Shiny Hair Tips

[Prettymetty]

I love my hair, but it always looks so matte. My texture is 4b and I’m a straight hair natural. The only time it looks shiny is when I use a certain brand keratin treatment or when I put a rinse on (semipermanent.) My hair is a dull, dusty brown color, so I’m constantly depositing pigments. Currently I’m using natural brown.

Is there a shampoo, conditioner or styling product to help with shine? A technique? I’m willing to try them all...

 

[blazingbeauty]

Have you tried a clear rinse? That might add the shine of a semipermanent without too much damage but I don’t know too much about them...

Your hair looks great btw!

 

[frizzy]

I suggest a light coating of coconut oil or maybe an oil rinse with an oil your hair likes.

I recommend coconut oil because it absorbs into the hairshaft and won't leave your hair oily if used lightly.

Oil at night before wrapping your gorgeous hair for bedtime.

 

[CurlyWhoCrux]

I feel like brushing or combing will create smoothness that will allow light to reflect and appear more shiny.

 

[snoop]

Have you tried a clear rinse? That might add the shine of a semipermanent without too much damage but I don’t know too much about them...

Your hair looks great btw!

I remember watching a makeover show a long time ago and they said that this is one of the ways that they give celebrities shiny hair in Hollywood. The stylist called it a "clear gloss". It was the only show that I've heard this mentioned, but it might be worth looking into.

 

[Lylddlebit]

@Prettymetty would you be willing to post the details of your regimen start to finish with detail of wash day included?

 

[Prettymetty]

@Prettymetty would you be willing to post the details of your regimen start to finish with detail of wash day included?

Of course! I start by sectioning my hair in braids (I do everything in sections.) Then I detangle and braid. If my hair is really tangly I spray it with aloe juice to help soften it. Next I shampoo with Giovanni ultra moist. Rinse and apply a dc. I have been using Keracare Humecto for the past month.

I didn’t dc with heat last wash day, but usually I do. After about 20 minutes or so I rinse my hair completely and wrap it with a hair turban towel. I blow dry 1 section at a time after I add a little chi silk infusion. Once all sections are dry I start ironing from bottom to top.

 

[Lylddlebit]

I am not seeing any red flags so I would just do a "back to basics" wash day. Wash with a good clarifying shampoo(since you normally use a moisturizing one), then deep condition, then make your leave-in an all in one heat protectant. The Keracare Humecto and the Chi Silk infusion should be fine but try taking a break from the keratin products, color and any "extra" leave-ins for one wash so you can compare how your hair performs using the essentials only. What I mean is make one shampoo the only shampoo you need, make one conditioner the only treatment you need , make one leave-in your all-in-one leave-in/protectant before you blow dry and flat iron for that wash day. Also give the plates on your flat iron a good wipe down and make sure you don't have any product baked on the plates. Every now and then on the side of my plates I will get a little build up and I use oven cleaner or a mr clean magic eraser to clean my plates but any cleaner normally use should be good. I don't see anything wrong with that you are using but but you may not need all the products that you use in a single wash day. Sometimes too many products will hinder natural shine.

 

[sunflora]

I find that coney products do the opposite of what they do for some - that is, the synthetic oil makes my hair dull rather than shiny. Obviously they are necessary for heat use as a heat protectant, but perhaps trying a bit of oil after flat-ironing could help?

I second coconut oil, though some people find it makes their hair dry. Avocado is a really nice and light oil that absorbs well and doesn't make hair greasy or stiff.

 

[Prettymetty]

I am not seeing any red flags so I would just do a "back to basics" wash day. Wash with a good clarifying shampoo(since you normally use a moisturizing one), then deep condition, then make your leave-in an all in one heat protectant. The Keracare Humecto and the Chi Silk infusion should be fine but try taking a break from the keratin products, color and any "extra" leave-ins for one wash so you can compare how your hair performs using the essentials only. What I mean is make one shampoo the only shampoo you need, make one conditioner the only treatment you need , make one leave-in your all-in-one leave-in/protectant before you blow dry and flat iron for that wash day. Also give the plates on your flat iron a good wipe down and make sure you don't have any product baked on the plates. Every now and then on the side of my plates I will get a little build up and I use oven cleaner or a mr clean magic eraser to clean my plates but any cleaner normally use should be good. I don't see anything wrong with that you are using but but you may not need all the products that you use in a single wash day. Sometimes too many products will hinder natural shine.

Thank you so much! I just did a keratin treatment, so I’m afraid to clarify so soon. I don’t want to strip my treatment. I do plan to buy the Ion Shampoo and conditioner to maintain my ion keratin treatment. Switching shampoos sometimes makes a huge difference. I’ll let you know how it turns out next wash day with the new products.

I remember watching a makeover show a long time ago and they said that this is one of the ways that they give celebrities shiny hair in Hollywood. The stylist called it a "clear gloss". It was the only show that I've heard this mentioned, but it might be worth looking into.

thanks snoop! I haven’t used a clear rinse in ages. Great idea

 

[Prettymetty]

Have you tried a clear rinse? That might add the shine of a semipermanent without too much damage but I don’t know too much about them...

Your hair looks great btw!

Great idea. I’ll look into that tomorrow

 

[Kurlee]

I find that coney products do the opposite of what they do for some - that is, the synthetic oil makes my hair dull rather than shiny. Obviously they are necessary for heat use as a heat protectant, but perhaps trying a bit of oil after flat-ironing could help?

I second coconut oil, though some people find it makes their hair dry. Avocado is a really nice and light oil that absorbs well and doesn't make hair greasy or stiff.

My hair reacts the same way to cones and avocado oil.

 

[waff]

-Making sure hair is clean, I double shampoo (triple if necessary). The shampoo does not have to be stripping. Since you have a keratin treatment, your regular maintenance shampoo should be fine. A clarifying shampoo will strip away the keratin which is counter productive . Avoid sulfates/sodium chloride at all costs.

-Using a deep treatment, Macadamia oil mask is HG for me. Only takes 7-15 mins to do the job. I find that oils and heavy products in general are very hard to fully rinse which actually makes it difficult to create shine. So when going for straight styles I always go very light handed with treatments/deep conditioners.

-If you heat style, I found that using a creamy leave in combined with a serum (with silicones) before blow drying creates so much shine. Using a keratin infused leave in will create so much shine as well as prolong your smoothing treatment.

-Using a finishing serum, john frieda skinny serum is my favorite from the mid shaft to the ends. Very careful to not use too much because it can make the hair look piecey.

I also found that been heavy handed with product before heat styling does not necessarily create better results. It's tricky to figure out the middle ground where to get just enough product.

-a Boar bristle brush is very good at distributing sebum from your scalp to your ends. If you mainly wear straight styles, this is great for getting a light detangle between washes.