A hair’s shine is caused by light reflecting off of the hair’s cuticle. In order to make the hair more shiny, the cuticle of the hair needs to be closed. The best way to achieve this is by making sure your hair is healthy. Use a deep conditioning treatment once a week and avoid thermal tools. If thermal tools are a must, lower their temperature. Use a heat protectant spray such as Pureology Color Fanatic 21 Benefits Spray. Another quick tip for instant shine is to rinse your hair in cold water. It helps to close the cuticle. Once your hair is dry you can also run an ice cube on the top layer and it will instantly add shine.

My first recommendation will always be to focus on the health of your hair. If you have a ton of split ends it’s only going to cause further damage to your hair and you’ll never be able to grow it out. I recommend getting a healthy trim, repeating every four to eight weeks. Another way to reduce tangles is to use the correct brush and brushing method. Personally, I love Wet brush! The technology in the Wet Brush bristles allows the hair to detangle without putting stress on the hair or without having to pull harshly. That, along with a leave-in spray that assists with detangling such as Pureology Colour Fanatic 21 Benefits Spray, will allow for the tangles to come right out. Finally, be sure to brush from the end of your hair and work your way up the mid-shaft, brushing in a downwards motion.

Your hair can act like a fabric if your cuticle is open, it can behave in a similar fashion to velcro teeth and will stick to things, causing it to tangle. Be sure to rinse your hair with cool water and use products that can assist closing the cuticle. Another great product I love using when I grow my hair out is Redken argan oil. A little pump goes a long way! Rub it around in your hands first and then work it from the ends of your hair towards the hair’s mid-shaft, starting from the underneath of your hair and working to the top. This product can add slip to the hair and helps to prevent it from tangling while leaving a nice sheen making your hair look healthy and soft.

If you blow dry your hair, a great way to add more volume is to brush your hair over the opposite way that your hair naturally falls. For instance, if you’re trying to add volume to the crown, place the brush under the hair at the crown and pull the a brush up and forward, towards your forehead. Then, blow dry with cool air until the hair cools down. If you don’t usually style or blow dry your hair, Redken Powder Grip can add amazing amounts of volume to your hair at the roots. Shake in a little Powder Grip and then massage it in with your fingers; you will instantly see volume. Another great product that kills two birds with one stone is dry shampoo. Not only will it absorb next day oils but it will also add volume to your roots. My favorite dry shampoo is Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo. If applied properly, this dry shampoo works wonders absorbing oils and won’t leave a white residue in the hair.

My favorite product for this is Redken Frizz Dismiss Fly-away Fix Finishing Sheets. Unlike oils and serums, it will not leave your roots oily. They’re very simple to use look like dryer sheets. They contain specific oils that help to smooth out frizzies and repel moisture, protecting against humidity without weighing down the hair or making it look oily. They’re a 10 on the FPF scale (Frizz Protection Factor).

If you are getting your hair trimmed regularly, around every four to eight weeks, and still seeing split ends, you may want to look deeper for the root of the issue. The split ends could be the result of over styling with heat tools. Try to cut back on using heat tools if you are using them more than once or twice a week and be sure to use a heat protectant as well as lowering the temperature of your iron. Another tool that can cause split ends is your brush. Be sure to replace your brush regularly when bristles become damaged. My go-to recommendation for brushes are Wet Brushes. Your hair is most fragile when it’s wet and their brush technology allows the bristles to comb through tangles without putting extra stress on the hair.