Clear glaze, gloss, or cellophane?

[makinalist]

I am curious to know if anyone has used these products that promise increased shine without added color?  There are versions to use at home (John Frieda, Sebastian) and also salon treatments.  I am interested in something to brighten my silver hair and maybe give it more body.

I would love to hear your experiences, good or bad, and the results you had.  My hair is fine, straight, and thin, although nearly all gray.  It has gotten drier lately, but not coarse or wiry at all.  I am experimenting with shampooing less often right now.

I await enlightenment!

[cara4art]

I've seen these sorts of products around, but I'm afraid I'm of no help here! My hair is thick, mixed-texture wavy-curly, colored, and has good shine WITHOUT using yet another product. I just do co-wash, with an occasional shampoo, rotate my conditioners(regular, deep moisture treatment, protein)and use cheapo gel.

[milla]

I have never seen these products on sale here, but I have read about them in websites. I am curious about them but I don't know where I can get them. Perhaps in an hairdressers' supplies shop.
A while ago I bought a conditioner for grey, white or platinum blonde hair. It is called Touch of Silver by Pro:voke and it is meant to nourish your hair while giving it radiance.
The ingredients' list is far too long, but appart from the usual, it has  sunflowerseed extract, wheat amino acids, citric acid, magnesium nitrate and acid violet 43. It is an OK conditioner, can't say anymore than that. I haven't noticed anything special about my hair after using it.
I don't know if I can be asked to buy  specific products for grey hair. As for volume and shine,yes; and  if you're looking for a 'mature' hair line, I would recommend Kerastase. I use the shampoo and I love it. It is expensive but you only need a little bit at a time, so it lasts. I will buy the hair masque, which is quite pricey, but at the moment I am finishing a couple of bottles of conditioner first.
When I had long dark brown hair (long time ago) I used to rinse it in lukewarm water with acouple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar;but has my hair now needs more moisture I am reluctant to use vinegar.I might try it just once to see if it adds more shine.

[makinalist]

Here in the US we have John Frieda Clear Shine Luminous Glaze - around $10 at drugstores.  Also, Sebastian Laminates Cellophane in Shine Clear - $33.  Clairol Professional Radiance Colorgloss in Clear - only $6 at Sally Beauty Supply.  There are also salon treatments available - Paul Mitchell PM Shine has a Clear option - but I don't know how much this would cost.

I just think that these products sound like a good option for natural gray hair that wants to be dazzling silver!

[Mim]

I had one of those clear glaze things done on my hair - cost a lot and didn't do anything.  The best things I have found for my hair are jojoba oil (a drop or two in hands, rubbed together, and then rubbed into hair) and a blue shampoo used occasionally. 
Hairsprays with alcohol cause my hair to look yellow and dull  and dry although I do need hairspray to keep it from being flat.  Alcohol free hairspray is what I am in search of now.  Anyone have any suggstions?

[SusanG]

I haven't used either of these, but Honeybee Gardens and Suncoat both make an alcohol-free hairspray. You could probably find them at Whole Foods or something similar.

[Mim]

Thanks - I'll look for them.

[marci65]

Sorry that I snoozed through this topic all this time.  I am a big fan of Robert Craig Clear.  Have been using it for years.  I love it!
As far as I know, it can only be purchased online through the RC website ( http://robertcraig.com/store/product48.html )  $12 per box.  I don't know if that's a good or bad price, but for what it does for me (low hassle, no odor, and it works), dangit I am worth it!     I usually buy 4-6 boxes at a time to save on shipping.   

I always promise myself that I am going to use it every 8 weeks or so, but then I blow it off -- and it's sooooo easy to use.  Gentle on my dry, breakage-prone, curly hair.  My hair looks and feels smoother, and definitely has a deeper shine when I am finished. 

[makinalist]

Thanks for letting me know about the Robert Craig.  So, is the box a one-time use size?  And you would only need to do this every 8 weeks?  That doesn't sound bad at all!

[marci65]

Yes, each box is one-time use.  One box is fine for my shoulder length curly hair.  However, my hair is thirsty for anything I put on it, so I found that I need almost 2 boxes to fully saturate it.  I do waste some, but I'm much happier with the results I get by drenching it with 2 bottles of the mixed solution and having some left over, than having areas that I felt didn't get  covered enough. 

I think the box says to redo every 6-8 weeks, but it would depend on how often we wash/wet our hair I would think.  I don't really get to a point where I say "it's all out now"; it's a gradual reduction in the deeper shine.  Over the years, I think I have done treatments about 3 times per year on average, rarely 4.  That's mostly because I keep putting it off or don't think I need it as often.  I even track it in my calendar to keep me honest, but it doesn't matter.   

The website is really good for giving instructions on what to do, what to expect.  I think it even has a PDF of the instructions included in the box.  Also, I think there's an "Ask Karin" link on their sidebar, and she is supposed to be awesome with answering questions (as told by ladies who use the color products and needed help with shades and/or mixing colors).   I did do a strand test orginally, as recommended.  I think I started out leaving it on for either 15 or 30 minutes (whatever the instructions originally said for salt/pepper/graying hair).  I now leave the mixture on for 45 minutes under a processing cap and get the best results.  The instructions definitely don't say to keep it on that long, so YMMV.  I got to that point because 30 minutes didn't seem to have the gloss penetrate as well.  Also, I read online from other users that they did 45 minutes sometimes and got better results. 

[Styyna]

What a great, user-friendly site! Chock full of information and presented in a way that is easy to follow. I think I have to try Clear.

[marci65]

Post back if you do try it and what you think!  I hope you like it as much as I do.  My hair feels great since doing my last treatment a few days ago.  Is $12 a reasonable price, do you think?  I never notice prices in the stores since I know RC Clear isn't available there and I won't try other brands anyway.  That said, I did swap for a clear glaze a few years back (made by Clairol?  It had the word Happy in it, IIRC) and it did zero for my hair. 

[Styyna]

I have no idea about the price. I've never applied anything like this to my hair. For the length of time it lasts, even following their directions, it seems reasonable to me. $6/month if used every 8 weeks doesn't seem expensive. And if it lasts longer then the cost per month is even less. (Of course I'm not factoring in shipping here.)

I just requested their brochure and color chart. Since I need to watch finances for the next month the information will be good to have and I won't forget that I want to try this. So I'll report back in about a month or 6 weeks when I try it.

[makinalist]

I agree - it sounds quite reasonable for a product that does what you want it to.  The fact that you would not consider trying anything else speaks volumes to me!

I'm using John Frieda's Clear Shine right now, but I'm not getting the results that you describe.

I think the Clairol product is Natural Instincts Shine Happy Clear Shine Treatment.  I will bypass that one, thanks to your report.

[marci65]

I've been curious about the John Frieda Clear Shine, especially since it wouldn't involve mail order for me to get it.  I may try to pick that one up if my memory and product availability happen to coincide when I am in the store.  LOL  In the meantime, marking my calendar for mid-end of Feb for my next RC Clear treatment.