Redken’s third annual Gloss Day is happening on August 3, 2024, but we’re celebrating all month long! Enter the Redken x Maybelline Gloss Day Sweepstakes for your chance to win a trip to New York, a Shades EQ glossing service at Cutler Salon Soho, and the complete Redken Acidic Color Gloss and Maybelline Full Lifter Gloss collections.
If you’re looking to give your mane a mini makeover without completely abandoning your signature hue, consider getting a hair gloss. This professional coloring service allows you to dip your toes into a stunning new ‘do while simultaneously improving the look and feel of your mane. It may sound too good to be true, but these benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. Ahead, we’re breaking down more reasons why hair glossing is a top-requested salon treatment. Keep scrolling to find out who it works best for, how long a hair color gloss lasts, and the best formulas to try in the salon and at home.
What Is a Hair Gloss?
So, what is hair glossing, exactly? Simply put, it’s a type of demi-permanent hair dye service that coats the hair shaft and fills in rough spots in the cuticle to subtly adjust color, tone brassiness, and leave hair looking shiny and feeling conditioned. There are both clear and tinted versions of glosses available: A clear formula simply boosts luster and helps soften your strands, while a colored hair gloss temporarily changes your existing hue and can even help cover gray hair.
One of the best parts about a hair gloss is that it generally fades within 4-6 weeks without any harsh lines or visible root regrowth. So, if you’re not ready to make a long-lasting change, a gloss allows you to experiment with a new hue without the commitment. Not to mention, a hair gloss is typically less damaging than permanent hair color or bleach since it doesn’t lift your color (which can weaken your hair bonds). This means you can fearlessly switch up your look without sacrificing the integrity of your hair.
Hair gloss vs. hair glaze: What’s the difference?
A hair glaze is another type of non-permanent hair color service that is sometimes confused with a hair gloss. But unlike a hair gloss, a hair glaze can’t penetrate the hair shaft at all. Rather, it coats the hair’s surface to deliver shine, control frizz, and enhance color. It’s also more short-lived and fades in about a week, depending on how often you wash your hair. Check out our article, The 411 on Hair Glazes, to learn more about this type of treatment.
Good hair day by @tialambourn_hair.
Who Should Get a Hair Gloss?
Although it may sound exclusive to color-treated hair, the truth is that most hair types, textures, and colors can benefit from a salon gloss treatment for hair. The versatile service can help restore shine, softness, and manageability to your natural hair color or enhance the tone, vibrancy, and shine of color-treated strands.
How Often Should You Get a Hair Gloss?
Since a hair gloss is a form of non-permanent hair color, you’ll have to head to the salon every 6-8 weeks (depending on how often you shampoo) to ensure your salon color appears vibrant, toned, and, well, glossy. However, it’s worth noting that glossing isn’t exclusive to salons: At-home formulas can also give your strands a pick-me-up between professional treatments. This brings us to our next point…
Can You Gloss Your Hair at Home?
At-home hair glossing products are a great way to give your mane salon-worthy results in just a few minutes, no appointment required. One range we love is Pureology Top Coat + Tone. These hair glosses, which are made with oat milk and camellia oil, help condition and seal hair’s cuticle to enhance softness and lock in shine for up to eight washes. They’re available in five formulas (one clear and four tinted).
If shine is your biggest goal, pick up Pureology Top Coat + Sheer Clear for a beautiful, reflective finish. Brassy salon blondes looking to reverse yellowing can reach for the purple-tinted Top Coat + Tone Purple instead, while brunettes with orange undertones can nix them with the help of Top Coat + Tone Blue.
After shampooing, apply your chosen formula from the mid-lengths to the ends of your hair, comb through to distribute, and rinse after five minutes. Conditioning is optional, but those wanting additional hydration can complete their glossing regimen with the nourishing Pureology Hydrate Conditioner.
Good hair day by @the.modernmane.
How To Gloss Your Hair at the Salon
As much as we love the convenience of at-home hair glossing, there’s nothing like heading to the salon and being pampered with a customized gloss treatment for your hair. Here at Hair.com, many of our pros swear by Redken Shades EQ. This professional demi-permanent dye with amino acids can help you achieve virtually any shade you want and leaves locks looking intensely shiny. Plus, the acidic formulation brings hair back to a healthy pH after lightening services, allowing your cuticle to lay smoothly for a gorgeous glass hair finish.
Whether you’re dealing with brassy hair, overgrown roots, discoloration, or graying strands, your colorist can whip up a personalized formula to address your unique needs. They can even use Shades EQ to tone your mane as the finishing touch after coloring it with permanent dye. Once Shades EQ is applied, it only takes 20 minutes to see the stunning results, which last up to six weeks.
How To Care for Your Hair After Glossing
A good aftercare routine can make all the difference in how well your glossing results last. The Redken Acidic Color Gloss system was specifically designed to extend and maintain the life of professional glosses like Shades EQ. The salon-quality line includes a shampoo, conditioner, hair gloss, and a heat protectant, all of which boast an acidic pH and help seal the cuticle and deliver molecular-level shine. Using the formulas in conjunction can leave locks up to 76% shinier,* while the gloss alone can provide a glass-like shine for up to three days.** Head to our Redken Acidic Color Gloss Haircare Review to learn more about this innovative collection.
Now that you know all about hair glossing, you can decide if these formulas are right for you. Use the Redken salon locator to get a hair gloss from a pro colorist in your area.
Next Up: Hair Gloss vs. Hair Glaze: Everything You Need To Know
