In need of some tips for straight and shiny hair? You’ve come to the right place! Ever since I was a little girl I have had stick straight hair, no volume no wave, no curl just straight and fine so I need to find ways to work with what I had. I eventually went with an inverted bob style, you can check out my wavy bob tutorial if you’re interested so for this post I want to first say a huge thank you to the lovely Taylor, from Pink Heels Pink Truck for the use of her hair to make this graphic!
As ladies, we are always wanting to keep our hair shiny and sometimes depending on the products you use it can be a difficult task for someone with super straight hair and little volume to find a balance between ‘shiny’ & ‘oily’ so here are ten tips for straight and shiny hair that have helped me!
SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO| You want to find a shampoo that lathers less, I know that sounds a bit crazy but shampoos loaded with moisturizing products can leave your hair with a ton of build up and will make it look more dirty and dull then anything else. Grabbing a clarifying shampoo will help keep your hair shiny. You’ll want to use this once weekly in combination with your other products.
HEAT PROTECTANT| With straight hair, you may be overusing your blow dryer or flat iron in order to keep down the frizz or even a curling iron to add some wave to your hair. You’ll need to be sure that you’re using a heat protectant so you’re not causing unneeded damage to your hair.
DRY SHAMPOO| This will help to keep your hair shiny in between washes, make sure you’re finding one that isn’t going to leave you with a crazy white residue. Dove is my fave!
MOISTURIZING SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER| If you’re looking to cut down on frizz in your straight hair adding a shampoo and conditioner with added moisture will do the trick.
DIVIDE YOUR HAIR| When using your flat iron, to get that super straight look (this will work for curly hair women too) you’ll want to divide and conquer to get the best results. You can use clips or pins to separate your hair and iron in sections.
COLD| Use your blow dryer on cold; This does a few things, cuts down on frizz, doesn’t cause damage with heat, and will help to set any products your using.
MAYO MASK| If this sounds gross, it’s because it is BUT it works fabulously, I promise. Smear the mayo onto dry hair, wrap your hair in a towel or plastic bag and let it sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse with cool water. This will add some bonus shine to your hair.
OILS| Argan, macadamia, moroccan are all oils that will add shine to your hair when used on wet or dry hair. I recommend only applying these to the ends of your hair and staying away from the roots. This will leave you with shiny locks.
GET A TRIM| Get your hair trimmed once every 6 weeks, it promotes growth and shine!
DRINK MORE WATER| This is great for your health and a bonus for shiny hair!
What are your favorite tips for shiny and straight hair?
Angela says
November 4, 2013 at 1:13 pmI didn’t know that about using the sulfate free shampoo. I’ll have to go read the labels on my hair products now.
Chrishelle @ Cheer MamaDrama says
November 4, 2013 at 2:00 pmGreat tips for straight and shiny hair. I will have to share these tips with my daughters. They are always searching the internet for tips on their hair.
Lady Grier says
November 4, 2013 at 2:15 pmMy hair seems to stay dry. I am always looking for new thing to try to get my hair shiny and healthy. Thanks for the tips.
Ashley McLure says
November 4, 2013 at 2:15 pmA lot of these tips may apply to curly hair as well.
Kecia says
November 4, 2013 at 3:26 pmSo many great tips here for straight and shiny hair! I noted a few that I am going to try. My hair is naturally wavy, but it’s hard to manage it so I like to keep it straightened. I think a sulfate-free shampoo would probably help, as well as a heat protectant.
Linette says
November 4, 2013 at 5:20 pmI love these hair tips! I don’t have straight hair, I have crazy curly hair, but many of these same tips apply! I try not to use shampoos with sulfates, or to use too much heat on my hair or I turn into a big frizzball! I use Moroccan or coconut oil on my hair to keep down the frizz and add a little shine.
Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says
November 4, 2013 at 8:22 pmI switched to Dove moisturizing shampoo, which does have sulfates, but people have commented on the softness of my hair. Score!
Taylor @ Pink Heels Pink Truck says
November 4, 2013 at 8:31 pmI use the Neutrogena Anti-Residue Formula once a week to help out my hair. It has nearly zero lather which according to your tips is a good thing. 😉
Rachel says
November 4, 2013 at 8:38 pmSo many of these tips are new to me. I had no idea that using the hair dryer on cold would help with frizz! Does it take longer to dry that way? I have been wanting to try some dry shampoo. Anything that saves me some time in the morning is a must have!
Melissa says
November 4, 2013 at 8:44 pmThese are great tips. I really need to try blow drying my hair on cold.
Stacie Connerty says
November 4, 2013 at 10:24 pmI have tried the mayo before and it really does work. Although, it is pretty hard to stomach the smell. I love dry shampoo as well, that stuff really works. But, you can just use powder or corn starch and it will accomplish the same thing.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
November 4, 2013 at 10:34 pmDo you have a recommendation for a heat protectant?
katherine says
November 5, 2013 at 12:57 amI never knew about setting your hair dryer on cold!
Shell Feis says
November 5, 2013 at 3:23 amI love dry shampoo but haven’t tried Dove, I need to pick some up!
Lisa Thompson says
November 5, 2013 at 5:11 amThese are great tips! I swear by dry shampoo! I love the Suave Professionals Dry shampoo because the smell is fantastic.
Cara says
November 7, 2013 at 1:40 pmThese are great tips! My youngest has straight hair and I find myself at a loss to keep is shiny!
Theresa says
November 2, 2014 at 5:30 pmSince hair grows from the roots, I fail to see how trimming it every 6 weeks promotes growth.
Angela Peters says
November 2, 2014 at 6:16 pmWhile regular trims don’t ultimately “make your hair grow faster” as that’s all left up to genetics and your diet. They do in fact aid in promoting growth. Regular trims will keep the ends of your hair from splitting and looking frayed, in turn giving the appearance of healthier and longer hair. When your ends split and are damaged, they will break and that breakage will then travel up the hair shaft. Trimming regularly, prevents that thereby promoting healthy growth. When your goal is to grow out your hair and have it look healthy, regular trims are absolutely a necessity.
Kate at PrimeHairTools says
November 23, 2014 at 7:50 amAbout the mayo mask, won’t my hair become too oily after that? Actually, the same question applies for using oils as well. I use castor oil mixed with olive oil as a mask, but wash my hair afterwards.
Angela Peters says
November 23, 2014 at 8:07 pmYou would need to wash your hair after using the masks.
T. April 1978 says
February 9, 2015 at 9:23 amAwesome tips, I especially liked the one about using a heat protectant, since I didn’t do this before. Can you recommend me some great heat protectant products?
Angela Peters says
February 9, 2015 at 3:31 pmI love Guardian Angel!