Background: I timed my hair appointments wrong and now I can’t get my hair done until October. I’m in a wedding in October and I want fresh hair but if I get it done now and then in October, it’s too close together and that’s silly. So I’m just riding out my current color until then. Cool. Enter: Kristin Ess Signature Gloss.
My hair tends to get kind of brassy between appointments. I use purple shampoo about once a week but thought I’d step up my game and try an at-home gloss treatment to see how it went.
My bestie asked for before and after photos so I took them and figured I’d add them here too in case you’re curious.
Here’s what it looks like once you mix the developer with the activator. The shade I chose turned into a dark golden color.
It’s called an In-Shower Gloss but I did not stay in the shower while it developed. I just got out and put it up in a clip and did some dishes.
I used the shade Winter Wheat and left it on for the full 20 minutes. I’d tried it once before and washed it out after 10-15 minutes and didn’t think it did much so I thought the full time might do a bit more. I’ll let you see for yourself.
I did not edit the right photo at all and just matched the white balance of the photo on the left to the photo on the right. That’s the only editing that was done.
I took the photos outside and with the changing light of the day, I wanted to make sure the lighting change wasn’t making it look like the gloss did more or less than it did. You can see the wall behind me is nearly the same so this is the best I could do. I think my chin was angled up more on the right so it also looks like my hair grew too lol. These photos were taken about an hour apart.
Overall? Not a drastic improvement. But it isn’t supposed to be! I think my hair in the after photo looks a bit healthier and shinier (aside from the flyaways – the wind picked up). It is ever so slightly less brassy. I think it’s more noticeable on the front pieces around my face that are very light in color.
Do I think it’s worth $14? Maybe, maybe not.
It’s not something I’d say is an absolute game changer but I do like my hair in the after photo better. If you had an event to go to and just wanted your hair to look its best, I’d give it a shot. Don’t be afraid that you’ll do something crazy to the color because it’s really subtle and you won’t. If the color part of things kind of scares you, it also comes in a clear gloss version.
You can check out the shade selection from Target here. Kristin Ess is exclusive to Target in the U.S. and I’ve found this gloss to be frequently sold out in stores. I ordered it online. If you’re a blonde and you were hoping for more toning action, the Kristin Ess Purple Shampoo works really well.
Have you tried this? What did you think? What do you do to maintain your color between salon visits?
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