse your hair and style it as usual.

Et voila! An easy service with a glossy finish.

How can I maintain shiny hair?

A hair gloss is our number one choice for a shine and colour refresh every few weeks, but there are other everyday things you should keep in mind when it comes to maintaining your shine.

Hair damage is the biggest culprit for hair that's dull and lacking shine. Keep scrolling to learn how you can keep your locks looking smooth, glossy and free from damage - to keep your true colour shining through.

1. Control your inner product junkie

We love a good styling product, but they can cause a matte result if you don't take some precautions. Our top tip? Don’t overuse styling products like wax, creams, and sprays. They can dull your hair, create product build-up and cause your colour to fade.

Instead, try using multi-tasking products that offer styling and hair care in one (and those that are created for coloured hair if applicable to you).

2. Reduce the heat

Heat styling tools like hair dryers, hair straighteners, and curling tongs can all lead to damage and dullness. It's great to style our hair sometimes, but try cutting down how often you use them (hard, we know!). Always use heat-protecting products when using heat tools to keep your hair cuticles intact and free from breakage.

3. Show your roots some love

If you have coloured-treated hair, having a root touch-up product on hand is great for when your roots are starting to appear.

Using hair dye very often on your lengths can sometimes cause your locks to become over-processed, which reduces shine. A root cover like Root Touch-Up Permanent or Spray by Nice'n Easy keeps your roots covered without the need to use all-over colour more than you need to. Available in a variety of shades, Root Touch-Up offers 100% grey hair coverage - so you can spray away those greys easily in between all-over colour top-ups.

4. Go for vibrancy

One way to achieve noticeable shine in your locks is to choose a colour that's vibrant.

That doesn't have to mean something that's bold or bright (though we do love an amethyst or blazin' red!). If fashion colours don't quite float your boat, a natural shade with hints of golden, bronze, or red hues will help boost your shine. Remember to consider your natural skin colour and undertones when selecting a hair colour - the wrong shade could wash you out.

5. Choose products formulated with gloss in mind

A high-quality non-permanent colour is gentle enough to be used as a gloss. Natural Instincts feel-good, demi-permanent hair colour comes in 32 shades for blonde, red, black, violet, and brunette hair. It has zero ammonia and is formulated with gentle ingredients like coconut oil and aloe vera.

With added vitamins and moisturising qualities, Natural Instincts provides a sheer coat of radiant, beautiful colour and enhanced shine.

6. Condition, condition, condition

Using a hair gloss every few weeks helps to keep your hair in tip-top shape, but what about the weeks in between? Ensuring you have deep conditioning treatments in your hair care collection is super important, especially if you like to style your hair frequently.

Leave-in conditioners, hair masks, and shine treatments like hair oils will help you maintain healthy, beautiful hair with a brilliant shine. Use products like these regularly to keep your locks free-from damage.

If your hair is prone to dryness, frizz, or breakage, you may need to use deep conditioner treatments more frequently, possibly daily, depending on your hair type. Very curly hair, for example, may require a more intense moisturising regime as it is more prone to dry hair.

Level up your hair routine and keep that colour poppin' with more tips on how to max out the lifespan of your at-home hair colour, while keeping your hair healthy and shining bright.