Susannah Murdock | April 13, 2017
Playing With Gloss (the Possibilities Are Endless)
Adobe Stock
Mixing up your look can add a pep to your step and a flick to your hair toss, and gloss is the perfect way to flirt with change without making a long-term commitment. You can break up with it after 6-8 shampoos…or fall madly in love with its amazing effects.
We asked our professional colorists for their favorite gloss recipes, tips, and tricks to give strands extra oomph, but hit up our Color Reviving Gloss shade finder to discover even more options for customizing your hue.
For those who want a soft and subtle entry into tone shifting:
Use ¾ of a Color Reviving Gloss that is close to your base color—like Prosecco for blondes or Miele for brunettes—and ¼ of golden-auburn Canella or coppery-red Barolo to drive your tone change. If you love the results and want to intensify the look, just reduce the ratio to half and half, or take the base color lookalike gloss out of the equation for full vibrancy.
For those who want to dive right in, these gorgeous gloss combinations won’t let you down:
For a beautiful wash of rose gold, mix ¾ parts Prosecco to ¼ part Barolo to blondes to light brunettes.
For a kiss of cinnamon-amber spice, mix equals parts Miele and Canella to dark blonde to medium brown hair.
For a wave of deep crimson, mix equal parts Espresso and Barolo to medium to dark brown hair.
For a rush of red velvet, mix equal parts Amaretto and Miele to light to medium brown hair.
For those with highlights or an ombré:
If you’re rocking roots or have a stylized grown-out look, maintain that dark to light gradation by altering its tone with a sheer wash of pigment. For redheads, try Amaretto around the crown and apply Canella mid-lengths through ends for a smoldering copper. For blondes, apply Miele to the top portion of hair with Prosecco mid-lengths to ends for a sun-kissed golden beige effect.
For those who can’t decide:
Choose a gloss that’s extra forgiving and super flexible. Miele is typically used on brunettes to add golden honey goodness, but it can also be used to darken and enrich highlighted hair for those looking to flaunt a more natural look. Barolo normally heats up brunettes with coppery red warmth, but when diluted with Prosecco (¼ Barolo to ¾ Prosecco), it can also turns blondes a beautiful strawberry blonde. Amaretto plays up the golden-mahogany tones in light-medium brunettes, yet tones down red base colors that may be too bright or coppery.
A little change goes a long way, so gloss it up, have fun, and don’t forget to show it off.