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What is a Shine Conditioner?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

Shine conditioner is a hair care product that is intended to create a shiny look in addition to providing the hair with hydration. The shine should be apparent after the hair has been dried and styled. There are a number of ingredients that can be added to conditioner to help increase the level of shine in the hair. Normally, a shine conditioner includes an ingredient that coats each strand of hair in a way that creates shine.

In addition to shine conditioner, there is also shine shampoo. Although the shine conditioner adds certain products to the hair to create shine, shine shampoo usually does the opposite. In order to have nice looking hair that looks shiny but not oily, any products or oil that has built up in the hair has to be removed. This is the purpose of shine shampoo, which works to remove anything that has built up in the hair or on the scalp so that the shine conditioner has a clean surface to work on.

A bottle of shine conditioner.
A bottle of shine conditioner.

Most hair products are sold in lines that include shampoo, conditioner, and a variety of styling products. For people who are serious about getting a certain look, using all of the products in a particular line may be a good way to go. In addition to using shine shampoo and shine conditioner, there are a number of products including gels, sprays, serums, and mousses that can be used to add shine to the hair.

A woman who uses shine conditioner.
A woman who uses shine conditioner.

The types of products that are used will depend on the look that is desired. To control short hair styles, thicker products like gel and balm are used. For longer hair styles, mousses and serums are best. All of these kinds of products, combined with shine shampoo and shine conditioner, can create a very shiny look.

There are a number of hair care companies that sell shine conditioners and related products. The cost of these products varies quite a bit and depends on the ingredients in the products as well as the price point level of the brand. For example, a shine conditioner sold by a budget brand line of hair care products may cost as little as $3 USD (US Dollars) a bottle whereas a shine conditioner sold by a more high-end brand may cost as much as $45 USD. The more expensive products are usually sold in spas, salons, and boutiques that specialize in beauty products.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Discussion Comments

stoneMason

@ZipLine-- I second this. I'm also using an affordable shine conditioner and it's working great.

Unfortunately, the issue with most shine conditioners is that they tend to leave a residue on hair. I suppose this is normal because these types of shampoos create shine by coating hair strands. It's nothing that a good rinse can't resolve but some people do not use shine conditioners for this reason.

turquoise

I have auburn hair with some natural highlights. I like using a shine conditioner because it makes my highlights stand out and my hair looks very healthy.

ZipLine

It's not necessary to pay a lot for a good shine conditioner. I use a very affordable shine conditioner but I have tried expensive ones before. There really isn't much of a difference between the cheaper ones and the expensive ones. In fact, some affordable shine conditioner work better than the expensive conditioners.

The one I use adds shine to hair with argan oil. Argan oil is also nourishing and makes hair very soft and manageable. So this conditioner is definitely a winner.

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    • A bottle of shine conditioner.
      By: Irina Brinza
      A bottle of shine conditioner.
    • A woman who uses shine conditioner.
      By: Ariwasabi
      A woman who uses shine conditioner.
    • Shine conditioners hydrate hair and give it a shiny appearance.
      By: millaf
      Shine conditioners hydrate hair and give it a shiny appearance.