How to get ultra-glossy ‘glass’ hair

So much more than just a high-shine finish, glass hair is luxuriously sleek, perfectly groomed and gloriously glossy. “Shine, condition and movement are the three qualities essential for glass hair,” says Miguel Perez, Hair Rituel Ambassador for Sisley Paris, who counts Amal Clooney and Salma Hayek as clients. “And the healthier your hair, the better it will move and the more shine it will have.”

If days at the beach have left your hair desert-dry, then it will be virtually impossible to create a glass-like reflection. The same goes for the heat damage inflicted by blow-outs, heat styling and chemical treatments. Start treating your hair with a weekly intensive mask and, even better (though not for super-fine hair), add a few drops of hair oil to your mask; Sisley Paris Regenerating Hair Care Mask can be applied to both scalp and hair to strengthen and condition.

High-shine hair starts with how you wash it, explains Perez: “Shampooing removes a lot of moisture. To remedy this, apply conditioner to the ends while your hair is still dry, then wet and shampoo your hair, focusing on the roots where your hair is likely to be dirtiest. This helps prevent some moisture loss and will also protect your color, to an extent. Rinse everything away and then condition again as usual.”

Straight hair always looks shinier (the flatter the surface, the more reflective it is), but textured hair can still be glossy. “Both Amal and Salma have naturally curly hair and they always have that high-shine, reflective gloss,” points out Perez. “If you have very curly hair, use a smoothing or straightening shampoo to take some of the texture out first.” Alternatively, opt for a long-lasting ‘permanent’ blow-dry or keratin straightening treatment, the first being for moderate curls and the latter for very curly and frizzy hair. “Frizzy hair will never look shiny,” says hair-texture expert Zoltan Vargyai. “Mirror-like hair looks the way it does because the cuticle is closed, so in order to achieve extreme shine on very frizzy hair, we must smooth the cuticle first.” A pre-blow-dry balm helps smooth things over, while ceramic straightening irons will temporarily eliminate unwanted texture.

Apply a few drops of oil onto your palm, rub your hands together to evenly distribute, then work it through the ends and lengths of your hair, avoiding the roots. “Oil really helps create a mirror-like shine,” says Perez. “I apply a little before blow-drying and then a little more once the hair is dry.” A final tip from Vargyai: “Always keep the nozzle on your hair dryer pointed downwards to ensure the cuticles lay flat so hair looks shiny.”

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