Best Products

Beauty

11 AT-HOME HAIR GLOSS TREATMENTS FOR THE SLEEKEST, SILKIEST STRANDS EVER

 

Ditch the salon for these easy-to-use hair glossing treatments.

Dry, lackluster strands are an issue that many of us are familiar with — especially if we have color-treated hair. Yes, you can slowly nurture your hair to its shiniest, glossiest finish, or you can use a quick and easy at-home hair gloss treatment to bring back your hair's beautiful sheen.

WHAT IS A HAIR GLOSS TREATMENT?

According to Kate Reid, KEVIN.MURPHY’s COLOR.ME Design Director and Education Master, “gloss” refers to the way the hair shines and illuminates, and this glossifying effect can be created in multiple ways. Some of us are just born with naturally silky strands, but the rest of us might need a gloss boost. Reid says that these treatments seal and smooth your hair cuticle, “which reflects light, creating shinier hair, less frizz, and actually make it much easier to blow-dry and style.”

TYPES OF HAIR GLOSS TREATMENT

There are two types of hair gloss treatments you can choose from: pigmented and clear — but how do you know which is best for your strands? To help, we taped LA-based celebrity hairstylist Cody Renegar.

Pigmented hair gloss treatments, such as the Kristin Ess Hair Hair Signature Hair Gloss, have a little color in them to enhance your existing color.
Clear hair gloss treatments, including the John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze in Clear Shine, add extreme shine and can give the illusion of more pigment and even out the faded color, reviving it a bit.

Every product will differ slightly, so it's best to follow the included instructions, but typically, hair gloss treatments are simple to use and can be left on your hair for 5 to 15 minutes while in the shower. However, leaving your pigmented hair gloss treatment on too long can create a darker than desired hair color, and removing it too quickly means the pigment won't have enough time to bond to your strands, and your hair might be lighter than you would like.

Formulas

Hair gloss treatments are available in various formulations, including foam, serums, masks, and conditioners. They're all beneficial for your hair (we'll touch more on that in a bit), but some hair types will likely prefer certain formulas over others.

• Foam hair gloss treatments, such as the Hally Fluffy G, have an airy, mousse-like consistency, and help restore body and texture to fine strands.
• Mask and conditioner hair gloss treatments, like the amika Flash Instant Shine Hair Gloss Mask, are excellent for dry and color-treated hair because they help nourish parched strands.
• Serum hair gloss treatments, including the Alterna My Hair My Canvas Glow For It Universal Gloss, are typically clear and coat the surface of the hair with a silicone-like texture that fights frizz and adds a megawatt shine.

BENEFITS OF A HAIR GLOSS TREATMENT

Replenishes moisture: Highlighting and dying your strands can be extremely dehydrating. Luckily for us, Lorena M. Valdes, a colorist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, says some hair gloss treatments, like IGK Expensive Amla Oil Hi-Shine Topcoat, have a thicker consistency and are more like ultra-moisturizing hair masks.
Works with color-treated and virgin hair: A hair gloss treatment can add back this shine and even enhance the condition of the hair. Just remember to use a clear gloss to avoid imparting color onto your natural hair. Reneger, who works with Gwenyth Paltrow, says color-treated hair and non-color-treated hair both lose their shine when the cuticle has been overprocessed either by styling, chlorine, sun damage, or salt water.
Prevents brassiness: On top of restoring shine, hair glosses are also known for their tone-amplifying and brass-busting properties. Those with color-treated hair may be very familiar with these treatments, but Reid notes that natural color-free hair can enjoy the shine-boosting effects of hair gloss treatments, too.

WHAT TO CONSIDER

Remember that each and every hair gloss provides different benefits, so when shopping, make sure to prioritize your hair goals. Yes, these products will all provide a glossing effect, but some are more intensive for helping with hair damage, while others, such as Living Proof Color Care Dark Whipped Glaze in Dark and L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss, stick strictly to glossing.

If you're on a tight beauty budget, that doesn't mean that you're out of options, either: Our guide to the best hair glosses includes products at affordable price points, so you can have shiny, luminous strands without breaking the bank.

