How Can I Make My Locks Gleam? Part I

How do you make your hair shinier?
—Xena, Mentor, Ohio

I suspect you’ve recently faced down one of the unholy trinity of hair evils: heat, chemical treatments or environment. (That last one means the sun, sea or—dear heaven forbid—chlorine. Let's pray your hair isn't blonde, in that case.)

Each hair type has its own cocktail for perfect shine. In this entry, I'll discuss fine hair. In my next entry, we'll tackle African-American, curly or thicker hair.

In any case, start with a gentle shampoo. Most dull heads, upon close inspection, reveal hair cuticles that have been blown wide open by one of the unholy trinity. The goal: to shut those cuticles up again.

According to Tony Promiscuo of the Godiva Salon, a more acidic shampoo with a low pH can often help close the cuticle, restoring some shine. The ideal pH level: 4.5 to 5.5. Most of the shine-enhancing shampoo lines out there—Dream Hair by Charles Worthington, Sunsilk's Thermashine, Pantene's Always Smooth or Aussie's Sun-Touched Shine—ring in at about five-ish. Our tests showed they all impart a decent, if not blazing, glow.

However, the occasional encounter with jojoba oil or lemon juice might kick up the luster on your baby-fine tresses even more.

Here's a tip from Philip Pelusi of New York's Tela salon: After shampooing, while hair is still wet, mist on a blend of freshly squeezed lemon, orange and grapefruit juices and a teaspoon of honey. Leave on for a few minutes, then rinse and go.

Or how about something a little stronger? Pelusi also recommends dumping a can of beer on one's head, insisting that the yeast strengthens the tresses. Rinse—or chug—and watch the magic return to your locks.

As for what you actually drink, you might want to be more discerning. "Remember, what goes in your body comes out of your body," says Takisha Sturdivant, a Pantene expert and owner of the Takisha and Associates Studio in Brooklyn. "If you're not drinking water and eating lots of green vegetables, it’ll show."

Don't forget to come back Monday, when we tackle thicker hair types and evaluate some of the best shine-boosting styling products on the market.

Got a burning question for the StyleSpy? Click here to submit it, then come back to mystyle every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to see if she answers you!