As summer approaches, everything is about the glow.
Recently, glowing skin or glass/glazed-like skin has become a prevalent trend among consumers, and it has unsurprisingly transcended to hair care through hair gloss treatments. they have been creating and searching for content related to hair gloss on TikTok, according to KlinePRO. There has also been a rise in popularity of various hair gloss treatments.
While consumers may be able to try this trend themselves at-home, we know it's always best to go to a salon professional. Unsurprisingly, a recent Beauty Launchpad poll revealed that 83% of our followers offer hair gloss treatments at their salon, showing that professionals are also picking up on the trend and making sure their clients can receive a proper service.
Both Christine Turek (@paintthatmane) and Megan Perez (@hairbymeganperez) offer hair gloss services to their clients and recommend that stylists should too if they want to elevate their services, make their work stand out and make their clients feel cared for!
"This is a great way to not only maintain a client's look but also add revenue for you by adding this service as a stand alone in between lightening," Perez shares.
If you're new to the hair gloss trend, we have you covered! Here, we break down everything you need to know about hair gloss services, including how to apply them, their benefits, tips for application and more!
What is a hair gloss treatment?
If you're new to the game, you may be wondering what the service entails and how you can explain it to an eager customer who is learning about the trend themselves.
"A hair gloss is the final tone that is applied to the hair after you lift or for a refresh of color," says Turek, owner of The Color Collective. "When hair is lifted, you are left with what we call 'raw lift,' and this is often not a tone of color that compliments many people. Not only that, but the cuticle swells when we perform a lightening service. A gloss can help to calm the cuticle while replacing pigment that was lost. We formulate a gloss to achieve a more personalized color for our client that enhances their eyes, skin and makes them feel vibrant!"
Hair gloss treatments are demi-permanent, adds Perez, a stylist at Planet Color Salon and Suites. This means the service lasts for about 30 washes, keeping the hair shiny for longer!
What are the benefits?
Both Turek and Perez share that hair gloss treatments add shine and tone to the hair, giving it its glowing appearance. But, what are other benefits you can communicate to clients who are interested in the service?
Hair gloss treatments may be a good option for your clients who like to change up their hair color frequently because it can be changed much easier than permanent color (hence it being a demi-permanent option).
It also helps seal the hair's cuticle to lock in moisture and prevent damage.
"When using an acidic color line, it can help balance the PH of the hair after a lightening service," explains Turek. "Using a color line that does not have an ability to lift is key here. You do not want to cause a base shift at all. When you create base shift within the hair, you are essentially changing the natural and that will show in the growing out process as banding."
How do you apply it?
There are multiple ways to apply a hair gloss treatment. It all depends on what the stylist prefers. The treatment can be applied at the bowl or chair.
Perez shares she likes to apply after shampooing on damp hair. If you are going to do so, Turek shares that its important to formulate accordingly because water will dilute the product.
However, the service can also be applied on dry hair, but you will want to make sure the gloss is evenly distributed if you are doing so.
"A wet brush is a great way to ensure the product has thoroughly saturated the hair," recommends Turek.
What are some tips for application?
If you're new to the world of hair gloss treatments, Perez recommends starting with clear gloss treatments before working your way to toning glossing.
Clear gloss treatments enhance the client's natural hair color, while toning or tinted treatments provide color pigment with both offering the same benefits.
Once you are ready to start into toning, Turek once again emphasizes the importance of proper formulation, as it can make or break your color instantly.
"It is very easy to use too much of one tone in the color, and you could see a very flat finish. Many stylists will just grab a general color, such as 9V, but that might not necessarily be the tone they actually want," Turek explains. "Glossing formulation has many variables, and there is so much to learn about it. There are ways to control brunette ash, enhance blondes for reflection and add vibrancy to red. It is not a one size fits all type of thinking. Know the color wheel and how to turn that knowledge into purposeful formulation. Warmth is your friend! Many stylists are afraid of warmth because clients tend to shy away from it. Always remember that clients do not like brassiness — It’s not necessarily the warmth they are referring to."
How do you market the service to your clients?
If you're ready to add hair gloss treatments to your list of services, you want to make sure you are properly promoting it to your clients, so they are ready to buy in!
Perez recommends offering the service as an add-on to refresh their look. Once the service is on your books, you want to make sure you are communicating to clients what the service is and what it does for their hair. You can show them examples, pictures — anything that helps them understand and trust you and the service you are offering.
"Building trust is SO very important, and clients love to hear you explain the process," Turek shares. "Get people excited about it. Tell them that you’ve learned a new way to enhance their color. A gloss is a quicker add-on service than most color services. Many people are trying to get away from maintenance, and a gloss is perfect way to either introduces them to color or use something that has little to no upkeep."
With lived-in and low maintenance look being a major trend right now, your clients are sure to buy in when they hear about that!
Why are hair gloss services trending?
Hair gloss treatments are quickly becoming a popular service, but why now?
Perez shares that it's a more economical option for clients: "With the current economy, clients don’t always have the extra money to do lightening services as often as they were before." Hair gloss treatments offer a solution that doesn't break the bank that can keep your client's hair healthy and looking refreshed!
Also, some of the biggest hair trends at the moment rely on shining or glowing hair: Mob wife aesthetics, bouncy blowouts and expensive hair color shades like Old Money Blonde and Espresso Brunette. If your clients want those looks, they are going to want the shiny hair that comes with it.
However, as a result of the trend, many clients and consumers are seeking out at-home options, which may not always be the best idea.
"The issue is that at-home glosses are not customized to the client, which means the results can be really unpredictable," shares Turek. "It’s not always clear what the ingredients are in at-home color products. An at-home gloss is seemingly an innocent thing; however, I’ve had many clients who have experienced extreme tones that they were not ready for with it. Once the color is on, it can be extremely hard to get out. A gloss at the salon is much safer and less expensive than a color correction."
What advice should you give clients who want to try at-home options?
You may have some savvy clients who want to give at-home hair gloss treatments a try, but both Perez and Turek recommend leaving it to the experts, so the stylist can create a formulation tailored to a client's unique needs.
To keep clients in the salon, Perez recommends offering a package option to save money on their end. Stylists can also add at-home options to their backbar that they feel comfortable recommending, if they have experience working with the product.
If your clients are insistent on trying an at-home option on their own, Turek shares some advice you can offer them: "Use with caution, and know that the color is most likely not going to be what’s on the front of the box. If it’s a simple clear gloss, there’s much less harm."
