In Search Of Shine

VOLUME 1

Think about the times you've looked at someone and thought, "She really has healthy hair".

But what was it that made you think her hair was healthy? Chances are it looked clean and shiny, with no split ends or breakage.

Shine is the most obvious sign of healthy hair, because if hair is clean with no split ends or breakage, it will look shiny. So if you can help people have hair with shine, their hair will look healthy. But what are the ways a professional cosmetologist can make hair shine?

Haircolor

Whether hair looks shiny has a lot to do with light and color. Dark hair often looks shinier than lighter hair because dark hair reflects a more even type of light. In the cortex of the hair, light scatters and spreads in many different directions. The pigment in dark hair actually absorbs some of this scattered light, reflecting more uniform lighting to your eyes. Your brain perceives this light as a lot of concentrated hair shine. Blonde hair does not absorb the scattered light, so it reflects back unevenly. Your brain translates this "scrambled" light as shine pinpoints that are less intense than the light that bounces off dark hair, so blonde hair doesn't seem as shiny.

Shine is affected by how hair reflects and absorbs light. When hair is exposed to light, some light is reflected off the surface and other light enters the hair shaft. Once in the hair shaft, this light is scrambled by cortex irregularities. This scattered light leaves the cortex in irregular directions. This lack of concentrated light reduces the appearance of shine. Dark hair often looks shinier than lighter colored hair because it absorbs scattered light.

Hairstyle

The way hair is styled can also help enhance shine. Treat and style hair so that damaged hair cuticles are smoothed, individual hair fibers are aligned, and frizz is decreased. All of these can be accomplished with smoother/straighter hairstyles, and a more uniform curl can be created with hot rollers or wet setting on curlers.

A hairstyle that is disarrayed or frizzy, scatters light by reflecting it back in all directions. Again, this scattered light or lack of concentrated light reduces the appearance of shine. A hairstyle that is well aligned, reflects light back evenly. Smoother/straighter hairstyles and more uniform curl formations create the alignment, or shield-like appearance, needed to create shine.

Products

Many haircare products can make hair look shiny. These shine-enhancing products contain ingredients that deposit a clean, uniform film on the hair shaft, which smoothes hair cuticles and reflects light. Shiner products contain silicones, like cyclomethicone or dimethicone, and include shampoos, conditioners (rinse, leave-in, or intensive), frizz tamers, special shine products, mousses, gels, hair sprays and spritzes.

Healthy cuticle typically adheres tightly to the hair shaft and has an overlapping fish-scale-like appearence.
Chemical treatment and abrasive combing can cause the cuticles to lift, chip, crack, or strip off. This creates a roughened surface that scatters light, decreasing shine. Many hair care products deposit a clean uniform film onto the hair shaft that can smooth rough cuticles and reflect light.

A little does a lot

However, be sure to use shine products and frizz tamers sparingly. They can give hair a temporary shine by smoothing hair cuticles, or leaving wet or oily drops on the shaft, but if too much is used too often, build-up can occur, dulling hair and reducing shine.

Use great product for great results

Product ingredients like silicone will definitely help boost shine, but the products can't do the whole job. A lot of the benefits depend on how the products are applied, the amount of "shine-boosting" ingredients in the product, and how the product is manufactured. Be sure to read labels, and use and recommend products made by a manufacturer with an excellent reputation!