Our Top Tips For Tackling Dull Hair

If you're struggling with dull, dry hair, you might be finding it a challenge to increase shine. Lacklustre locks can feel really frustrating; especially if you've got your haircare routine right otherwise, with a well-balanced scalp and soft tresses!

We have some easy tips below as to how to increase shine in your hair.

1) Choose a natural way to rinse your hair.

Use an organic cider vinegar rinse, as a post wash clarifier. Apple cider vinegar is a very gentle, naturally clarifying vinegar that helps to balance your hair; doing a quick rinse after shampooing can help add shine.

If you’re not a fan of using vinegar (the smell isn’t to everyone’s taste!) It’s known that a cold water rinse after washing your hair closes the cuticle, making each hair's surface smoother, so your style is shinier.

2) Choose a natural hair dye.

Chemical dyes are notorious for being bad for your hair; toxic chemicals in dye not only play havoc with your scalp, but they can cause breakage, thinning, and dry out your hair.

Henna based colours are fabulous for aiding shine and strength in your hair.

The It’s Pure range of colours is only made of natural plant ingredients, which help to thicken and strengthen hair, too; leaving hair healthier.

Cassia and Henna are a key ingredient in all our dyes, and these help to close the outer cuticle of the hair, which means your locks better retain moisture, giving them a much smoother, shinier appearance.

3) Add in a good oil treatment

Dull hair is usually hair that is dry and lacking in moisture - and is in need of some good TLC! Often we think of using much richer shampoos and cream based conditioners when it comes to locking in moisture in our hair, but these don’t always work best for increasing or aiding shine in dull hair.

Our Macadamia and Argan oil treatment works well as a great addition to your hair care routine. Oils work when increasing shine in the hair as they provide hydration in the hair. Oils work to penetrate the entire hair shaft, leaving hair feeling much smoother and softer.

We’d recommend trying a bi-weekly oil treatment; some people find that lightly warming (ever so slightly!) the oil helps it to take better in the hair, though this is personal preference. You can also add a couple of drops of essential oil for a gentle aroma; ylang ylang is the best for this as it is renowned for its hair care properties.

4) Use natural hair cleansers

Of course you might find you have dull hair for different reasons; if you’re struggling with low porosity hair, which is quite limp or oily, it can also be quite dull! 

One reason for this could be down to environmental pollutants, which bond to your hair shaft, and are notorious for leaving hair looking lacklustre. You might also find if you struggle with a very oily scalp, or oily hair, that using normal everyday “oily hair” shampoos not only leaves your hair in a vicious cycle, but by stripping all your natural oils in each wash, leaves it looking dull.

You might find swapping to a good no poo cleanser, like Reetha, would work much better for you. Reetha is a great clarifying no poo, and helps to gently cleanse your hair without removing your natural oils. If you’re currently using particularly strong shampoos, like Timotei or Head & Shoulders, you will likely find this a bit of a transition; but after a week or two you will notice a huge benefit to your hair, and your scalp!

You could also throw in an organic clarifying treatment every other week. If you’re often out and about, having used multiple styling products in the past, or just really struggle with oily hair, using It’s Pure’s Clarifying Treatment will gently clarify your hair, removing any pollutants or silicones bonded to the hair shaft. 

5) Try a Henna (or Cassia!) Gloss

For a very easy, one off, shine-increasing mask, a Henna or Cassia DIY Gloss will add moisture and shine easily. Gloss recipes are well-known for being especially beneficial for curly and kinky hair types; as Henna used on its own can sometimes be drying on high porosity hair, mixed into a gloss you get the benefits of the shine as well as the benefit of a conditioning mask.

A henna gloss will really only give a red shade, so if you’re hoping for a non-colour based hair mask, substitute henna for Cassia instead; it works equally well.

You can read our whole recipe and guide here.

You can see all our hair colour tips and tricks, here >>>

To ask us anything about dying, from how to, queries on ingredients, or which colour to try, contact our experts here >>>