How To Get Glossy Hair

While hair textures and types differ, glossier hair is within the reach of most. Hair loses its gloss through the use of harsh styling products and shampoos, exposure to the sun, chemical exposure (such as the chlorine in swimming pool water), poor diet, and blow drying.

There are several different approaches to achieve a glossy look to your hair; here are a few.

Natural Products

If you’d like to take a natural approach, you may find you need go no further than your own kitchen for some of these hair treatments.

1. Vinegar Rinse

Did you know that apple cider vinegar can help make your hair shiny and soft? In fact, combining it with a baking soda shampoo treatment may be just the thing to bring shine to your hair. Here’s how it works.

* Put about 1 teaspoon of baking soda into a jar or cup. When you’re ready to wash your hair, add about half a cup to one cup of warm water.

* Pour this mixture evenly over your wet hair, and work it into your scalp with your fingertips. Gently massage the rest of your hair as you would with a normal shampoo.

* Rinse out the baking soda mixture.

* In another cup, put 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and add about 2 cups of water. Pour this evenly over your hair, and rinse with lukewarm water.

2. Hair Salad

This deep conditioning treatment helps restore shine and strength.

* Mash up one avocado and add half a cup of mayonnaise. Mix until smooth.

* Work this mixture thoroughly into damp hair.

* Put a shower cap on and sit in the sun or use a blow dryer to generate heat for 15 to 25 minutes.

* Rinse hair in lukewarm water, then shampoo and condition as usual.

Conventional Products

Applying heat may cause damage to hair, but done correctly, the application of heat combined with the right products can really bring out the shine in your hair.

* To damp hair, apply a deep conditioner. Sources recommend the type of conditioner that comes in a jar, as this will be thicker. Massage this thoroughly through hair, concentrating on the ends.

* Wrap your conditioned hair in a towel or shower cap. Apply heat from a blow dryer for 15 to 25 minutes. Allow hair to cool.

* Rinse out conditioner with lukewarm or cool water – the cooler the better.

* Shampoo your hair with a mild shampoo and apply normal conditioner, again rinsing with cool water.

If you like, you can also apply a shine spray or ant-frizz product to your hair while it’s still damp. Allow your hair to air-dry.