Hair Glaze Vs. Hair Gloss: What’s the Difference?

Shiny and lustrous hair is everyone’s dream. While some people are born with them, others have to make efforts to achieve the same result. Luckily, there are many products and treatments in the beauty and cosmetic industry that help to bring back the shine and health of hair (1).

Hair gloss and hair glaze are the hair treatments that bring glossiness and shine to dull and dry hair by adding a lipid film (2).

While similar names and almost similar results confuse people about these two, there are some major features that distinguish them. Let’s get a deeper insight into these hair treatments and find out hair gloss vs. hair glaze.

Difference Between Hair Gloss and Hair Glaze

What is Hair Gloss?

Hair gloss is a hair treatment that adds gloss and shine to hair. It is done at the salon by a hair expert and the results are semi-permanent. Besides adding shine, this treatment also helps adhering the color to a recently color-treated hair and prevent the dye to fall dull.

Types

The different types of hair glosses-

• Tinted: For boosting hair color while adding gloss
• Clear: To add gloss to normal and color-treated hair

Clear gloss works more like a top coat that we apply over the nail polish to bring shine to it.

Benefits

• Adds shine and gloss
• Make hair vibrant
• Helps with color maintenance

In hair gloss treatment, a hair mask is applied in the hair for a few minutes and rinsed off. While the normal hair gloss treatment only adds shine to the hair, color gloss makes colored hair more vibrant.

What is Hair Glaze?

Hair glaze is the hair treatment usually done on color-treated hair. It adds shine to the hair and makes it frizz-free. People with dry hair often experience flyaways and frizz, and it is when hair treatments like hair glaze can come to the rescue.

Glaze is an ammonia- and peroxide-free color deposit that is applied to wet hair. It is not a permanent hair treatment. The color deposit sits on the top of the hair and brings the shine (3).

Type

Hair glazes are of two different types-

• Tinted: Maintain hair color while adding shine to the hair shafts
• Clear: Can be used for both- normal and color-treated hair to restore shine

Benefits

• Doesn’t contain any harmful chemical
• Smoothens the hair texture
• Tames flyaways
• Reduces frizz
• Prevents tangling of hair cuticles

Hair Gloss Vs. Hair Glaze

Below is the table differentiating between hair gloss and hair glaze under different categories-

Feature	Hair Gloss	Hair Glaze
Purpose	Enhances shine and smoothness of hair	Adds shine and seals in color
Function	Adds a reflective finish to hair	Locks in color and provides shine
Application	Applied after shampooing and before styling	Applied after coloring or in between color treatments
Ingredients	Typically contains silicone and conditioning agents	Contains a blend of oils, silicones, and sometimes colorants
Effects	Provides temporary shine and sleekness	Provides temporary shine and enhances color vibrancy
Duration	Lasts for a few days to a week	Lasts for several weeks to a month
Color Impact	Generally colorless or transparent	Can be tinted to enhance or maintain hair color
Hair Type Suitability	Suitable for all hair types	Suitable for colored or treated hair
Maintenance	Requires periodic reapplication	Requires less frequent reapplication
Usage	Often used for special occasions or to revive dull hair	Used regularly to maintain color and shine

While hair gloss works wonders for shifting colors and neutralizing brassiness, hair glaze is all about adding shine to the hair and making them frizz-free and easy to manage.

Hair gloss also helps in blending the grown-out roots to even the color tone while enhancing the hair shine.

Other than how they work, both hair treatments also differ in their longevity. While hair gloss is a semi-permanent solution, hair glaze is not permanent at all. Since the glaze is free of ammonia and peroxide, the result will not last more than a week. On the other hand, the result of hair gloss may last up to 4 weeks.

Both hair treatments are temporary and fade over time.

Hair Gloss Vs Hair Glaze- Which Is Right for You?

When it comes to choosing one, the intent behind the treatment can help you decide. If you want to add shine to your hair for a few days without touching chemicals, go for a hair glaze. The treatment doesn’t open the cuticles and thus is less risky.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a treatment whose results go a little longer, pick hair gloss. It gives a better finish and more color payoff.

Since both the treatments are less intensive than dye or bleach, both are suitable for maintaining hair health while surfing its shine and gloss.

Conclusion

Hair gloss and hair glaze are the hair treatments that make dull and dry hair glossy and shiny. At the same time, they bring more vibrancy to color-treated hair that often gets dull due to various reasons.

Now that we have cleared the difference between hair gloss and hair glaze, deciding what to choose will become easy. However, if you are still in doubt, contact your hair stylist or color expert to know what will suit your hair more and give better results.

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