How to get more shine?

[jujube]

I'm growing out a pixie and have just stopped using heat-styling tools and started to co-wash. However, I do have damaged ends that I don't want to cut for now (hair is short enough!) and my hair, when longer, tends to be very curly/frizzy/super thick/uncontrolably voluminous. Past a certain length, and even now (not even at chin), it starts to lack shine.

What would you suggest doing? Could using cones be a solution? What do you guys do?

[aenflex]

From what I understand shine all depends on the way your cuticle scales lay, how flat they lay and how they reflect light, and whether or not they have build up. So there are a few things you can do: Vinegar or Lemon juice or other acidic type rinse, or flat-beer rinse. There are herbs like catnip and others that you can make rinses from. Clarifying ever so often might help too. Being gentle always helps. Henna, Cacas and henna glosses also have worked very well for me in adding shine. The Cacas by lush add a lot of shine to my hair without adding a lot of colour. There are also product lines, salon and not, that help with shine, or at least say they do :)

Oh and I vote yes on cones for sure, in conditioner or leave in, (not so much in shampoos). But they can build up.

[luxepiggy]

One reason I've stuck with cones is because they make my hair shinier (^(oo)^)v

Or, try a beer rinse (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=55808)! There's a little group of us that have seen great results with them.

[restourceful]

A little tidbit I got from lynnala on the Salt & Pepper thread. Fenugreek gives great shine. I bought seeds at my local herbs/soaps/oils/teas store and ground them in my magic bullet. You make a paste and apply to wet hair. I did it in the shower and let it soak in while I did other showerly duties. Rinse thorougly, which means a LOT! It smells like curry but I don't recall that it lingered after my hair dried.

[pepperminttea]

Another vote for an acidic rinse - I use an ACV rinse, 2-3 tablespoons of ACV to 8 liquid ounces of water, but most people start at 1 tablespoon and experiment to find what works for them. :) Also, if you can stand it with the weather getting colder, I find a cold water rinse at the end of my shower really helps; as cold as you can manage, just on the hair, right before you turn the shower off.

[sibylla]

Very cold water as the last rinse (just a few seconds) is my tips and cassia or henna.Hope this helps!

[BrightEyes7]

I give my hair a shot of cold water at the end of the shower. It helps seal your hair cuticle so it shines more.

Also the ACV rinse may help...

[SpinDance]

I tended to have a lot of frizz and volume, and not much shine. I always thought cones were my friend, but I've finally learned that they aren't. I'm getting great shine these days and very little frizz using oils as deep treatment before washing, very lightly applied to wet/damp/not dripping hair following a cleaning and going cone-free. The only way to know what your hair will like is to try things, slowly, and don't be afraid to try something again later. My first few times trying CO were a flop, but now that I'm cone-free it's working quite well. I still alternate with CWC, as needed, but can now stretch use of shampoo quite a while and still have hair I'm happy with.

[daaisychains]

I go with freezing cold water as a final rinse (you don't have to put your body in it, just your scalp although it's great for the skin on my face!) and then let it air dry.

[HintOfMint]

A little tidbit I got from lynnala on the Salt & Pepper thread. Fenugreek gives great shine. I bought seeds at my local herbs/soaps/oils/teas store and ground them in my magic bullet. You make a paste and apply to wet hair. I did it in the shower and let it soak in while I did other showerly duties. Rinse thorougly, which means a LOT! It smells like curry but I don't recall that it lingered after my hair dried.

Fenugreek, really? I'm intrigued, do you use the leaves or the seeds?

[gotzbrainz]

acv, coconut oil, cones and smt works very well for shine

[feralnature]

Cold water rinse here too, have been doing that for years now.

[Aredhel77]

Fenugreek, really? I'm intrigued, do you use the leaves or the seeds?

HintOfMint - you can use fenugreek seeds ground up and mixed with water as a conditioning treatment. I haven't tried it myself, but have some that I'm due to try. Not sure how long you'd leave it in for or how difficult it is to rinse out. Also, Fenugreek leaves made into a paste or added to herb washes is meant to help with dandruff. (I found this out by Googling Fenugreek/methi - used in Ayurvedic hair washes).

:D

My favourite shine treatment is aloe mixed with a little jojoba and/or coconut oil and a drop of glycerin. It works a bit like a serum and also moisturises my hair nicely. Shea butter mixed with aloe (I just mix a bit in my hand) also helps with shine and gives a little bit of weight to my curls/waves.

[restourceful]

Fenugreek, really? I'm intrigued, do you use the leaves or the seeds?

I used the seeds.

[jenwexler]

My hair is shinier without cones. Does this mean anything??

[SpinDance]

My hair is shinier without cones. Does this mean anything??
It sounds like you've learned something about your hair. It is up to you to decide whether you like the results you get better with or without cones. There are so many factors that only you can decide whether something works for you or not. I'm starting to think that I'm getting close to knowing enough of what does and doesn't work for my hair to stop doing the regular experiments and just settle into a workable routine after a year and a half. YMMV

[excentricat]

Cones work for some people if you want to go that route
If you want to stay away from them, I would go with the others who have mentioned ACV rinses, cold water, and a bit of coconut oil. That's what works for me.

[jenwexler]

I love cone free stuff I'm glad I finally figured out what my hair loves. I just don't understand why it hates cones so much.

[Vermelha]

Pretty much gave up on that one. I know that not everyone can get shiny hair. ACV and henna helped but I think this is how my hair is supposed to be :)

[SpinDance]

Pretty much gave up on that one. I know that not everyone can get shiny hair. ACV and henna helped but I think this is how my hair is supposed to be :)
It may be due to the shape of your individual hairs. As a handspinner I know some wools are shinier than others. Usually the softest, finest diameter wools are more matte. The length of the hair and the length of the scales on the hair affect how much light is reflected.

[Vermelha]

It may be due to the shape of your individual hairs. As a handspinner I know some wools are shinier than others. Usually the softest, finest diameter wools are more matte. The length of the hair and the length of the scales on the hair affect how much light is reflected.

Interesting! I notice the longer it gets, or when I pull it back, it does shine, but never when it's down.