The New Year brings with it the irresistible urge to reset. From new routines to new energy, and usually for hair that feels as refreshed as your mindset. After months of heat styling, holiday buildup, and winter dryness, enhancing shine is like creating a clean slate.
If your goal is to start January with your glossiest hair yet, consider this your guide to luminous color, long-lasting vibrancy, and a routine that keeps you glowing well into spring.
Tips to Start 2026 with Shine
Reframe Shine as a Wellness Ritual
Glossy hair has always been about aesthetics, but increasingly, it’s also becoming a form of self-care. Hair dullness often signals stressors: environmental wear, heat styling, or even seasonal shifts that pull moisture from the strand. Approaching shine as a ritual—rather than a quick fix—sets the tone for a year where your hair feels nurtured, intentional, and supported.
A shine-forward routine naturally invites slowness: massaging shampoo through the scalp, smoothing conditioner from mid-lengths to ends, taking one minute to mask and reset. These moments are small, but they build a sense of daily luxury. Think of it as the beauty equivalent of hitting refresh.
Why January Is the Best Time for a Gloss
Winter months are notoriously tricky: indoor heating pulls moisture from the hair, cold air roughens the cuticle, and hats create friction that leads to flyaways. January—right after the holiday chaos—becomes the perfect moment to reestablish balance.
A tonal refresh with Shades EQ helps reset your color after a season that often brings brassiness or fade. Because it’s a gentle, zero-lift formula, it’s also the ideal choice for clients easing into a new year without making a dramatic change. Whether you want to revive blonde brightness, deepen brunettes, or warm up reds, a gloss service bridges that gap between holiday hair and healthy hair.
Start a Shine Reset at the Salon
A salon gloss is one of the quickest ways to restore tone, condition and vibrancy to the hair—and Shades EQ remains the go-to choice for stylists looking to deliver that signature, balanced finish.
Often described as a “topcoat for the hair,” Shades EQ softens harsh tones, enhances dimension, and leaves hair looking polished. With a zero lift formula that’s gentle on the hair It’s the ideal color ritual to kick off the year with less commitment but more natural-looking shine. After refreshing your tone, the next step should be elongating that shine at home.
The Science Behind Shine
If hair isn't reflecting light, it’s usually because the cuticle isn’t lying flat. Think of the strand as a mirror: the smoother it is, the more it gleams. Factors like dryness, hard water, past color, and heat styling create tiny microscopic rough spots that scatter the light instead.
That’s why color glosses and acidic-care systems are so transformative—they don’t just coat the hair, they help rebalance pH and smooth the cuticle so the surface becomes more reflective. It’s the kind of shine that looks expensive because it’s rooted in healthy structure, not sparkle or temporary sheen.
Lifestyle Tweaks That Make Your Hair Shinier (Without Much Effort)
Shiny hair isn’t only about products. A few subtle shifts can amplify your results:
- Switch to a microfiber towel: It reduces friction and helps prevent frizz.
- Lower your water temperature: Hot water can roughen the cuticle; a cooler rinse boosts shine.
- Sleep on a satin pillowcase: Less tugging, less dryness, more smoothness by morning.
- Brush with intention: A gentle, flexible paddle brush distributes natural oils and enhances gloss without breakage.
These habits take seconds but make your shine routine work harder for you.
Your At Home Gloss Routine
Redken Acidic Color Gloss range was designed to keep hair looking salon-fresh long after your appointment. While each product works beautifully on its own, they shine brightest (literally) when used as a system.
Cleanse & Condition for Vibrancy
Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate Free Shampoo & Conditioner
This duo forms the heart of your shine routine. The sulfate-free formula gently cleanses while supporting color vibrancy for up to 32 washes* and leaving hair soft, smooth, and light-reflective. Together, they create the ideal foundation for building long-lasting shimmer. *system of acidic color gloss shampoo & conditioner.
The One-Minute Shine Transformation
Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-In Mask
For days when winter dryness or styling has dulled your glow, this mask delivers high shine and deep hydration in a minute. It combines the radiance of a gloss with the nourishment of a treatment—perfect for weekly use or whenever your hair needs a reset.
What You’ll Love About It:
• 2x more shine*
• 4x more hydration**
• 24HR frizz reduction***
• Color looks instantly fresh & vibrant
• 73% less buildup****
• 13x smoother hair*****
• 80% split ends visibly repaired******
*ACG shampoo + Mask vs. unwashed hair **ACG shampoo + Mask vs. non-conditioning shampoo ***ACG shampoo + Mask + Naked Gloss vs. non-conditioning shampoo ****ACG shampoo + Mask vs. untreated hair *****vs. non-conditioning shampoo ******ACG shampoo + Mask + Naked Gloss vs. untreated hair
Seal the Shine With a Lightweight Finish
Acidic Color Gloss Naked Gloss Lightweight Shine Oil
Use this as the final step on blowouts, air-dried waves, or second-day restyles. This finishing oil is the secret to high-fashion radiance, and this one delivers shine without weight or residue. It smooths, hydrates, and protects—while keeping color vibrant. The best part about this lightweight formula is that it provides up to 130% more shine* to 9x hydration**, 10x stronger hair** and an 80% frizz reduction for up to 72 hours** with a nearly naked feel.
*vs. unwashed hair, **vs. non-conditioning shampoo
Protect Your Shine From Heat Damage
Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment
Even the glossiest hair can lose brilliance when exposed to daily heat styling, which is why this step is a non-negotiable. This leave-in spray guards against up to 450°F while boosting shine and softness. With Invisible Shield Technology, it helps protect haircolor while smoothing the cuticle. Plus with use, you’ll notice hair is 13x smoother* with a 6x hydration boost** for hair that’s also easier to detangle.
*Acidic Gloss Heat Protection Treatment vs non-conditioning shampoo, **Acidic Gloss Heat Protection Treatment vs non-conditioning shampoo
A Gloss Routine That Evolves With You
The goal isn’t to have glossy hair just in January—it’s to maintain it through February cold snaps, spring humidity, and the first touch of summer sun. Think of your shine routine as something that can flex:
- When hair feels dry, reach for a mask.
- When hair feels weighed down, lighten up with a shine oil instead of heavy creams.
- When color looks faded, book a Shades EQ refresh before you hit full-on brassiness.
The beauty of a shine-first mindset is that it’s adaptable. Hair doesn’t have to look perfect every day—but it can look luminous with just a few intentional choices.
