What is a hair gloss treatment?
A hair gloss is a semi-permanent treatment that’s primarily used to revive dull, dry, damaged, or colour-treated hair. Depending on your desired end result, hair glosses can either be clear or tinted to deliver temporary pigment to strands.
Hair gloss treatments are available as a professional in-salon service using our Shades EQ™ Gloss Demi-Permanent Equalizing Conditioning Colour Crystal Clear. However, you can also build your own glossy hair routine at home with the Acidic Color Gloss hair care collection, which extends the life of your colour and gives strands a glass-like finish.
What does hair gloss do?
A hair gloss treatment forms a temporary coat on the outer layer of the hair – known as the cuticle. This gloss coating smooths down the cuticle scales and creates a protective seal that locks in moisture, adds slip for easier detangling, and helps reduce frizz. Smooth cuticles also better reflect light, so hair gloss treatments are known for instantly enhancing hair’s vitality and radiance.
6 benefits of a hair gloss treatment
A hair gloss treatment isn’t just a surface-level beauty boost – it’s an investment that helps revitalise and protect your hair.
1. Delivers instant shine to dull, lifeless hair
Hair can easily become lacklustre from repeated hair styling, sun exposure, dry climates, and other stressors, but a hair gloss treatment smooths the cuticle to make hair look visibly more radiant.
2. Maintains and extends the longevity of colour-treated hair
Even professional hair colours fade over time from washing, heat styling, and UV exposure. Hair gloss treatments refresh your existing colour, add depth and tone, and form a protective barrier around each strand to reduce fading.
3. Smooths frizz and improves hair manageability
Gloss treatments do more than add shine: they deeply condition and smooth the hair surface, which tames frizz and flyaways. This makes hair easier to style, detangle, and maintain, leaving it feeling silkier and softer to the touch.
4. Fortifies and nourishes strands
Many hair gloss treatments, especially professional formulas like Redken’s, include conditioning agents that help boost moisture retention in the cuticle.
This fortifies your strands from within – reducing breakage, minimising split ends, and supporting healthier-looking hair.
5. Gentle and suitable for all hair types
Whether your hair is straight, wavy, curly, colour-treated or natural, hair gloss treatments offer a customisable, gentle solution to enhance your hair’s texture and appearance without harsh chemicals.
6. Low maintenance; high impact
A gloss is the perfect low-commitment treatment option to improve hair health and shine – without a drastic colour change. They don’t cause regrowth like permanent dyes, either, which makes them ideal for subtle, natural-looking enhancement.
Is a hair gloss treatment damaging?
No, hair gloss treatments are designed to be gentle and non-damaging.
Unlike permanent hair dyes that penetrate the hair shaft and alter the hair’s structure, glosses coat the outer layer to enhance shine and smoothness without harsh chemicals. Many professional glosses contain nourishing ingredients and proteins that can actually reinforce hair bonds, which results in stronger hair over time.
How long does hair gloss last?
A professional in-salon hair gloss treatment can last anywhere from four to six weeks with the right care at home. Alternatively, an at-home glossy hair routine with the Acidic Color Gloss collection can last up to 32 washes.
If you are visiting a salon for your hair gloss treatment, we still recommend using the four-step Acidic Color Gloss collection to preserve the longevity of your professional treatment – and ensure your locks stay their glossiest!
How often should you use hair gloss?
How often you should use hair gloss ultimately depends – on your hair type, on your hair concerns, and on the level of damage you’re working with. You may find it beneficial to get an in-salon hair gloss treatment every four to six weeks after your current hair gloss treatment fades.
If you’re using the Acidic Color Gloss hair care collection, we recommend using the four-step system at least once per week for optimal results.
At-home glossy hair routine with Acidic Color Gloss
You can achieve shiny, silky-soft hair with the Acidic Color Gloss collection – Redken’s salon-grade at-home hair glossing system.
- Cleanse with the Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free Shampoo: this pH-balanced formula helps seal the cuticle to protect and preserve colour, while giving new life to dull strands. Apply to wet hair and work the shampoo into a lather. Rinse thoroughly.
- Condition with the Acidic Color Gloss Conditioner: this nourishing, shine-boosting formula intensely conditions strands for a smooth, glass-like finish. Apply to your mid-lengths and ends, then leave on for one to three minutes before rinsing.
- Protect with the Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Leave-In Spray Treatment: Offering powerful heat protection up to 230°C, this spray safeguards hair against stressors by imparting an invisible shield – all while locking in colour, hydration, and shine. Spray onto damp hair before styling.
- Hydrate with the Acidic Color Gloss Naked Gloss Lightweight Shine Oil: Enjoy enhanced shine, softness, and vibrant colour with this lightweight hair oil. Its formula is infused with +18% glossing complex, so you can still care for your glossy mane in between washes. Apply onto either damp or dry hair, distributing evenly through your lengths and ends.
So, you know what a hair gloss is – but did you know there are other treatments you can use to support your hair outside of your glossy hair routine? Explore the benefits and uses of hair serums, next.