Hey! This is a legacy post – some products are sadly discontinued! You can find my (2019-present) hair glazing process can be found in this post! I also tone my highlights with this method; when this went live, I wasn’t highlighting yet!
(2014) I am very lucky in that my hair is pretty awesome on its own (LOL. Seven years later, it is not–thanks Tresemme, stress, and aging!). I wanted to make it unreasonably shiny without weighing it down with a lot of product (I am lazy). So, for me, for a friend, for you, and for science, I endeavored to guinea pig an at home DIY hair glaze treatment.
If you were planning on a salon hair gloss or glaze treatment (which costs $30 even at a beauty school’s student salon where I live!) for a wedding or just because, keep reading because learning is fun. This is a glaze/gloss-only treatment – no color means easily achievable without professional expertise!
Get it Together
Here’s what you need (most of which can be acquired at Sally Beauty):
Supplies needed for an At Home DIY Hair Glaze
- A Hairbrush – I have a classic 9-row Denman ($20) here, but I <3 the Wet Brush.
- Clarifying Shampoo (2021 Update: Photo includes a Tresemme variety I used for this purpose, then. It was not problematic for my hair or scalp. Read labels and proceed with caution! Here’s one from Neutrogena for $4)
- Clairol Professional Radiance Colorgloss in Clear Shine [[discontinued]]
- Clairol Professional Radiance Color Infuser [[discontinued]]
- Graduated Salon Mixer/Applicator bottle [[similar, $3]]
- An awesome conditioner. Feria is discontinued, but Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle is cheap and FANTASTIC. You can get the small bottles for under $5 at drugstores/Target/Wal-Mart, or the link above is a *steal*.
- Gloves – Nitrile, latex, vinyl, whatever. [[similar, $29 for 100. gloves are expensive in 2021 due to the pandemic]]
- Two combs – you won’t want the teeth much closer than the black one pictured [[similar, $5]], and a wide tooth one [[similar, $4]]
- Section Clips – will make your life a lot easier if you, like me, channel Cousin Itt [[not similar, but better. the ones pictured sucked, $6]]
- An old shirt you don’t care much for
Prep
First things first – brush your hair out, then wash with your clarifying shampoo. Afterwards, use your normal daily conditioner, rinse, detangle if needed with a wide-tooth comb, and let it air dry. Do not apply any product to your hair – no mouse, heat protectant, nothin’. Just let it be. Here’s what my hair looks like after it is dry:
The Approach
If you have a friend that can help you reach the back sections of your hair, that would be awesome. If not, you can manage (it will just take longer). Brush your tresses out again. You need to start with completely tangle-free hair, or else you’re gonna have a bad time.
Throw on a t-shirt you don’t love as much as you probably should, gather your supplies and head somewhere with a mirror and sufficient lighting to see what you’re doing – for me, this was my bathroom, but if you have an awesome vanity that would work, too. In addition to the items shown below, be sure to get your gloves, section clips, and combs.
Gettin’ Mix-y With It
Grab your graduated mixing bottle, unscrew the cap. Now, you CAN add the entirety of what you need at once, but to ensure thorough mixing, I did it in two parts, so that’s what I’ll explain:
Pour one ounce of the Clear Colorgloss (half the bottle) into your graduated mixing bottle, then one ounce of your Color Infuser. You should be up to the two-ounce line, it will look like this:
Now, violently shake it! But not like a polaroid picture, got it? Settle down, we’re just making our hair shiny.
Add the last ounce of the Colorgloss (the little bottle should be empty now), and another ounce of the Color Infuser. Shake again!
DIY Hair Glaze
Mine appears to be just under 4 ounces because the product (from shaking) is on the side-walls and has not yet settled. It will, though, so don’t sweat it.
Application
From here, section your hair. If you’re already used to sectioning it to blow dry or style, do what you normally do. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the nice folks on YouTube can definitely help you out.
With gloves on, apply the solution from your mid-lengths (below your ears) to ends, really concentrating on your ends (where most dullness occurs). Comb through each section to ensure even distribution of the product, then run through the section again starting the comb a little closer to your roots. This approach enables the hair closest to your scalp to get some attention from the product without overdoing it. Repeat this for each section.
If you have product left in the bottle after each section, go back and use the rest (unless your hair is short, then just discard what you don’t need); I actually squeezed it onto the “roots” of my comb and raked it through my hair this way. Once your hair is coated, comb through once more with the regular comb, clip it up, and let it be for up to 20 minutes.
Cautionary Tale
I actually wound up with some tangling during this (my hair does not like being handled with latex gloves, so I learned), so keep a wide-tooth comb handy to detangle as you go. Since my hair is so long, it took a while to get the product on and distributed the way I liked; once I was satisfied with how everything was coated I only waited about ten minutes.
Removal
Now, remove your gloves and rinse your hair. While you’re at it, rinse your wide-tooth comb, too. Do not be alarmed if your hair feels a bit tacky to the touch before rinsing, this is normal.
Gently squeeze excess moisture from your hair and generously apply your conditioner. Wait one minute then comb through it with your wide-tooth comb. Wait four minutes, then rinse.
Squeeze excess water from your hair again, then wrap it in a towel and ever-so-gently towel dry a bit, then air dry. If you REALLY want to, you can dry and style as normal, but if you want to really see the before-and-after, no-product-added difference, let it air dry like you did before you started playing mad scientist.
The Aftermath
While my hair was air-drying (so before it was fully dry), I could already notice a difference. Here’s what it looked like afterwards:
I really lament not having better lighting conditions to give you a better idea of the difference it made, but it was a massive change from my already-reasonably-shiny hair. My hair has no product in it, was not heat styled, and was just air dried and brushed.
Enjoy the shine for 6-8 weeks depending on your environment, haircare, and the conditions subject your hair to. Bear in mind that this IS a chemical process; my hair has not been damaged from this and the texture feels unaffected, but your results may vary if you have hair that has already been heavily processed by color, perms, etc.
Additionally, if you have hair that has been subjected to the aforementioned processes, you may need to process this DIY Hair Glaze treatment for a shorter amount of time (like 10-15 minutes). Beyond that, the Colorgloss bottle does claim that it is conditioning. I’m skeptical of this claim, and you should be too.
Comprehensive Costs
Assuming most people already have brushes, combs, and section clips (which really are optional but you’ll thank me), you can accomplish this process in about a half hour for under $15 for the first time, assuming you have a Sally Beauty membership.
You won’t need to repurchase conditioner, the bottle, or gloves (if you buy reusable or already have them) for a while, and the Color Infuser (I bought the 16 fl oz bottle) can be used for EIGHT applications ($0.50 per application!) before you’ll need to repurchase.
Use a thick, awesome conditioner two times weekly (if you don’t use it every day) to help maintain your hair’s new-found glossy awesomeness.
The Bottom Line
Finally, here’s a before-and-after side-by-side for you:
Whether this is a treatment you’re already paying for at the salon, if you’re curious about it but didn’t want to shell out, or if you’re like me and just wanted to do something nice for yourself, I hope I was able to help you with this at home DIY hair glaze tutorial.