How to Get Shiny Hair

Trends come and go, but glossy, shiny hair is eternal. While there are a number of factors that influence your hair’s overall luster—genetic, dietary, environmental, and more—some of them are easier to control that others. With that in mind, we decided to cover a few tips and tricks you can take immediate action on—and that will hopefully bring you closer to your glossy goals. (Sorry, Marcia Brady, but none of them involve 100 daily strokes with a hairbrush.)

Try a Sulfate-Free Shampoo

While sulfates certainly help with that squeaky-clean feeling some people seek after shampooing, they sometimes do their job a little too well—stripping your hair of beneficial natural oils. While sulfate-free shampoos don’t foam as much as their sulfate-laden counterparts, they also provide a gentler clean that can help with your shiny hair quest. Pro Tip: If you want to get more lather when you’re washing your air, resist adding more shampoo—and add more water instead. It also can’t hurt to use Clarifying Shampoo once a week or so—it should help keep your hair buildup-free and shining bright. As luck would have it, all of our shampoos are sulfate-free!

Squeeze, Don’t Rub

When you step out of the shower, resist the urge to rough up your hair with a towel. Though it’s admittedly satisfying, doing so can cause breakage and frizz. Instead, wrap sections of hair in a towel and gently squeeze to remove moisture. Bonus points if you use a microfiber towel—the finer threads are gentler on your strands!

Choose Your Tools Wisely

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to avoid excess heat styling if shiny hair is your goal. That said, sometimes it’s unavoidable—or you’re just craving a good blowout! To maintain maximum shine when blow-drying, make sure you’re starting on mostly-dry hair, holding the blow-dryer a few inches away from your head, and using the lowest heat setting possible. You can also tools that have been thoughtfully designed with new technologies and high-quality materials to help promote healthier-looking hair. For instance, the our Power Performance Ionic Hair Dryer has a 99.9% Nano Silver grill to enhance shine. And the Ceramic Heated Brush—perfect for touching up already-dry hair—features advanced ionic technology for shiny, frizz-free results. (P.S. Non-heated ceramic brushes share these properties, too! Try them for a glossy blowout.)

Upgrade to Shine-Boosting Stylers

There are a whole lot of things we love about argan oil—obviously. Chief among them? Its shine-restoring powers! Because it’s included in all of our styling products, you get an extra boost of glossy alongside the hold, definition, or frizz-fighting benefits you’re after. When it comes to gold-star shine saviors, Moroccanoil Treatment is the obvious place to start. This multitasking treatment conditions, detangles, smooths frizz, and increases shine by up to 118%.* But you can even go for extra gleam with products like Luminous Hairspray, which includes just a touch of argan oil for a reflective finishing touch.  

Sleep on a Silk Pillowcase

It doesn’t just feel luxurious—it can also have major shiny hair benefits! Sleeping on a silk pillowcase helps reduce friction (compared to cotton), which ups your odds of waking up tangle-free, frizz-free, and sans bedhead. Silk is also less absorbent than cotton, which means any nourishing hair products you apply before bed will stay on your hair, where they belong—instead of soaking into your pillowcase.

Step Up Your Scalp Care

Healthy hair starts at the root! That’s why correcting scalp imbalances can help give your hair a mega-dose of vitality in shine. If you’re experiencing a dry, flaky scalp, try Dry Scalp Treatment. It contains salicylic acid to gently exfoliate and prevent buildup, plus soothing essential oils. For an oily scalp, reach for Oily Scalp Treatment to detoxify and rebalance. Bonus it contains a biotin peptide complex known to provide anti-aging benefits and promote scalp micro-circulation.

Get Glossy

Next time you’re at the salon, ask your stylist about gloss treatments. Generally used to tone or refresh color between color treatments or as a finishing step after color application, these temporary treatments are created to help dial up your hair’s shine factor. They essentially work by coating the hair and sealing the cuticle, creating a smoother surface that will reflect more light. (Read: more shine.) Some are clear and just add shine, while others contain slight pigment to help tone or enhance your hair color. Note: Because they only deposit color on the surface of the hair—like our Color Depositing Masks, also excellent shine-boosters—they are non-damaging. Results are temporary and wash out over time! If you need help finding a salon near you, check out our Salon Locator.

Up Your Omegas

Just like your skin, your hair loves a healthy diet! Particularly crucial to the formation of hair are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. (Fun fact: Argan oil is actually a great source of both.) Certain kinds of fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies, are good sources of omega-3s, as are chia seeds and flax seeds. For omega-6 fats, you can try eating more nuts—think walnuts, almonds, and cashews. Of course, we should note that your doctor is always the best person to turn to for nutritional advice.

*According to an independent study.