10 Effective Ways to Boost Hair Shine
We’re all after beautiful glossy hair.
After all, that sought-after intense shine and smoothness is the surest
sign of strong and healthy hair. Unfortunately, daily exposure to the
sun, heat styling tools, pollution, and hair and scalp buildup all take a
toll on our hair’s health and shine.
All of these factors damage the surface of
individual hair strands called cuticles that look like shingles on a
roof. When the hair strands are dried out or damaged, these tiny
cuticles break or curl up, which reduces the hair’s ability to reflect
light. As a result, the hair becomes dull, lifeless, and fragile.
Getting rid of hair and scalp buildup, preventing damage and applying
restorative treatments all work together to enhance hair shine. Follow
these tips to bring back the shine and silkiness to your locks.
1. Stimulate the scalp
Getting shiny hair is impossible without a
healthy scalp. Your hair grows out of the scalp, so any dryness,
itchiness, and product buildup will prevent your hair from growing
strong. One of the easiest (and most pleasant) ways to promote scalp
health is through a scalp massage.
A scalp massage loosens any buildup and stimulates the blood flow in the
scalp. One 2016 article even found that a scalp massage can promote
hair growth.
You can learn to massage your scalp on your own either with your
fingertips or with the help of a scalp massaging brush - it only takes 5
minutes every day. To massage your scalp, simply press your fingertips
against the scalp and make small circular motions, moving from one part
of the head to another until you cover the entire scalp. Avoid
scratching the scalp with your nails - this can damage the scalp.
2. Rinse your hair with rice water
Never throw away the water you use to wash
rice. Instead, pour it into a bottle and save it for later. This starchy
rice water is actually really good for the hair - a trick Japanese,
Chinese, and Southeast Asian women have been using for centuries. Rice
water contains vitamins and minerals essential for hair strength and
growth, namely folic acid, magnesium, allantoin, niacin, inositol, and
selenium. Inositol and amino acids, in particular, increase the shine,
volume, and elasticity of the hair.
Use rice water once or twice a week as the last step of your in-shower
hair-washing routine. Pour the rice water over the hair and scalp, and
gently massage the hair and scalp to make sure it gets absorbed. Let the
rice water absorb for about 10 minutes while you’re washing your body
or just soaking in the bathtub, and then rinse with water as usual.
3. Use hair oil
If you need instant shine, a drop or two of hair oil is your best bet.
Applying hair oil is the fastest way to moisturize your hair and seal in
those cuticles. There are many hair oils available at drugstores and
beauty supply stores today, but you can even give any lightweight
natural oil a go - both jojoba oil and rosehip oil are good options that
will not make your hair greasy.
When applying hair oil, it’s important to start with a small amount and
focus the oil only on the ends. Using too much or putting hair oil on
the hair roots can quickly make your hair look too oily. You don’t need
to use hair oil daily - just apply it when the ends of your hair look
dull or dry.
4. Sleep in a protective hairstyle
A protective hairstyle is a way to reduce friction and damage to your
hair when it’s in contact with your pillows and blankets. Bedding can
damage the hair over time and suck out the natural moisture from your
strands - both of which will make it look dull.
A protective hairstyle looks different depending on the type and length
of your hair. People with long and straight or wavy hair can loosely
braid their hair before going to sleep. Those whose hair is shorter or
curly benefit from wearing a satin bonnet or wrapping their hair in a
scarf before bed. Make sure to pick a smooth and shiny fabric like satin
or silk for this purpose - it reduces friction and static the best.
One last alternative for those who don’t feel like braiding or wrapping
up their hair is sleeping on a pillowcase made of silk or satin. Apart
from protecting the hair, a satin pillowcase is also beneficial for
preventing wrinkles on the face.
5. Reduce the heat
Do you use a lot of hot tools, such as curling irons, hair
straighteners, and blow dryers on your hair? Heat damages the hair
cuticles. It is one of the biggest enemies of shine and healthy hair, so
using these tools daily isn’t a good idea if you want your hair to be
shiny.
Heat-styling or blow-drying your hair from time to time is fine, but
make sure to never crank the heat up to the highest setting. One
research paper also found that using your blow-dryer by holding it at
least 15 centimeters (6 inches) away from the head and continuously
moving the blow-dryer in circular motions is the least damaging method
of drying your hair. Extra tip: flip the hair and blow-dry it
upside-down. This reduces the damage to the top layers of the hair that
already get the most damage.
6. Clarify the scalp weekly
Clarifying shampoos and rinses work to
remove product buildup from the scalp and hair. Hair products, mineral
buildup from hard water, dust, and dead skin cells can all pile up and
matte down the hair. Scalp buildup also contributes to scalp issues like
itchiness and dandruff.
Picking up and clarifying shampoo at the nearest drugstore or using a
simple apple cider vinegar rinse once a week can clear away any buildup
and keep your strands shiny and squeaky clean.
To make your homemade apple cider vinegar rinse, simply combine 4
tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 2 cups of water. After washing
and conditioning your hair, rinse the hair thoroughly with the mixture,
and you’re done. You will notice the extra shine and volume in your hair
almost immediately!
7. Get frequent trims 
You may have noticed that the roots of the
hair are always much healthier than the ends. There’s a simple reason
why that happens - the ends are exposed to more pollution and damage
than the roots, so they’re weaker, thinner, and less shiny. A haircut
can trim off those old and fragile ends, giving your hair both a more
well-kept and healthier appearance.
To keep your hair in tip-top shape, trim short and fine hair at least
once every 1 to 2 months and long or thick hair every 3 to 4 months.
8. Wash hair with lukewarm water
The hair is in its most fragile state when
it’s wet. During this time, the hair cuticles are more pliable and
stripped of their natural oils at the same time, which makes them more
likely to split or fall off the hair strands, especially if you’re
exposing them to high heat.
Washing your hair in hot water will only promote damage and frizz, which
is the opposite of what you want to achieve shiny hair. For this
reason, hairstylists recommend rinsing and washing your hair with
lukewarm water instead of hot water.
9. Brush hair daily
Let’s be clear - daily brushing isn’t the
best tactic for every hair type out there. People with curly locks don’t
need to brush their hair every day or even every other day. Still,
daily brushing is a very useful technique for those who have straight or
slightly wavy hair, as it pulls all the natural oils from the scalp
down to the ends of the hair.
By redistributing the natural hair oils from the scalp to the hair
length, you will make your hair look healthier and shinier over time.
Make sure to use a soft and dense brush for this task, such as a boar
bristle brush. The softness of the bristle will prevent scalp damage,
whereas the high bristle density will do the job of redistributing the
oils more quickly and effectively.
10. Add intense shine with this flaxseed treatment
Rice water isn’t the only natural hair
treatment capable of enhancing the shine of your hair. Flaxseeds are
also filled with nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and
vitamin E that help seal the hair cuticle, making your hair less frizzy,
stronger, and glossier.
Needless to say, eating flaxseeds can help nourish your hair from
within, but there’s also an effective flaxseed hair mask we want to
share with you. To prepare the mask, you’ll need to combine ¼ cup
flaxseeds with 2 cups of water in a small pot and heat the mixture over
low/medium while continuously stirring. When the mixture thickens to the
consistency of an egg white, take it off the heat and continue
stirring.
The last step is pouring the mixture through a cheesecloth or strainer
and collecting the gelatinous clear mixture in a container. Apply the
clear gel on dry hair and leave it on for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Lastly,
wash with shampoo and condition the hair as usual. The result is visibly
shinier and healthier-looking hair. You can reserve any leftover
flaxseed gel mask in the fridge for up to a week.