Glass Hair Is Summer’s Glossiest Trend—Here’s How to Get the Look

You know that fresh-from-the-salon shine you get after a glossing treatment? Glass hair is exactly that—shiny, soft lengths with that unmistakable mirror-like sheen. Indeed, shiny, healthy hair has always been ideal, but it seems 2026 is taking glossy lengths to new heights.

Aside from sitting in your colorist’s chair, what’s the secret to achieving glass hair? Celebrity hairstylist and colorist Dimitris Giannetos explained that hair glosses do more than add shine. “They also enhance color, improve softness, and help seal the cuticle for a smooth finish,” Giannetos explained in our best hair glosses guide. Plus, fellow celebrity hair colorist Saint Latimer added that glosses can “revive old color-treated hair or bring out the natural glow to virgin hair.”

The secret isn’t styling, but rather the condition of the hair fiber: when the cuticles are compact and well-hydrated, hair appears softer, more manageable, and incredibly shiny. Today, glass hair can enhance any texture, from waves to curls, because the goal isn’t to alter the hair’s shape, but rather to enhance its health and natural shine.

Summer, though, can be a foe of glass hair hopefuls—the combination of sun, salt, chlorine, and humidity all contribute to hair becoming drier and frizzier, a concoction for dull, lackluster lengths. Not to mention the effects of wind and frequent washing. Fortunately, it’s hair glosses to the rescue! These products designed to achieve a glass hair finish help counteract these effects because:

There’s plenty of way to get your gloss on from shine boosting serums to rinse out treatments, sprays, and more—no salon necessary. Scroll on to discover our favorites.

For the hydration of a hair mask without the weight, give rinse out treatments a go. Thanks to smoothing and film-forming ingredients, these formulas help to smooth the cuticle, leaving behind instant shine. The trick is to apply these picks directly onto clean, wet hair, after shampooing. Kérastase’s formula implements centella asiatica and tocopherol for hydration, while Davines’s pick’s star ingredient is rocua oil. Meanwhile, Oribe uses plant-based humectants and the brand’s signature antioxidant blend. And for a budget-friendly pick, L’Oréal Paris offers a coconut-oil-rich formula destined for a hair transformation.

Oils and serums are an easy fix for hydrating dry hair. “Hair oil works by creating a protective layer around your hair shaft, which in turn locks in moisture and nutrients,” Giannetos previously said. “As a result, your hair will feel more moisturized and will have more shine to it.”

JVN’s shine drops are trichologist Bridgette Hill’s pick for the formula’s weightless and non-sticky feel. Meanwhile, pro hairstylist Jazmin Kelly recommended Rōz’s styling oil. “This hair oil is light, smooth, and never greasy,” she said. “It is non-greasy and adds instant shine.” Meanwhile, Gisou’s formula implements the brand’s signature, ethically-sourced honey for hydration, while Cécred’s blend of 13 different types of African oils is perfect for curly and textured styles.

Add it to your routine when hair appears dry, dull, or stressed by the sun, salt, and chlorine. Thanks to emollient and nourishing ingredients—such as plant oils, butters, ceramides, proteins, and amino acids—they penetrate the hair fiber, helping restore hydration, elasticity, and softness.

A major hydration reset, hair masks also offer shine-boosting formulas—and yes, they’re different from conditioners. “Think of conditioners like a body lotion and hair masks like a body butter,” hair stylist Justin Toves-Vincilione previously told Vogue. Unlike conditioners, applied with each hair wash day, masks require less frequency. “Hair masks are intentionally formulated to deliver maximum saturation and aren’t needed or recommended to use more than once a week at the very most.”

Hairstylist Raven Hurtado’s pick is Color Wow’s Money Masque, which imparts maximum shine and boasts a whipped gel-like formula. Meanwhile, Moroccanoil and R+Co offer gloss-boosting treatments in hair mask form, too. And of course, L’Oréal offers an excellent affordable option from the Ever Pure line.

Protecting hair from heat damage is a must for a thoughtful shine-boosting regimen. Pro hairstylist Jennifer Nast’s cited is Color Wow’s Dream Coat in our best frizz-fighting products guide. Plus, no matter how much you drench your hair before blowdrying, this pick never leaves lengths greasy or dull. Meanwhile, Redken’s formula acts as both a leave-in treatment and heat protectant. And for a dry mist formula, IGK’s Disco Disc finishing mist protects against UV damage and frizz.

When we test and review a product, we take a holistic approach to deliver well-rounded product recommendations. First, we lean on Vogue’s vast network of experts—from pro hairstylists to beauty industry veterans—to gain professional acumen on the industry’s standout products, ones these specialists would actually use on their clients. We pair their expertise with our editorial best practices to curate the thoughtful edits you read on our site.

As it relates to glass hair treatments, we selected the best based on the following characteristics: ingredients, texture, finish, and the hair concerns they address. To do this, we paired our own personal tests of each formula with expert guidance and reviewer insights to determine which we would recommend to you.