Is having blonde hair that’s also shiny completely impossible? No. And here’s proof.

By Aisling Keenan
15th May 2019

Is having blonde hair that’s also shiny completely impossible? No. And here’s proof.

When you decide to be a lifelong blonde, you pretty much resign yourself to two things.

You’ll almost bankrupt yourself paying to have your roots/highlights/balayage redone
You’ll forgo the abundantly shiny hair that your brunette compatriots take for granted

As a lifelong blonde myself (it was real until I was about 10 and then I went that insipid mousy brown colour everyone spends their life trying to disguise), I had basically accepted that yes, my hair would look smooth, silky and somewhat shiny the day I got it coloured and if I got a professional to blow-dry it. But that, other than those times, my hair would lack shine. It would look dry more often than not, and I would struggle to get the bouncy, glossy lustre that brunettes achieve easily.

Now, I must add. If you’re one of those people who is genetically blessed with thick hair and you can bleach it 20 times a year and still have no breakage, you probably don’t need to get this advice – your hair probably maintains a certain level of health (and therefore, shine) naturally.

But for those among you who, like me, have fine hair that’s damaged and broken from constant dyeing (aka dedication to the blonde cause) – good news! There are things you can do to bring back shine after every wash. And I know these things to be true – I have tried and tested them all.

Use a colour care shampoo

Using a shampoo that’s made to maintain and enhance colour is the ideal way to start your blonde shine journey. It’s an essential if you want to try to eek out a few extra weeks in between highlights, and will also help protect your colour if you’re also using any colour depositing products.

Pureology Hydrate Colour Care Shampoo, €22.20

Go cold

After you shampoo your hair (twice if you have time) and rinse out the conditioner, turn your shower temperature to cold and if you can bear the burst of icy water, rinse your hair once cold. It will help to close the hair cuticles which maintains colour and also promotes shine.

Add oil

Okay, this is the part where I would’ve stopped reading if I didn’t know already what I’m about to tell you. Oil?? On fine, blonde hair?? Are you joking?? Normally, I would never suggest it. Anything oily usually weighs hair down and leaves it greasier than before the wash. I hear you. I would never have believed it myself until I tried it. There’s a new bi-phase leave-in mist oil from Kerastase that I tried recently, it’s called Elixir Ultime Lègère.

It was used on me in a salon and my nerves were GONE. I was sure I was going to have greasy and weighed-down hair immediately. But to my surprise, it didn’t. There’s something in it called Intra-Cylane which helps bodify the hair, and the oils evaporate as the hair is dried, leaving just LOTS of shine. I didn’t believe it until I tried it at home myself a few times and was totally blown away (I wouldn’t be very skilled at blow-drying).

Kerastase Elixir Ultime Lègère, €37.90

Some more coldness

When you’re finished blow-drying your hair, blast the roots with cold air. Face the hairdryer downwards onto the top of your head and let the cold air seal the shine in place. While I’m talking about blow-drying hair, I might as well suggest using the right brushes for doing it to give you best chance with shine and volume. Give this one a go, it’s really versatile and ideal for home blow-drying.