Hands up if you want your hair to look incredible. Ah yes, that’s everyone. ‘Great hair’ is a pretty universal goal, after all. It’s important, okay? You might wash away your makeup and take off your outfit at the end of the day, but your hair’s always playing a role in how you feel. And when your hair looks stellar, you feel just as good.

So how do you get it to look stellar, like, all the time? We’ve got an idea. We’re breaking down the BEAUTYcrew-approved hair hack that’ll instantly make your hair look more expensive (but don’t worry, it’s not actually expensive at all)…

The goal: enhancing hair’s shine

One thing stands out above all else in the case of healthy, expensive-looking hair, and it’s shine. Nothing makes a head of hair look healthier than a gleaming, glossy finish, where you can literally see the light reflected in it. Every colour looks richer, every cut looks cooler, and every style looks chicer.

But here’s a hard truth: the light just isn’t going to be able to bounce off your hair until it’s silky smooth. We’re sorry, but it’s true. Hope isn’t lost, though - you just need to know what to do to get smoothness, softness, and shine back on your hair’s ‘attribute’ list. Now, for that hack we’ve been hyping up…

The hack: at-home hair lamination

All hail at-home hair lamination. Yep, it’s officially a treatment you can test out from your own shower - with the right products on your side, of course. For a legitimately luminous lamination, you’ll need products designed to not only ‘glaze’ the hair, leaving it silky smooth and super shiny, but also ones that know how to lock in those benefits beyond just one wash.

The L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss range is just what your lacklustre hair is after; your future self might want to start penning its letter of gratitude now, because these products are about to take your hair’s gloss levels up several notches. The entire range is formulated with glycolic acid, an ingredient you’re probably well acquainted with in your skin care routine, but PSA: it has major hair benefits too. Glycolic acid actually works to laminate the hair cuticles, sealing locks with the lustrous, lasting glaze you’ve been looking for.

It all starts with the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Shampoo ($9.49 at Chemist Warehouse), which you’ll want to lather up with for a good clean before hitting hair with the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Conditioner ($9.49 at Chemist Warehouse) to get things feeling silky again.

Next up is the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss 5 Minute Lamination Rinse-Off ($14.99 at Chemist Warehouse), AKA the hero of this whole operation. Apply generously from roots to tips, then give it a full five minutes to sink in. Don’t fret that it’ll smell all chemical-y like the in-salon glossing treatments tend to; the entire range is scented with jasmine, grapefruit and cedarwood, so your senses will be thriving as much as your strands. And when we say they’ll be thriving, we’re serious: the 5 Minute Lamination Rinse-Off works to seal hair with a super shiny glaze that’ll stick with you for 10 shampoos*. See, we told you we’d help you find something that locked in the glassy look for longer!

Once you’ve slightly dried your hair, apply a few pumps of the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss Leave-In Serum ($14.99 at Chemist Warehouse) while it’s still damp. It’ll be a big help every time you style (or want to add extra shine), but it’s important to follow your wash with it for best (AKA glossiest) results.

After you’ve dried and styled, you’ll be amazed how glassy and glossy your hair looks - glycolic acid’s laminating abilities are just that powerful.

The outcome: expensive-looking hair for less

There’s a good reason professionals finish every colour appointment with a gloss treatment - it simply makes everything look and feel softer, smoother, and way shinier. But instead of it costing the earth and only lasting until your first post-salon wash, an at-home lamination lets you reap all the same benefits without the time/money spent on said salon visit.

It also grants you the ability to store the magic bottles right on your shower shelf for a top up as soon as shine levels drop below ‘gleaming’). The L’Oréal Paris Elvive Glycolic Gloss range will be ready to repeat the process whenever you are.

*Instrumental test after application of shampoo+ conditioner+ lamination treatment


Main image credits: Getty Images/BEAUTYcrew

Want more 'High Gloss' features like this? Read the rest of our digital issue.