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Glossy, glass-like hair isn’t just covetable—it’s a sign of healthy strands. But figuring out how to get shiny hair is more than just choosing the right shampoo and conditioner. It’s a balance of moisturizing, styling, and some insider hairstylist tricks. If your hair is looking flat, there tend to be a few typical causes. “Dull hair can be the result of damage or buildup,” says professional hairstylist Hyeri Sung. “Things like heat styling, color treatments, and even hard water can roughen the cuticle so it lacks shine.”
Here’s the good news: Achieving shiny hair is way simpler than you think. From easy-to-copy tricks (seriously, how do hairdressers get blowouts looking so shiny?) to product recommendations, read on for everything you need to know about how to get shiny hair.
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Choose your shampoo and conditioner wisely.
Your shampoo and conditioner is the basis and first step to getting sparkling, shiny hair. “Use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner regularly,” says Sung. She recommends “focusing on ingredients that help nourish and smooth the hair cuticle.” As for what ingredients to consider? Humectants like hyaluronic acid to attract and retain moisture, oils like squalane or rosehip to nourish and add shine, and more. Plus, keep an eye out for words like gloss, hydrating, shine, and glass on the label to know that you’re picking a winner.
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Rinse hair with cool water.
At the end of your shower, “do a cool-water rinse when rinsing out conditioner,” says Jenna Spino, stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. It can promote smoothness by helping to “seal the cuticle and enhance shine,” says Sung.
Deep-condition weekly.
Though nourishing and moisturizing your hair with your regular conditioner after every wash is a necessity, you can switch it every few days with a deep conditioner, hair mask, or similar nourishing treatment. Both stylists recommend doing this weekly to keep hair hydrated.
If you want to get glossier hair naturally, you can skip the store and DIY a hair mask at home. Use ingredients like coconut oil, avocado, honey, olive oil, or aloe vera to get serious shine and smoothing benefits.
Don’t skip heat protectant.
To put it simply, “Keep your hair healthy, as healthy hair equals shiny hair,” says Spino. But how can you keep your hair healthy? An easy way is to “always use a heat protectant before using styling tools,” says Sung. This prevents damage from hot tools, which can make hair look dull.
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Use a clarifying shampoo.
If you aren’t familiar with clarifying shampoo, it’s a deep-cleaning shampoo that helps remove excess oil and buildup from your scalp and strands. “Use a gentle clarifying shampoo to help with buildup if you use a lot of styling products,” says Sung. It’s important that you don’t overuse clarifying formulas so you avoid stripping the hair of its natural oils (it’s not an everyday shampoo). Reach for this when your hair is feeling dull, heavy, and weighed down—likely every few washes or as needed.
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Give yourself a salon-worthy blowout.
Is it possible to duplicate a hairdresser’s ability to make your hair look super shiny at home? We asked both stylists how they create a glassy, reflective blowout, so we can attempt to re-create the look.
“I focus on creating tension with a round brush during the blow-dry because it lays the cuticle flat and smooth,” says Sung. “I prep the hair with a heat protectant (I use minimal styling products), and then finish with some cool air to lock everything in place.” At the end, she gives hair a quick mist of shine spray to get “that sleek and healthy finish,” she says.
Spino’s technique is similar: “I would prep the hair with some moisturizing products, such as Oribe Mirror Rinse Out or Color Wow Dream Coat,” she says. “To really smooth out the cuticle, I use a boar-bristle brush and finish with a flatiron, and might add some oil on the ends.”
With the help of moisturizing heat protectant, a boar-bristle brush, a hair dryer, and a finishing oil or spray, it sounds like shiny hair is well within our reach.
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Shop for shine-enhancing products.
If you’re doing your hair at home, Spino says to “blow hair out smooth and flatiron to really seal the cuticle, but be cautious not to do this too often as this can damage the hair.” (And, as we’ve learned, damaged hair can look dull.) But before and after your blowout, make sure to “add products that enhance shine into your hair care routine, whether it’s an oil, a shampoo, or even a tool,” she says.
Sung’s go-to shine enhancers are also anti-frizz multitaskers. “Finish styles with a lightweight hair oil or serum on the ends to add instant shine and reduce frizz,” she says.
Consider a hair gloss.
With the word gloss in the name, it’s no wonder that using this shine-boosting treatment is a sure way to instantly get glass-like strands. And these not only work to deliver shinier hair: They also help extend your hair color’s vibrancy, make hair feel softer, and combat brassy tones. Though you can get hair glosses professionally done at the salon, there are also at-home hair glosses that work well too.
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Catharine Malzahn is the contributing associate beauty editor at Glamour.