Get your Shine on! My routine for enchancing shine.

My hair goal is to have healthy, shiny, even-length, mid-back hair. I work on the healthy part every-time I deep condition, rollerset, and moisturize my hair. But what about the shiny part?

One of my coworkers has gorgeous hair. Mind you she does not have type 4 hair, her hair is more of a type 2 (she's West Indian). Being the hair crazed person that I am, I grabbed one of her shed hairs from her seat one day and studied her hair closely. Two things jumped at me right away, shine and elasticity. That one strand of hair shined brightly under the fluorescent lights, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought to myself, "If I could replicate even some of that shine, image how healthy my hair would look."

To be completely honest, I have not intentionally focused on achieving increased shine before then. Shame on me for not doing so because shiny hair is one indication of healthy hair. Shiny hair happens when the cuticle layer of the hair is sealed. Up close, the cuticle layer looks like shingles of a roof. Imagine the damage that can occur when the cuticle layer is raised, exposing the more delicate layers of your hair. I want my hair to shine from across the room. So tonight when I wash, I am going to incorporate all the shiny hair tips that I can remember.

Here's what I plan on doing:
1. Pre-poo for 45 minutes using Alma oil.

2. Wash the length of my hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup. Buildup is a culprit in robbing your hair of its shine. I'll probably also use my Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo.

3. Use a honey and oil blend to condition the hair. (I've seen recommendations for using olive oil online, but I am thinking about using coconut or avocado oil instead)

4. Use Hennalucent neutral to further enhance my shine. I remember using it years ago and mixing with oil. I think I'll include oil this time as well.

5. Conduct a final rinse with an acidic liquid, namely apple-cider vinegar or lemon juice. This will quickly seal the cuticle layer of the hair.

6. Use the coldest water setting to further seal the cuticle layers.

7. Rollerset and dry under a cool setting.

8. Use cool blast function on my blow dryer just before I remove my rollers.

If this works as well as I hope, this will officially become my shine-enhancing  routine. I probably won't do it every wash, but I definitely will keep it in the rotation.

If you have any shine enhancing tips you'd like to share, leave a comment.