What In The World Is Glass Hair And How Do Mere Mortals Achieve It?

I won’t lie to you, folks. I have long been squarely in the camp of ‘if there is anything on this earth that can wrangle my frizzy, knotted strands into something that could even vaguely be akin to glass, I will eat my laptop’.

So when people wouldn’t stop raving about glass hair, I naturally assumed that (like being taller than a Hobbit or able to understand dog language) it was unachievable for me.

Yet this trend has lasted and people are still flocking to get their locks looking glassy and sleek – so I couldn’t help but be curious if this frizzy little human could manage the look.

Glass hair is, by definition, hair so sleek that you can practically see yourself reflected in it. It’s dead straight, sleek and shiny enough that on a sunny day you’ll encourage others to don protective eyewear.

Achieving it though, is quite the effort – your arms may fall off after the blow-drying. If you’re a low maintenance kinda human, this may put you off – but rest assured, it’s well worth it (and there’s a sneaky shortcut or two, don’t you fret).

It turns out, the most important thing you’ve gotta have on hand is the right collection of tools and a dash of patience. Not something that’s ever come particularly natural to me if I’m being truly honest (look, I do my best but I like things to happen quickly).

Don’t worry, it’s definitely achievable. Don’t get discouraged if you’ve got particularly thick hair, it’s possible to avoid your hair turning your head into a triangle á la Monica Geller.

Preparation

When it comes to glass hair, preparation is VITAL. I cannot emphasise this enough – if your hair isn’t the perfect canvas for weaving the artistry that is glass hair, it’s going to fall flat (and not in a good way).

To get your hair in the right condition to achieve and maintain a glass hair look, it’ll take time. If you tend to use a lot of heat styling products, now is the time to go in with some repairing products so you can nurse it back to health.

Treat yourself to hair masks (like the Schwarzkopf Extra Care Serum in Mask – Repairing) so that you can get your locks looking luscious. It’ll help repair the structure of your hair (thank you keratin!) and get them feeling strong again.

Stage One: Blowdrying

In terms of tools you’re gonna need three very important things: a high quality hair dryer, a straightening iron, and a bunch of hair separators (whether you like bobby pins, ibis clips or just your standard hairband).

1. Start by blow-drying your hair as straight as you can. Granted, if yours is anything like mine you’ll probably encounter an entire nation of flyaway strands, but they’ll be dealt with (not in an ominous way – mostly).

Stage Two: Straightening

2. Next up, separate your newly blown hair into very small sections using your chosen equipment (personally I chuck most of mine up with an ibis clip and concentrate on just a little bit at a time, but you do you).

3. Straighten each section carefully, ensuring that by the end of the job, there aren’t any kinks at all. Once you’ve managed to get around your entire skull this way, it’s time to add shine.

Stage Three: Maintenance

4. Now it’s time to apply some hair oil. Pump a ten cent size piece into your hand and smooth over your hair for a really lustrous finish. It’ll nourish your strands while keeping those frizzy bits in line, and after using so much heat on them it’s very important to keep it healthy.

5. When it comes time to maintain the look, as we said, a lot actually depends on how well you’re taking care of your hair in the first place. Make sure you keep up your routine of using repair masks in between bouts of glass hair styling to maintain strength and shine, especially given how much heat styling is required to achieve the look.

So there you have it, folks. If you want your style to last even longer you can give it a spritz of hairspray for hold – but if you’ve taken care of it properly by using masks and serums, you may not even have to.

It may have taken us a long while, but hey, the journey is important right? Make sure you’ve got a bunch of the Schwarzkopf Extra Care Serum in Mask – Repairing on hand to keep your locks strong and lustrous, and you’ll be sweet.

Victoria Beckham, eat your heart out.

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