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31.03.2026
What is Gloss Hair and Is It the Right Treatment for Your Client?
By Zara Kenyon
What client doesn't want shiny hair? No matter what hair colour they're working, a dose of gloss is always welcome, giving lengths a rich, healthy-looking sheen. So, it's kind of surprising that hair gloss treatments are largely underrated. After all, nothing makes strands shimmer like this radiance-boosting, shade-enhancing service.
That's why we're calling this the year of hair glossing. Not only is it one of the easiest revenue-boosting upsells, but hair glosses are also bursting with benefits that guarantee happy, loyal customers. The key is showing your client exactly why a hair gloss is more than just a nice extra – then delivering a treatment so luminous, they'll wonder why they didn't try it sooner.
So, let's take a look at Wella Professionals' SHINEFINITY Gloss, a hair treatment so dazzling, it belongs on every salon menu...
What Does a Gloss Treatment Do for Your Client's Hair?
Glossing treatments combine a sheer shot of colour with cuticle-smoothing power, giving your client a shiny ‘top coat’ that revives their dream shade while reflecting the light for added glow. You can use it to tone a pre-lightened base, give untouched natural strands a subtle enhancement or refresh the vibrancy of colour-treated hair, all without committing your client to a full colour transformation.
Make it a part of their regular salon schedule, in place of more intensive colour services, or promote it as an in-between touch-up treatment to ensure their shade always looks salon-fresh.
What are the Benefits of a Gloss Hair Treatment?
Every gloss treatment has its own unique benefits. We recommend a SHINEFINITY Gloss to maximize your client's results with these game-changing advantages...
- Quick color refresh: The service develops in just 5-20 minutes – perfect for a lunch break color boost.
- Leaves hair up to 3x shinier¹: The translucent veil of color lends a healthy-looking, mirror-like sheen.
- Zero damage and zero lift: Clients enjoy a boost of color without compromising on condition.
- Color corrects: By custom-blending the right tones, you can cool down brassiness or reverse dullness without dramatically altering your client's hair color.
- Can also be applied clear: When client wants glossing without the color, you can add effortless shine with a clear SHINEFINITY gloss.
How to Give Your Client a SHINEFINITY Hair Gloss Treatment
Ready to add a SHINEFINITY Glossing Service to your color menu? Here are the steps you'll need to follow to carry out this shine-boosting, tone-enhancing treatment...
Step 1: Choose Your Client’s Shade
Start by selecting the perfect shades for your clients. The full palette of cool, warm, neutral and ‘booster’ hues lets you intermix for a truly bespoke formula.
Step 2: Mix with the Activator
Mix your client’s color blend at a 1:1 ratio with the SHINEFINITY Activator.
Choose the Brush & Bowl Activator for: high precision coloring, ideal for color melts, highlights and balayage.
Choose the Bottle Activator for: speed and ease. It’s perfect for applications carried out at the basin.
Step 3: Apply the Gloss Treatment
Apply your client’s SHINEFINITY Gloss where desired. For softer results, work with clean, towel-dried hair, or for a slightly more intense finish (that’s still beautifully translucent), apply directly to dry hair.
Step 4: Wait for the Gloss to Develop
Set your client’s development time based on the type of gloss treatment and results they want.
Wait 5 minutes: for a Flash Gloss, recommended for previously lightened hair.
Wait 10 minutes: for a Speed Gloss, mixed with the Bottle Activator and applied at the basin to towel-dried hair.
Wait 20 minutes: for a more noticeable veil of color, applied with the Brush & Bowl Activator to dry or towel-dried hair.
Step 5: Rinse and Reveal
Rinse the gloss out thoroughly, then dry and style your client's hair as desired. The result is a soft, glossy mane with enhanced tone and a healthy-looking, light-catching shine.
How to Maintain a SHINEFINITY Hair Gloss Treatment
1. Wash with a Color-Safe Shampoo
ULTIMATE COLOR Shampoo is perfect, as it's specially formulated to gently cleanse away dulling impurities, including shade-distorting metals and pollutant particles. Remind your client to massage it into the roots of their hair, then instead of rubbing the lengths, let the lather run through while rinsing for a milder wash.
2. Use a Leave-In Hair Mask
Every time hair is exposed to water, your client's color is at risk of fading, so Wella Professionals developed a deep treatment that reduces rinsing steps. ULTIMATE COLOR Miracle Leave-In Mask is designed to be smoothed through clean, towel-dried hair and – as the name suggests – left in to work its magic. The nourishing blend of Glycine and B5 guarantees color vibrancy for up to 10 weeks* and up to 4x less breakage**.
3. Keep the Glow Going
A shine spray is a game-changer for clients who crave a glossy finish. It hits their biggest hair goal by veiling their already-glossed hair in added radiance. ULTIMATE COLOR Shine Spray is their new side-kick, brimming with Olivate and B5 in a weightless, smoothing mist. All they need to do is spritz it over dry, styled hair, and it will leave strands up to 4x smoother*.
Can Your Client Gloss Their Hair at Home?
You don't need us to tell you that nothing beats the results of a salon service. The shiniest, healthiest-looking, most tone-perfect hair glosses are achieved in the hands of a professional. But if your client wants gloss-like results at home, the Color Fresh Mask belongs in their kit. It's a colour-depositing mask that refreshes and revives their salon shade in 10 minutes.
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
Shades range from reds to blondes to brunettes and even rainbow brights, so every client is bound to find a Color Fresh Mask that works with their colour. Whether they're cooling down a brassy blonde with Lilac Frost or experimenting with pastels using Mint or Rose Blaze, a tube of this tinted treatment will help them maintain their hue from the comfort of their home.
All they have to do is:
1. Wash hair as usual. ULTIMATE COLOR Shampoo is their go-to if shade maintenance is on the agenda, as it balances mild yet effective cleansing that respects coloured strands.
2. Squeeze out excess water. Hair should be damp – not wet – in order to absorb the Color Fresh Mask. They may even want to blot away moisture with a microfiber towel, so the pigment isn't diluted.
3. Apply their chosen Color Fresh Mask. For the most even results, remind them to use a wide-tooth comb to distribute the product from roots to ends.
4. Wait for 10 minutes. This is how long it takes for the mask to develop. Once the time is up, hair is ready to be rinsed. Hair colour will appear instantly richer and more vibrant.
Now you've got the full lowdown on gloss hair treatments, make sure your salon shelves are stocked. Order your SHINEFINITY shades and activators for the ultimate hair glossing kit.
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¹ Vs. pre-damaged hair in an instrumental test.
² With regular use of ULTIMATE COLOR regimen from salon to home.
³ Vs. non-conditioning shampoo.