We all know that we want healthy, shiny hair- and if we were ever going to forget, there are plenty of hair care product commercials to remind us.  So it can be pretty annoying when you think you’re doing all the right things, and you still can’t get that perfect shine.  Well here, from Allure.com are 6 shine saboteurs that might be preventing your shine, and ways to combat them.

The trouble can begin at the source, in the shower.  Sediment and minerals from your shower head and the pipes of your shower are common shine destroyers.  The good news is that there is an easy fix.  Twice a week, simply pour 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of water over your hair after shampooing and conditioning.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, then rinse to remove any buildup of minerals.

Conditioner is obviously an important step to getting stunning shine, but did you know that you have to leave it on for at least 2 minutes for it to be able to work?  So if you’ve been guilty of rinsing right away, just hold off and let the conditioner work its magic.

 

If you’ve been guilty of jumping the gun a little and starting your styling while your hair is wet, you’ve been seriously limiting your chance to shine.  When applying hot products to damp hair, you are forcing the water in your hair to bubble and expand which affects the texture of your hair and keeps it from shining.  To avoid this, make sure you blow dry hair once it’s damp, not wet and wait until it is completely dry to flatiron.  You should also use a heat protecting spray whenever you’re applying heat to your hair.  Now with all that being said, you might be tempted to use your heat tools on a lower setting, but since those cooler temperatures don’t always get the job done, you might find yourself going over sections 2 or 3 times, and that is killing your hair.  You’ll have to figure out for yourself which setting is the coolest that will get you the results you want, but here’s a good guideline- 425 degrees will work if you want to straighten coarse, thick hair, but if your hair is finer, keep it to around 300-325 as a starting point.

One of the most counterintuitive shine killing culprits is shine sprays and products themselves.  Too much silicone or argan oil tend to sit on top of your hair instead of penetrating it, and create a moisture proof shield, which will help prevent frizz in the short run, but can dry out your hair over time.  To make sure you avoid the shield, make sure you never use more than a dime sized amount of serum, no matter how thick or long your hair is.  Coconut and almond oils, along with leave-in conditioners can also serve as alternatives to create shine with no shield.

So now that you know anything you might have been doing wrong, it’s time to rock your shine!