Top 5 Home Hair Glosses for Enhanced Luster and Color Vibrancy
Strut your stuff with the hottest hair glosses that are like a hair salon in a bottle! Delivering shine, smoothness, silkiness, and strength, these formulas pack a punch with their superpowers, right at your fingertips during your showers. They can be clear, designed specifically to add luster, or tinted for color-treated hair, extending the time between your visits to the colorist, saving you some dinero. These glosses usually come with thoughtful botanical blends, skin-loving ingredients, and even fabulous scents.
So, if you want to keep dullness at bay, double down on conditioning, protect from heat-styling, or refresh your color-treated hair, you're in the right place. Below, we've compiled our top picks for hair glosses that give in-salon treatments a run for their money.
Top Picks
Best Overall: Ouai Hair Gloss ($34)
This slips right into your routine and more than earns its keep. Use it after shampooing, work it from the ends up the mid-lengths, avoid water for five minutes, and voila – noticeably silkier hair! Heat-styling can amplify its results, and you don't even need a separate heat protectant. Plus, its North Bondi Eau de Parfum scent makes it a fantastic hair perfume.
Best Smoothing: Oribe Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment ($64)
This light-reflecting finish smooths the cuticle to give you that commercial-perfect shine. Apply it after shampooing, from mid-lengths to ends (you can layer it on if your hair is thick or coarse), let it sit for a minute, and use it weekly for incredible results. Inside the bottle: Oribe's signature blend of watermelon, lychee, and edelweiss flower that work hard to hydrate and protect.
Best Tinted: DpHue Gloss ($38)
Choose from 12 shades to enhance your hue or mix any with Sheer (an unpigmented version) to dilute the Gloss+'s color. Apply and let it sit for 3 to 20 minutes for the desired intensity. Thanks to ingredients like moisturizing ethylhexylglycerin and gloss-imparting dimethicone, it leaves your hair shiny and pigment-boosted for days.
Best Shine-Boosting: Kérastase Chroma Absolu Soin Acide Chroma Gloss ($60)
This formula penetrates the hair cuticle and guards against color fading, amino acids, lactic acid, and tartaric acid working in tandem. It cuts down on frizz and repairs damage from past dye jobs, making your hair amazingly vibrant and smooth in just 1 to 2 minutes.
Best Mask: Moroccanoil High Shine Gloss Mask ($30)
Instantly turn your dry, brittle hair into silk with this deep-conditioning treatment that's loaded with argan oil, moisturizing ingredients, and a strengthening amino acid blend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hair gloss?
It's a product that delivers concentrated shine and sometimes pigment, sealing and smoothing the surface of the hair cuticle. This allows the hair's surface to better reflect light, creating an extremely shiny appearance.
Which hair types are hair glosses best for?
Most glosses work well on various hair types. Look for glosses with conditioning ingredients like squalane and jojoba oil if you have dry hair, and opt for lightweight glosses for oily hair. Colored hair benefits from tinted or semi-permanent glosses, but always consult with your colorist before using one.
Meet the Experts
- Mia Santiago, a New York City- and Ohio-based hairstylist
- Devin Toth, a hairstylist at Salon SCK in New York City
- Erica Douglas, a cosmetic chemist based in Chicago
- Colissa Nole, a Missouri-based colorist and hairstylist
- Rachel Bodt, a New York City colorist
Incorporate these hair glosses into your home-and-garden routine for a lifestyle upgrade. For instance, Ouai Hair Gloss can double as a hair perfume while adding silkiness to your tresses. Additionally, DpHue Gloss offers 12 shades to match your lifestyle, extending the time between your salon visits.
