The Long Hair Community - need some advice.....how to get the "shiny" look

smythe_michael · February 24th, 2003, 04:44 PM

all the time....or as much as possible.

we are about 11 days since my wife had her gm treatment. The first 4 or 5 days it was really fabulous. Basically since the treatment, she has only washed and creame rinsed a couple of times. (for some reason time got out of control and we didn't do the 12 min conditioner this past w/e).

I think her hair looks very good, but I can tell she is less thrilled than she was a week ago. Her major complaint is that it just isn't shiny enough. I guess if there is a picture on here, that she would like her hair to look like , it would be that one that DweamGoil had in the mirror. If we could somehow get to that state, we'd all be happy.

I'd like to hear from those who have achieved that look, how have you done it? Esp those that are also using GM products. (like DweamGoil)
We are new to the GM line. Before that, we were using nature gate shampoo/conditioner, and jojoba oil frequently, but that wasn't quite getting us there either.

should we maybe try some different oils like monoi? is this anyway going to interfere with the gm method? would the 12min conditioner used frequently achieve this?

THanks.

snippet · February 24th, 2003, 05:29 PM

I've forgotten what your wife's hair is like, but have you tried ACV rinses? They leave my hair shiny.

Anne · February 24th, 2003, 05:36 PM

Hi!

Let's see....neutral henna works well. Mastey products add shine without cones...Sara Care, which is the line I'm using seems to enhance natural shine and damp bunning REALLY works. I think damp buns work to add shine because having the hair coiled in a not all day helpst the cuticle to lay flat all over and adds shine right down to the ends. I think color may have something to do with it too. Think of paint on a car...white can be shiny and so can the in between colors that aren't as light, but the darker the color, the more of a mirror effect it has. That's why Dweam's hair is so shiny IMO

and I'd like to add how happy I am that you have such a love for your wife and her hair

February 24th, 2003, 06:10 PM

Honey adds shine as does Rosemary EO.

Feye · February 25th, 2003, 12:33 AM

I only get that shine if I've worn my hair up in some way, or had it roller set. Then all the hairs lie smooth and sleek. But that's because my hair type is naturally frizzy, which takes away shine that is really there.

The only other thing I can think of is healthy hair that reflects light, and good nutrition. Sorry, that's all I can think of

Feye · February 25th, 2003, 12:34 AM

I addition, I tend to go for health instead of shine, because shine is quite hard to achieve on an everyday basis.
But it would be lovely to have sleek, shiny hair every day!

KT · February 25th, 2003, 12:55 AM

It very much depends on the hair type, so could you tell us a bit more?

General advice would be finishing with a cold and acidic rinse (which you are already doing with the GM system), using a leave in (oil or silicone-based) that coats the hair and adds shine, using a conditioner that fills in damaged gaps in the cuticle (the protein of the 1 hour treatment does this), brushing the hair smooth, drying the hair in a smoothing style (roller setting like at the GM salon is ideal, but for daily shine a damp bun or hair wrapping is more practical and takes minutes to set up) and (over the long term) having a good diet with lots of vitamins, minerals and EFAs.

BUT everyone is different. For people like me, achieving that shine is a matter of smoothing down my hair with my hands - straight, fine, dark hair shines with no effort, even when my hair is split, damaged and abused (no more thank goodness!). For someone with pale, coarse, curly hair, that kind of shine is only achievable with a lot of (potentially damaging) work - silicone serums, blowing drying, roller setting or similar - even if it is stunningly healthy. If you give us as accuarte description of your wife's hair, then someone with a similar hair type will be able to offer you more help, but it is worth remembering that high shine isn't everything - focus on the health of the hair instead.

Nitsa · February 25th, 2003, 04:58 AM

People always ask what I do to make my hair so shiny.
I agree with a lot of what was said. Over all diet is very important.
Also because I have wavy hair that tends to frizz I get a better shine after my hair has been in a bun.
Also oils. A light coating of jojoba works great.

