Hair glosses, shine treatments, recipes...

**nikolette** · November 19th, 2014, 01:15 PM

For years, I used this Clairol Gloss http://www.clairolpro.com/professional-hair-products/radiance-colorgloss to deepen my dark brown hair to a rich black with lots of shine. It is also available in a Clear Shine.

I *love* the shine that this product gives. It also makes my curly/frizzy hair seem more manageable.

Any insight to how damaging this may be to my locks? I haven't used it in almost a year because I've been scared to damage my hair... But I do really miss the shine!

Does anyone have an alternative or similar product that they like?

Anyone have great recipes for SHINE ?
Please share!!

**lapushka** · November 19th, 2014, 03:05 PM

It says it blends up to 30% gray, so there has to be some "strength" to it, although coloring would be far worse, IMO. Is it a toner of some kind? If so, that's it, unless you want to switch to another brand.

**Anje** · November 19th, 2014, 03:07 PM

Deposit-only color? Probably isn't that bad, though an ingredients list on the website is apparently too much to ask. :P A number of folks here enjoy changing up their color temporarily with veggie dyes like Manic Panic, Adore, Directions, Punky, etc., and those are generally conditioning and undamaging (unless you bleach your hair first, but the damage there is from the bleaching).

I tend to point people to the SMT recipe a lot (good grief, it's in my signature), but I find it makes my hair quite soft and shiny. If your hair is fond of humectants, it's absolutely worth a try.

**~~goldenears~~** · November 21st, 2014, 04:34 AM

Deleted post 23/11/14

**Madora** · November 21st, 2014, 07:39 AM

If you want shine, softness, incredibly healthy hair, brush it daily with a pure boar bristle brush! Nothing like it! And you will save TONS of money but not having to rely on ointments, oils, treatments, or anything else. Brushing is easy to do, provided you do it correctly and with the right boar bristle brush (no plastic/no rubber/no rounded brush)!

**Annalouise** · November 21st, 2014, 01:04 PM

Madora-
No rubber or rounded brush?! uh oh. I think I'm using the wrong bbb. Mine is rounded and has the red rubber pad under the bristles.
Why is that bad?

**CurlyCap** · November 21st, 2014, 10:25 PM

Rosemary tea rinses, especially with fresh rosemary, cause ridiculous shine. if you have a yard, rosemary is very hardy, easy to grow, and tolerates heavy pruning.

**Madora** · November 22nd, 2014, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by Annalouise

Madora-
No rubber or rounded brush?! uh oh. I think I'm using the wrong bbb. Mine is rounded and has the red rubber pad under the bristles.
Why is that bad?

Annalouise, the red rubber pad creates friction when the brush is used.
The round brush is only meant for short hair. As Mr. Michael explains in his book "George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" "Remember, too, that most manufacturers make hair brushes that are round or semi-round because these work best on short hair. Unfortunately, because you brush your hair with a flip of the wrist, when you use a round brush this tangles long hair. So, if your hair is anything over 10 inches long, use a brush with a flat or elongated base and hold it with your thumb at the base to avoid a flipping motion, even though this flip of the wrist is okay for shorter hair."

Man, you do NOT want to brush your hair with a round or semi-round brush!!! I tried it...once...and once was more than enough. Talk about snarl city and the most horrid mess afterwards! Long hair + rounded brush...disaster city. Elongated or even oval shaped bbbs are much more hair friendly with long hair!

**Verdandi** · November 22nd, 2014, 02:28 AM

BBB isn't for everyone, though. I had massive hair loss from using it, even though I did as supposed, used a non-rubber brush etc. I still lost at least 1" thickness in the two months I kept going. The shine was amazing though, and I guess it works better for someone with less fragile hair. Just a heads up.

And about the Clariol gloss, peroxide IS damaging, and if you want shine to hide damage/dull hair, you're just making it worse with anything with peroxide, even if it takes time for it to show. I'd recommend a colour conditioner instead

**Annalouise** · November 22nd, 2014, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by Madora

Annalouise, the red rubber pad creates friction when the brush is used.
The round brush is only meant for short hair. As Mr. Michael explains in his book "George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" "Remember, too, that most manufacturers make hair brushes that are round or semi-round because these work best on short hair. Unfortunately, because you brush your hair with a flip of the wrist, when you use a round brush this tangles long hair. So, if your hair is anything over 10 inches long, use a brush with a flat or elongated base and hold it with your thumb at the base to avoid a flipping motion, even though this flip of the wrist is okay for shorter hair."

Man, you do NOT want to brush your hair with a round or semi-round brush!!! I tried it...once...and once was more than enough. Talk about snarl city and the most horrid mess afterwards! Long hair + rounded brush...disaster city. Elongated or even oval shaped bbbs are much more hair friendly with long hair!

Ok, back to the drawing board! haha, Thanks again Madora! Christmas is coming up. I'll ask for a new brush. (And a new comb!). Its worth it for me because I don't use products on my hair so I'll splurge on a good brush and comb. I knew I didn't have the type of brush sold at the Madora salon. But I guess I thought it didn't matter because it was a bbb. Hmmm, silly me.
And also I should buy the George Michael book because I'm sure it has loads of valuable information. Maybe I'll get it right one of these days and not make any more hair mistakes! I really hope to reach waist by next summer. So now is the time to start doing the RIGHT things with my hair.

Thanks Madora! I'm so grateful to have you here on the boards helping everyone with their long hair goals! THANKS!!
(I wonder if I should try a madora shampoo also because I have NEVER found a shampoo that doesn't strip the hair). I'm using a diluted soap because I can't find a gentle shampoo. I wonder what Mr. Michael says about washing your hair with soap?

Nickolette I really don't think that putting chemicals on the hair is a good idea. Nor is it a good
idea for your skin (which is your largest organ) and all that chemicals goes to your liver to detox. It's not good for you. But if you must you must. I understand.

I use herbal teas to get some shine or add some fragrance like lavender, or rosemary (as Curlycap said). Nettles is another good herb for the hair and there's horsetail and white willow bark and lots of lovely plants. You might want to experiment with herbs. In the past I did have some great shine/colors from herbal combinations but I don't recall exactly what I was using. I know I was using henna in my tea (NOT TO COLOR THE HAIR). But just rinsing with henna or hibiscus can bring out some orange/red hues and shine. Of course it washes out with your shampoo and its not permanent.