Gloss, Glaze & Sparkle Brunettes: The Modern Toning Guide

The Glossy, Glazed & Sparkly Brunette Breakdown For Every Hairstylist

Lacquered, glassy hair is on the top of your clients’ wish lists—and we’re here to help you through the buzz-wordy requests. Your clients may use phrasing like “hair glaze” and “sparkle highlights” to explain their hair goals, so it’s your job to decipher what they really want (and need) versus what TikTok may have told them to ask for. 

What you will learn in this article:

• How to create your clients’ glossy hair requests on dark tones
• How to highlight without shifting the base color for a sparkle effect 
• Glossing formulas for even-toned brunette color

Hair Gloss Vs. Hair Glaze: What’s the difference?

Simply put, nothing! A hair gloss and a glaze range from clear washes of shine to a rich, lustered pigment.

Here are three brunette gloss formulas to try:

#1. “My favorite line for rich brunettes is always going to be Schwarzkopf Professional® IGORA® Vibrance Demi-Permanent color,” says lived-in color specialist Ashley Smith (@paintedbyashleymarie).

Rich, two-step brunette formula:

• • Prelightened to a Level 7 to 8 depending on the client’s base shade
  • Gloss: IGORA Vibrance 5-1 + 4-63 + IGORA® Vibrance Activator Lotion

#2. Schwarzkopf Professional Digital Artistic Team Member Brendnetta Ashley (@edgybgirl) says “IGORA Vibrance is my favorite for a subtle yet dimensional brunette tone.”

Tone-on-tone subtle brunette dimension formula:

• • Lowlights: IGORA Vibrance 7-00 + IGORA Vibrance Activator Lotion
  • Gloss and tone: IGORA Vibrance 8-0 + 7-65 + IGORA Vibrance Activator Lotion
  • Click here to watch the full toning tutorial

#3. “I use the IGORA Zero AMM Ammonia-Free Color Creme [-00 shades] to blend out greys at the root before adding the depth that brunettes need with IGORA Vibrance,” says Ashley. 

Gray coverage brunette blend formula:

• • Root Melt: IGORA Zero AMM 6-00 + 4-00
  • Gloss: IGORA Vibrance 5-0 + 5-5 + a splash of  6-23 +  7-65 + IGORA Vibrance Activator Lotion

Browse each formula shade mentioned in just one click: Shop now!

Bleach-Free Sparkle Brunette Formula & Consultation Tips

PSA: Many clients mistake peeks of shine through brunette color (“the sparkle”) for just a gloss. The nano-highlights with a brunette overlay are a huge salon conversation right now and Schwarzkopf Professional Digital Artistic Team Member Carlos Rojas (@colorbycarlos) shares a lightener-free technique that can build a sparkly brunette without the full head of foils shock factor.

“This is a no-bleach brunette using IGORA Royal Fashion Lights Permanent Highlight L-44 with 30-volume developer,” he says. “Using diagonal-back sections for my foils builds beautiful dimension that you’ll see within the deep interior shadow.”

Watch the technique here:

Grab the sparkle brunette go-to products and toners, click here.

How to Avoid Dark Shadows & Toner Patches Through the Face Frame

The dark patches and shadows you may find in a face frame are likely not a saturation problem, but rather a strategic placement mistake.

New Jersey-based stylist Grayson Troy (@graysontroy) demos the importance of, “Pushing the face frame section into its natural fall before lightening. Most of the time, the section you think is the money piece actually falls UNDER the section you need to lighten.” 

Watch the full video here:

Products Used

Demi-Permanent Color

IGORA VIBRANCE®

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

IGORA VIBRANCE® ACTIVATOR LOTION

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

IGORA ZERO AMM Permanent Color

Schwarzkopf Professional®