Lemme say it right now — I am a hair gloss stan!

I swear there’s literally nothing it can’t fix. Dry, dull strands? Gloss! Damage from dyes or highlighting? Gloss! Stress from those 17 assignments due all in the same week of midterms? Therapy! But also, gloss!

My natural hair loves to rock a sorta-wavy, sorta-straight vibe. In my ~v scientific research~ I’ve found gloss helps to define those waves and eliminate frizz. Score! It also adds major shine, obvi.

Kristen Ess Hair Gloss from Target is my ride or die. If I was stuck on a desert island and only allowed three items, I would uhhhh def bring a large Dunkin’ coffee, a portable phone charger (sensible queen!) and this exact hair gloss. It’s giving me desert island chic!

You apply it in the shower, wait for 20 minutes, and boom! Shine so bright that you *might* blind someone.

If you’re new to the hair gloss world, I’ve broken down a few rules on getting started:

Do: Start with a plan! Depending on the gloss, you might see stronger results based on how long you leave it on your hair. The Kristen Ess gloss instructions recommend leaving the gloss in your hair for 10 to 20 minutes, so decide before you step into the shower. Also, prepare your phone timer beforehand, too.

Don’t: Expect a drastic color change! Gloss sits on the outside of your hair follicles, so it’s giving us ~nothing~ in terms of hair lightening. If you wanna go drastically darker, reach for a semi-permanent or permanent hair dye, instead!

Do: Know the basics of your shade! Determine if you’d want a cool or warm look, and which level. Choose a cool shade to tone down any brassy oranges in blonde hair!

Don’t: Wash every day! Each hair type and shampoo routine is different, so totally ignore me if daily washing is your vibe! However, the color in hair gloss fades over several weeks — depending on your frequency of shampooing — so maybe consider washing every other day, instead.

Do you <3 hair gloss? Orrrrrr, is it totally overhyped? Tweet me your hot takes at @nbakerARROW!