You want hair that shines in the light and makes other people take a second look. What you’ve got is hair that’s dull and dry and leaves you frustrated when you try to style it. You can get the shiny hair you dream of with little effort and without investing in a bunch of expensive styling products. Skipping hair products and doing only the minimum to your hair will actually improve its appearance and give it shine.
Step 1
Cut back on how often you wash your hair. Try to shampoo it every other day instead of daily. Shampooing less often will boost your hair’s shine, as it lets more oil remain on the hair. If your hair feels lifeless and limp when you don’t wash it daily, try spraying water on the roots on the days you don’t shampoo. When you do shampoo, use a moisturizing shampoo.
Step 2
Rinse your hair with cold water after shampooing and conditioning. The cold water will flatten the cuticle, so that light bounces off your hair, making it shiny. You only need to rinse your hair with cold water for a few seconds.
Step 3
Blow-dry your hair after conditioning. Let your hair air dry so that it’s damp, not soaking wet, before you blow it dry. The heat from the dryer flattens your hair’s cuticles as well.
Step 4
Run a natural bristle brush through your hair as you dry it to smooth it out and redistribute your hair’s oils. Use a round brush if your hair is curly or a wide paddle brush if you hair is long and straight.
Step 5
Wrap your hair around a wide curling iron after it’s dry, if it is curly. Using a wide iron will line up the strands of your hair, boosting shine, according to Harper’s Bazaar. If you have straight hair, run a straightening iron over the ends to boost shine.