BEST OVERALL

Hair Signature Hair Gloss

Whether you’re a newbie or a hair glossing pro, this hair gloss treatment from Kristin Ess Hair will help make you and your strands much happier.

This hair gloss treatment is formulated to boost your tresses’ vibrancy and shine while adding depth to your hair’s color, regardless of whether it’s natural or color-treated. We also love that this treatment comes in 12 different colors.

Not only does it lock in color for 3 to 4 weeks while preventing frizz and softening your hair, but it contains an antioxidant complex to prevent environmental damage. Plus, the pH-balanced formula is safe for all hair types, including those who get keratin hair straightening treatments.

Amazon reviewers consider this their all-time favorite hair gloss treatment for many reasons. Notably, they agree it’s a salon-quality treatment that prolongs their hair color. It’s so fantastic that one enthusiastic Amazon reviewer boldly declared this the “single greatest home hair color ever.”

One reviewer dyed their hair blonde, but it kept washing out after a couple of weeks, leaving them with brassy yellow hair. However, the brassiness faded once they started incorporating this hair gloss treatment into their routine.

BEST FOR BLONDES

CRYSTAL.ANGEL Illuminating Treatment

If you have light blonde-to-platinum hair, then Reid recommends grabbing this hair gloss treatment.

Made specifically with the blondest of blondes in mind, this hair gloss is meant to intensify your blonde strands while adding shine and moisture. And most importantly, this formula also targets brassiness.

Amazon reviewers say this color-enhancing hair gloss treatment softens their dry hair and adds a glass-like shine. “[It] gives great toning and eliminates brassiness in between my regular professional hair color applications,” adds one blonde Amazon reviewer.

BEST FOR BRUNETTES

Color Care Dark Whipped Glaze in Dark

Blondes aren't the only ones who need to battle brassiness: brunettes are also susceptible, which is why products like blue shampoo exist.

So, when your brown-to-black locks look like they need a refresh, grab Living Proof's glossing treatment. This whipped glaze adds a temporary dye to your hair to target color fading, and it also works to restore vibrancy and minimize brassy tones.

It also contains a UV filter to guard your strands from harsh sun rays, and it gets bonus points for being a low-maintenance leave-in option.

Pro tip: Amazon reviewers say they experienced stickiness when they apply too much product, so just use a small squirt to start and add more as necessary.

BEST FOR NATURAL HAIR TONES

Color Boosting Gloss + Deep Conditioning Treatment

You can skip the conditioner with this softening gloss treatment from dpHUE. This 2-in-1 formula boosts color and shine while nourishing your hair from the inside out. Its hydrating properties revive dry, damaged strands.

This pick also comes in 11 natural colors to choose from, so vibrant hair colors may want to opt for another pick.

Before incorporating this hair gloss treatment into their routine, one Amazon reviewer says their highlighted hair looked like obvious tiger stripes. Thankfully, after leaving this hair gloss treatment on for just 5 minutes, it helped camouflage their obvious dye job and gray hairs.

BEST FOR ALL HAIR TONES

Expensive Amla Oil Hi-Shine Topcoat

This clear gloss is great for just about any hair color or type. Its gentle formula is packed with naturally derived ingredients like shine-boosting sea kelp extract, hydrating sunflower seed oil, conditioning glycerin, and nourishing amla oil to help give your hair an intensely hydrating and fortifying finish.

Since this formula is an intensive treatment, you should use this pick about one or two times per week max.

Amazon reviewers are obsessed with this hair gloss treatment because it minimizes frizz and rehydrates, softens, and volumizes dry, brittle hair. “Buy it you won’t regret it! I LOVE this stuff and rave about it to all my friends and family,” says one reviewer with thick hair.

BEST DRUGSTORE

Le Color Gloss

You don't need an expensive price tag to get high-quality results. This color gloss treatment from L'Oréal Paris will take care of your strands without emptying your bank account.

This pick works instantly in your shower to enhance tone, shine, and feel, and it comes in 13 shades to choose from.

