The first time someone asked me if I wanted a gloss or a glaze, I thought they were offering me donuts. The answer in that situation is obviously yes to both, but much to the sadness of my sweet tooth, they weren’t referencing desserts. They were referring to my hair, and given that I was at salon, it made sense. In the beauty world, hair glosses and hair glazes are both hair treatments that add shine back to your hair, among other things, but they do have some small differences that are important to consider.
Below, find out exactly what each treatment entails, how long they last, as well as hair gloss and hair glaze treatments you can buy and try at home.
Hair Gloss
Hair glosses and hair glazes sound the same, but they have some pretty big differences. For starts, a hair gloss is usually something that’s done by a hair professional at a salon. These treatments add noticeable shine to the hair, and can also dip into the cuticle to deposit color and prevent your newly added hair dye from falling dull, explains Goldwell Stylist, Steven Picciano. Most of the time, they take the form of a treatment or a mask that’s applied to the hair for a certain amount of minutes and then rinsed out.
“With a color gloss, we can customize and enhance natural tones, softly blend gray hair, neutralize unwanted warmth, or create the most perfect shades of blonde,” he explains. “Most color lines also have a clear as well, so if you love your natural color and just want to build in shine that’s possible, too.”
Results of salon glosses should stick around for about four weeks. Picciano prefers to use Goldwell this link opens in a new tabColorancethis link opens in a new tab’s gloss system, which lasts about 4 to 6 weeks, or for about 20 shampoos.
However, there are at-home options that might not long as long, but have a more reasonable price-tag than something you’d find in a salon. Celebrity hairstylist Kristin Ess developed a Signature Gloss Treatmentthis link opens in a new tab available in multiple shades, as well as clear, which neutralizes brass, adds shine to the hair, and deep conditions. Another option is Bumble and Bumble’s Bb. Color Glossthis link opens in a new tab, which is applied to dry hair for 20 minutes before shampooing and conditioning.
Hair Glaze
A hair glaze is shockingly similar to a gloss, explains Leland Hirsch, hair colorist and founder of Celeb Luxurythis link opens in a new tab, with one major difference.
“They are both temporary non-committal treatments that will fade on their own,” says Hirsch. “The biggest differentiation between a gloss and a glaze is its lifespan. Glazes have no ammonia or peroxide, so will last in the hair up to one week, whereas a gloss can last up to four weeks.”
Any color that’s deposited will sit on top of the hair, which is why it’s so easy to wash out. In addition to adding shine and color, Hirsch says that glazes can help tame flyaway and reduce frizz. They’re basically deep conditioning treatments that multitask, Picciano adds.
Colorists can use different types of products to give you that glaze-like result (for example, Hirsch uses Gem Lites and Viral Colorditioner by Celeb Luxury), but there are also at-home versions of this treatment.
Some of note include Oribe Glaze for Beautiful Colorthis link opens in a new tab and John Freida Color Glazethis link opens in a new tab.
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