In addition to boosting your hair health, gloss can help existing hair color. It does this by keeping the color from fading and succumbing to damaging effects, like dryness and scalp irritation.
Does hair glaze or hair gloss damage your hair? Both glossing and glazing are safer than permanent color, says Lumzy. If you're looking for the gentler alternative, a hair glaze is the way to go. But, if you're looking for more color or to cover grays, head to the salon for a hair gloss.
Is Hair Gloss Damaging? Hair gloss seals hair cuticles and conditions your hair, and is far less damaging than regular hair colours. Regular hair colours contain ammonia and hydrogen peroxide that open up the cuticle layer, allowing the dye to penetrate the hair shaft.
How Often Should You Get A Gloss? Hair gloss will save you major time and money, but since these formulas aren't permanent, you'll still need a refresh every few weeks (six to eight, depending on how often you wash your hair) to keep your strands from looking dull and your salon color vibrant and toned.
Since it's a form of demi-permanent haircolor, a hair gloss fades gradually over time. This means you won't get any of the harsh root regrowth that comes with permanent haircolor. A gloss will last anywhere from 4-6 weeks, the perfect amount of time to try out a new shade while achieving shiny, healthy-looking hair.
The bottom line
A hair gloss can be a worthwhile treatment for anyone looking to boost hair shine and color while avoiding damage from harsh chemicals often found in hair dyes.
Tips On Application
"Don't apply anything to soaking wet hair to avoid diluting the formula," says the expert. Then, leave the gloss on for 15-20 minutes before washing it out.
Wait to wash
As a general rule, the less you wash your hair, the longer your color will last, but the first day or two after a service is an important time, as the strands absorb color, toner, or gloss. If you need to wash your hair, try a cold-water rinse instead, skipping the shampoo altogether.
"You can put [a gloss] on wet or dry hair," Olsen explains. "When you color dry hair, because there's no moisture in it, it's going to pick up the color more intensely. When you apply a gloss onto wet hair, it's going to be a little more diluted and soft.
However, if a gloss is left on too long, it can alter your shade and get too dark. Fortunately, glosses are temporary and will lighten up with shampooing, says Tardo. The more you shampoo, the faster it will lighten, so don't worry too much.
“If you're someone who wants to dabble with hair color but isn't ready to commit to anything permanent, then a gloss is perfect for you and they're actually less damaging to your hair because they use less peroxide (developer),” Toth says.
Baking soda is a natural bleaching agent. It tends to lighten your skin and hair color. So you can use it to remove your gloss. Mix baking soda with a shampoo of your choice.
For the most noticeable, lasting results, you'll likely need to get a professional hair gloss treatment for around $50–$100.
What Is A Hair Toner or “Gloss” Treatment? A toner is a semi-permanent color treatment applied in the salon (usually at the shampoo bowl). It is applied after highlights or as a standalone service and then rinsed out. Glosses last about four to six weeks and can be applied as a tinted color or in clear.
Apply two full coats of your chosen gloss or eggshell paint allowing each one to dry in-between.
Helps Smooth Frizz and Flyaway Hairs
Gloss treatments provide a boost of intense conditioning for your hair by closing tightly around the hair shaft and cuticle. The result is smoother hair with less frizz, fewer flyaway hairs and touchable smoothness, making your hair more manageable and easier to style.
Maddison Cave, a colorist at Rita Hazan Salon in New York City, explains: “Technically, it's a demi-permanent (in-between semi- and permanent), which means that it deposits tone into the hair strand, but does not lift or lighten hair color.” What's more, the formulas are free of bleach and ammonia, so treatments can ...
In fact, you can apply a gloss to any hair colour, whether it's naturally grey, previously coloured, pre-lightened, or has never even touched a drop of dye. On grey hair, a glossing service will gently shift the shade and correct any unwanted tones Opens in a new tab, allowing you to refresh your client's silvery hue.
It's a temporary treatment that can help with both the condition and color of your hair. "A hair gloss adds shine and smoothes down the cuticle of the hair, but it can also add or remove tone from the hair as part of the color process," explains Lauren Miller, hairstylist at Nashville's Element Salon.
Acid-based toners can add shine to natural hair and won't affect the colour. By reflecting the light, this gives hair a super glossy varnish-like effect which we call 'glossing'." Ask in salons for a Redken Shades EQ hair gloss.
Gloss and toner are like the hair color version of that—they seal the deal. To get a little more specific, they can neutralize brassiness for lightened hair, enrich your color (whether natural or dyed), help camouflage greys, and so much more.
Semi-permanent: Coats the hair with pigmentation with a developer that lasts a few weeks to a few months. Begins vivid, but fades over time. Good for short periods, non-permanent, and less damaging results.
“A gloss can be clear or colored, depending on your desired result,” says Mondo. “You do not have to color your hair to use a gloss. If you use a clear gloss, it will not color your hair. It will only add shine and benefit the overall health of your hair.”