Amazon reviewers love that it only takes 15 minutes for the color to cure, and it has a light scent. It’s also incredible for preventing brassiness, aka the unwanted warm tones that happen to dyed blonde and brown hair. To quote one 5-star review: “This product works better than any other I have tried to cut down on brassiness. Will definitely re-purchase.”

BEST COLOR-REVIVER

Color Reviving Gloss

Amazon reviewers agree that Madison Reed's hair gloss truly lives up to its color-reviving claims. On top of conditioning your hair with ingredients like keratin, argan oil, and ginseng extract, this color-booster has a more intense formula that works to boost the shade of your strands.

You can use it on its own in the shower or even apply it alongside your at-home hair dye to create even more defined results.

BEST FOR CURLS

Curl Gloss

Curly hair types are especially prone to dryness and brittleness, which is why hydration is key for a shiny, healthy look to your curlycues.

This glossing treatment from Oribe is made especially for curly and kinky hair types. It provides all of the hydration your textured strands need while defining shape and shine.

With nearly 500 5-star Amazon reviewers, it’s no wonder this splurge-worthy hair gloss treatment earned a spot on our list. Reviewers say it’s their go-to product because it doesn’t leave their hair crunchy. One reviewer with curly red hair adds this product prolongs their curly ’do for 5 days.

BEST HAIR GLOSS MASK

Flash Instant Shine Hair Gloss Mask

Pamper your strands without loading up on products by grabbing this 2-in-1 formula. This hair mask works to boost shine and color in as little as 60 seconds in the shower.

It includes ingredients like flaxseed extract, a smoothing amino acid complex, and antioxidant-rich red wine extract to help give your hair a fast and effective TLC boost.

With more than 1,130 positive Amazon reviews, shoppers can’t get enough of this hair gloss treatment. “I’m not exaggerating, it looks and feels like I just had a salon keratin treatment. It’s as soft, straight, and shiny as I can remember,” says one Amazon reviewer with long, wavy, and thick brown hair.

BEST BUDGET

Luminous Color Glaze in Clear Shine

This budget-friendly option costs less than your Uber Eats order, but it still gives your hair a top-notch look and feel. This John Freida formula is safe for daily use, adding lustrous shine without weighing down your strands. Plus, it boasts a clear, dye-free formula, so it's perfect for every hair color and type to use.

Ulta reviewers especially appreciate the simplicity of using this hair gloss treatment. “It is so easy to use in the mornings, I simply wash and condition my hair, get excess water out, apply the product from root to tip, rinse, and I am done. I get so many comments about how silky and shiny my processed hair looks, so I had to rave about this product, and I do not do that very often,” says one 5-star review.

BEST FOAM

Fluffy G, Foamy Glazey Hair Gloss

Fluffy G is a Tik-Tok-famous hydrating gloss that's available in three colors: Clear, Brass-Off Blonde, and Bouncy Brown. The low commitment gloss promises to replenish dehydrated and dull hair in just 10 minutes.

The ammonia-, sulfate-, and paraben-free formula is safe for all hair textures and sensitive scalps. Plus, it contains easy-to-pronounce ingredients we know and love, including chamomile, lavender, ginseng, and aloe vera.

It’s well-loved by online reviewers, who agree it leaves their hair silky-soft and frizz-free. “This stuff lives up to all it promises. It feels like when you leave the salon after they’ve done a gloss,” says one 5-star Hally review.

BEST SERUM

My Hair My Canvas Glow For It Universal Gloss

Alterna's hair gloss treatment is the sole option on our list that provides heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. It's a clear gloss with a serum-like texture that controls frizz and has a non-sticky feel.

Beyond prickly pear oil to restore shine and white charcoal to prevent environmental damage, this product contains vegan caviar to strengthen hair and repair split ends.

One Ulta reviewer gave this product a glowing 5-star review because it successfully guards their hair against dry and humid Texas weather. “Apart from leaving your hair manageable and glossy and with a beautiful scent, it also controls frizz. I have fallen in love with this one — it’s a must-try,” says their 5-star review.