Mamacat · February 25th, 2003, 06:07 AM

I agree with what everyone has said so far. I don't know if it is compatible with the GM system but I did a neutral henna a couple of weeks ago and I believe that really helped with the shine. Also a very cold (BRRR!) final rinse helps me out along with a tiny bit of oil everyday. If I want to revive the shine during the day (on the rare days my hair is completely down all day) a couple of strokes with a BBB works. I also agree that with certain colors it is easier to achieve a really good shine. I'm wondering, does anyone know if the tone (ash or golden) plays a part in the shine?

HTH

AmandaPanda · February 25th, 2003, 06:14 AM

I agree with the cold water rinse. I don't know if anyone has mentioned the honey diluted in warm water....

DweamGoiL · February 25th, 2003, 06:55 AM

so sorry to hear your wife is no longer as content with the results of her treatment. Ok...my trade secrets:

1) I do not use GM products, but I use reconstructors as conditioners on a regular basis (this is mostly bcs my hair tends to be a bit dry otherwise).

2) Wet bunning has helped tremendously with the condition of my hair.

3) I wash my hair 2X/week.

4) I brush every night religiously with a BBB.

5) Faithfully take my vitamins and drink lots of liquids.

6) I keep my hair up the majority of the time since it's getting too long to wear down to the office.

7) I use monoi on wet hair (after every wash) + jojoba on dry (although this is not very often - 1X/every other week).

I use aloe gel as a mild styler when I need hold.

I have my routine outlined on my site if you want to look over it as far as products and stuff.

That's about it...it's nothing really special...just over time. In all fairness tho, please tell your wife that was my 2nd GM treatment in a year (I think the hair's condition does improve the more GM treatments are applied). Also, the hair never loox as good irl as in a picture. I think the glass/flash gives up an x-tra shine boost.

smythe_michael · February 25th, 2003, 10:12 AM

Thanks for the advice.

Definitely have some things to try....

her nutrition is good....that shouldn't be an issue.

damp bunning, we will be trying this out, since so many have stated good results.

A few asked to better describe her hair:

I am not familiar with this system used....2aCii...that is all greek to me...is there a link where you can figure that out?

If I had to describe it.... It is brown....on the lighter side of brown...but definitely brown. It is not fine....but definitely not thick or coarse either.
It does have a slight natural wave to it. The GM stylist did tell her the individual strands were on the thinner side. But I wouldn't describe her hair as fine or thin. And her hair has been prone to frizz, flyaways at the ends...particularly at the longer lengths. It doesn't flow as one, like some of the pictures I see on here.

RedButterfly · February 25th, 2003, 10:30 AM

I use Thermasilk's Light Conditioning Mist leave-in conditioner before I roller set my hair. I use a small amount of Clairol Herbal Essences Styling Gel when I roll my hair. The gel is very helpful in getting the shiny, full of body GM look when I roller set my hair. My hair likes cone products. Between washing, I moisturize my hair with either jojoba oil or olive oil. When my hair needs intensive deep moisture, the olive oil works very well.

DweamGoiL · February 25th, 2003, 10:31 AM

I think she will be happy with the damp bunning. With my hair, if I don't damp bun it and just let it dry au naturelle, it becomes a frizzy mess with very dry ends. For me, the damp bunning is a good way to not only get rid of the frizz, but retain the moisture in the ends where it is needed.

Although my hair is fine, (and lemme tell you, no one was more surprised than me to find that out - I always thought I had coarse hair) I have a lot of hair. Once I wash, I need to turbie it for a few minutes, I later untangle and smooth on some of my trusty Monoi. I then roll it into a bun and let it sit that way for an hour or two. I then undo the bun to get some air in there (if not, it would never dry), let it breathe for a few (15 mins. or so) and then redo the bun (usually at the very top of my head for some lift and this style is pretty comfortable for sleeping as well).

Good luck and let us know how it turns out