How can I get shinier hair?

To have shiny hair, you must have healthy hair. That means regular trims, don’t brush it when it’s wet, and try not to use a lot of heat directly on the cuticles.

After your hair is healthy, you can focus on boosting its shine.

First, try using a hot oil treatment once a week or even once a month. The heat will open the cuticles’ pores letting the oils absorb into the hair, giving it a nice, natural shine. Your hair follicles produce their own oils from the sebaceous glands. To maximise your own natural shine and to promote healthier, stronger hair, don’t wash your hair often. Before you shower, use a boar-bristle brush through your hair to move the oils around. This will help your hair look and feel better over time.

While in the shower, try to rinse your hair in cold water. It may sound unpleasant, but the cold will close the cuticle pores which the heat in the oil treatments or the hot steam from your shower opened. Open pores gives your hair more volume, but closed pores facing the same direction will give you a sleek, shiny look. You can also use the cold air setting on your blow dryer for the same effect.

Another washing tip for shiny hair is to apply conditioner first and only to the tips. Don’t rinse it out. Apply shampoo to the roots of the hair only. Then rinse all of your hair from top to bottom like normal. That way your roots are cleaned from dead skin so the follicles aren’t hampered by excessive oils, but the rest of your hair still has some of its natural oil and shine. If you absolutely must shower everyday and you want shinier hair, using this method every other day will give you both the shine and the clean feeling.

Finally, make sure you don’t use hair care products that have alcohol as a main active ingredient. Alcohol can decrease the hair’s shine so use creams, gels, or leave-in conditioners instead.

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