What Is Hair Enameling?

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Have you seen people styling their hair in a slicked-back and wet style? If so, you may not know there’s a specific term for this look called hair enameling. But while it sounds complicated, it’s really not — we’ll show you all you need to know below.

Hair enamel is a hairstyle that mimics wet hair while looking slicked back and shiny. The style is usually slicked back into a ponytail or bun with the appearance of a high shine.

While the hair appears wet (even though it’s not), it is a soft and subtle look with the softness it gives off. You can achieve hair enameling with gel, but in this case, the gel doesn’t get hard as it would in other situations when you’d use it for your hair.

Hair enameling is an easy look to achieve in just a matter of minutes and will have you covered whether you’re looking for a night out on the town and have 10 minutes to pull yourself together for the day and appear like you’ve been ready for hours.

No wonder it’s one of TikTok’s hottest hair trends! If you think this look is for you, keep reading.

Read Next: Steps to Take to Get Shiny Hair

How to Create Your Hair Enamel

For a piece on how to enamel your hair, a woman putting gel in her hair

Dusan Zidar/Shutterstock

First, we want to start by saying how easy it is to achieve this look. There are a few simple steps you can follow to make you look like a celebrity stylist worked on your hair.

Create a Part

You’ll want to start by creating a part. A lot of the time, hair enameling is accompanied by a deep side part. However, if you want to do a middle part, it’s all based on your personal preference.

Whichever part you choose, you’ll want to use a skinnier comb to help separate the hair, ensure no stray hairs are lost, and ensure your part is straight.

Apply the Gel

Once you’ve settled on your part, apply the gel to your hair. Start with a small amount of gel and apply more if needed. Start by smoothing down any flyaway hair and work through your hair to create the soft, sleek, shiny look you want.

It may be easiest to start working the gel through your hair with your hands before moving to use a brush. You want to make sure to choose a gel you love. A thick and glossy gel is perfect for the job.

However, you want to make sure to avoid gels with oil as they can make your hair look greasy instead of wet. A long-lasting gel that doesn’t leave behind a flakey residue will be vital in helping to achieve the wet look with no flakey pieces left behind.

You’ll also want to avoid alcohol-based gels as these types of gels will dry stiff while losing their wet appearance forfeiting your look. Word of caution: Be gentle with the gel. Using too much gel will make your stiff hair versus giving you the soft, wet look you’re going for.

Create Your Hairstyle

Once you’ve finished applying the gel, you’ll want to secure your hair enamel in place with the style of your choice. Traditionally, hair enameling is done with a low bun or a ponytail, but it’s your personal preference.

We can recommend a bun if you’re someone who doesn’t want to have to pay attention to your hair throughout the day. With a bun, your hair will be secured, and you won’t have to give it a second thought once it’s tied back and you use bobby pins to lock it into place.

You can even opt for a look with your hair down. These can be more difficult to achieve and are not standard hair enamel, but they look great when they’re done right.

Finish Your Look With a Spray

Once you’re finished gelling and styling your hair, you’ll want to complete the look with a shine spray. This is key to getting that wet and shiny look that hair enameling is all about.

In addition to giving your hair exceptional shine, shine spray will help tame flyaways, static, and frizz, giving you an added layer of protection on top of the gel to ensure your hair stays in place all day long.

Some shine sprays come with added benefits such as moisturizing your hair, being full of antioxidants to strengthen and nourish your hair and adding a barrier of protection from free radical damage. There are numerous options available when it comes to a shine spray.

What Are Some Hair Enameling Pros?

There are numerous benefits to hair enameling, including:

It’s an easy and quick hairstyle that offers you worry-free comfort. It is also effortless to achieve at home at a budget-friendly cost.
You won’t have to worry about or readjust your hair throughout the day since it can be easily pulled back.
It can be quite trendy for the spring and summer seasons. It also gives you the freedom to experiment with more wet and shiny looks as it fits the season and can make you feel refreshed.
It is an excellent for all occasions: formal, office, casual, or a night out.
It provides your hair with softness, so you won’t have to worry about a style that damages your hair.
It can help to keep your hair sleek and shiny during the day instead of dry and frizzy. It can be a perfect style for a humid weather day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Image of a woman with hair enameling holding a flower to her cheek

Olga Brik/Shutterstock

Below are the most frequently asked questions about hair enamel.

Can hair enamel be achieved with hair spray?

Yes, hair enameling can be achieved with hair spray; however, this isn’t our first preference. When using hair spray, you must make sure you’re using enough to achieve a damp, wet look without making the hair hard, which can be challenging to balance.

Do I have to use a shine spray to finish off my look?

No, you don’t have to use a shine spray to finish your look, but this is what will give you that overall shine and lacquered look you’re trying to achieve with hair enamel.

Is there another term for hair enamel?

Hair enamel is also known as a “hair helmet” due to its heavily lacquered look.

Do I need to make my hair wet for hair enamel?

You don’t have to start with wet hair for hair enameling; however, if you wish, you can certainly start with damp hair. If you start with damp hair, you want to be sure to give yourself enough time to create and set your hair. You will also need to be cautious that the gel doesn’t harden your damp hair and create a stiff look.

How do I create a textured hair enamel look?

You create a textured look similar to a traditional hair enameling look. You may wish to start with damp hair with a textured look. You’ll want to make sure the top and roots of your hair are slicked down without any extra flyaways and that the body of your hair is textured and full.

So, What Is Hair Enameling?

Are you excited to try your hand at hair enamel? This is a perfect hairstyle for so many occasions, and the fact that it’s so easy makes it move to the top of our list of favorite hairstyles.

And what’s not to like? It’s super easy and quick hairstyle you’re able to achieve at home. We know after you give this a try, it’ll be one of your new favorite looks!