Let’s face it, we all dream of having naturally lustrous, glossy hair! At Altesse Studio, we believe that’s perfectly achievable. Here are our top three tips for soft, silky locks with maximum shine.
What causes dull hair?
The cuticle scales of healthy hair usually lie flat and tightly interlocked with each other around the hair shaft. This creates a smooth surface, allowing your hair to reflect light like a mirror.
When hair is dull, these scales are rough and rugged and can no longer fulfill their natural barrier function. As hair is repeatedly exposed to blow-dryers, straighteners, chemical products, pollution, dust, and sun rays, it’s no longer protected from these external factors and becomes increasingly fragile.
The result is dull hair that no longer reflects the light as it should. Raised cuticles also make the hair fiber more porous, meaning that your hair is unable to retain moisture or reap the benefits of hair products. So your hair can become dehydrated, brittle, coarse, and difficult to style in addition to losing shine!
Our solutions for shinier hair
Achieving salon-like shine is just a matter of integrating a few simple hair care habits into your routine.
1. Use a boar bristle hairbrush to brush your hair
There’s really nothing like a boar bristle brush to reveal unparalleled shine. This is because the fibrous composition of boar hair is perfectly suited to lifting the sebum naturally secreted in the scalp and distributing it evenly from root to tip, nourishing the hair and giving it that instant glossy look. The Repair & Shine brushes from the Altesse Studio Collection are the perfect tools for the job. Available in two formats, one for fine to normal hair and the other for thick or curly hair, these brushes are specially designed to restore shine to the hair fiber and reveal your hair’s natural luster. No wonder 92% of our customers report that their hair has become shinier with regular use!
Pro tip: brush your hair every evening for extra shine. Make sure it is dry when you do so, and for a complete, naturally conditioning ritual, you can try the 100-stroke brush technique.
2. Rinse your hair with cold water for a shiny, silky finish
This tip is not for the faint of heart, but cold water is your best friend when it comes to maintaining hair shine. Hot water weakens the hair fiber and can even stimulate the sebaceous glands in your scalp, making it prone to greasiness. Rinsing your hair with cold water helps to prevent this by sealing the cuticles, which as we mentioned, is the secret to unlocking a mirror-like sheen!
However, it’s important to remember that cold water cannot properly wash off the fatty oils that conditioners or hair masks contain. To make sure you eliminate all unwanted residue that could potentially make your hair even more dull, wash off all these products with lukewarm water before finishing with a quick cold rinse for a shiny finish.
3. Cut down on your hair wash frequency to make dull hair shine
It goes without saying that you need to wash your hair to remove the impurities that accumulate over time, but it’s important to remember that shampoos contain surfactants, which, when used too frequently, can disrupt the natural sebum production in your scalp. This can cause dehydration, scalp discomfort like itching, irritation, and dandruff, or even increase the chances of your hair getting greasy too quickly.
For long-lasting shine and health, it is best to space out your hair wash days and shampoo your hair only 2 or 3 times a week. For your hair to adapt to less frequent washing, a transitional period where you brush your hair twice a day using a boar bristle brush can be helpful to keep it clean and free of debris. This will also have the added benefit of keeping your hair naturally nourished and healthy, by gently and evenly distributing the sebum secreted in your scalp through your locks.