I dyed my hair red nearly two years ago and never looked back. I’ve experimented a lot with my colour – bleach blonde, dark brown, honey highlights – you name it, I’ve tried it. But strangers never came up to me to tell me how lovely my hair was before, which I’m taking as proof that finding a hair colour that complements you makes all the difference. And this is why I try to keep it in tip-top shape, implicitly trusting the hair gods at Aveda to zhuzh up my colour every few months. 

Even so, I was always too afraid to take matters into my own hands during the interim to add a little vibrancy, fearing that I’d disturb my hair colourist’s hard work. That was until Glaze’s Hair Gloss in the shade Copper Crush landed on my desk.

You’ve probably seen the circular packaging on your social media feeds promising to deliver glossy shine and revive your colour for up to 10 washes (it’s semi-permanent – AKA low-commitment). It’s been dubbed the ‘tinted moisturiser’ of the hair world, and in a matter of minutes – 10 to be exact – this gloss seemed to bring life back into lacklustre dull shades. I was keen to see if it could deliver this wizardry to my five-month-old colour. 

First up, no gloves are included – I don’t know if this is a way to cut down on plastic or a sign that it’s safe enough to use on bare hands (something I’d assumed after watching a few tutorial videos). Either way, to protect my skin (and my fresh manicure) I find a spare pair and get cracking. The instructions say to wash my hair first, get rid of any excess water and start painting on the gloss from root to tip in sections. Then wait 10 minutes for the magic to happen. 

My bathroom is (surprisingly) kept free of any red splatters, thanks to the gloss being thick and gloopy. After I’ve listened to All Too Well (10-minute version), I rinse it out and don’t follow up with conditioner as instructed. Despite usually letting my hair air-dry, I opt for my ghd Duet Blowdry Brush to speed things along. Can you tell I’m excited?

The aim of the game for Glaze’s glosses is not to change your hair colour or cover up greys but to make old shades look fresh, and that’s exactly what this did. It basically restored my red to salon factory settings and delivered the same shade I left the salon with five months ago – except my dark roots were still there. You win some, you lose some. 

Thanks to the babassu oil-rich formula, my strands felt as soft as a plush teddy bear, while the added shine was undeniable. Considering I hadn’t used conditioner, this was impressive. I even noticed fewer knots when I was brushing. If you haven’t dyed your hair, Glaze also offers a clear ‘Sheer Glow’ option that requires zero tinting or messiness but delivers the same glossiness, which I’d highly recommend. 

During my first wash post-gloss, I did notice my hair shade wasn’t quite as vibrant, so the results weren’t quite as long-lasting as I hoped. However, considering how easy it was to do, I have no qualms about topping my gloss up again soon. Not bad for a DIY colour job. 

Images: Charlotte Bitmead; courtesy of brands