I think we can all agree shiny hair is a good thing. But the vitamins, no-heat styling, and virgin hair traditionally required to maintain said shininess? S o boring. We live in the 21st century, THE SCIENCE FUTURE. Why should we continue to rely on good habits when there's ammonium acrylate copolymer? I, for one, refuse to let a little thing like daily blow-drying stop me from looking like a holographic Lisa Frank sticker. And with the help of beauty technology, I've accumulated a whole arsenal of cheats I would just love to share! Do you also enjoy chemistry for fun- and hair-related profit? Tell me what you think of my completely non-organic four-step strategy for gleaming follicles:

Step 1: Dump a bunch of dye on your head

But not just any dye...gloss! Specifically, a deposit-only, semipermanent color gloss. These things are great—they're non-damaging, they wash out, and they're guaranteed to make your hair super silky. How? Basically, they coat your strands in a plastic-y film so it looks and feels healthier without, you know, actually being healthier. My hair is even a little thicker after putting on a gloss, and it's definitely smoother. Plus, it washes out after a few weeks as long as you stay close to your current color. You can get this done at a salon—probably the best idea—but if you like to live dangerously, Sebastian Cellophanes are amazing for at-home experiments. I used the Gold Red shade over the weekend, and it worked perfectly, thankyouverymuch.

Step 2: Don't wash it too much, but when you do...

Clarify, clarify, clarify! Acid eats away at oil and gunk, which makes your hair brighter, especially if you use a ton of product, since it's hard to wash that stuff off completely. One caveat: If, like myself, you've recently dyed, don't use a clarifying shampoo—it leeches color. The rest of you, though, should feel free to use René Furterer's excellent Fioravanti Shine Enhancing Shampoo any time.

But even if you color, there are in-shower luster-izing options available. By far the best shampoo and conditioner combo I've ever tried for sheer silkiness is the Schwarzkopf BC Oil Miracle line. I have no idea what evil magic is in there, but I still freak out (with joy!) every time I use it.

Step 3: Get your liquids and gels on

Is your hair by any chance towel-dried? You should put some serum on! For maximum sheen at minimum spend, there's just One Serum To Rule Them All: John Frieda Frizz Ease Thermal Protection Serum. For the most part, the serum you use will depend on your hair type, texture, hatred of silicone (in that case, check out DevaCurl Mirror Curls), and general pump- versus squeeze-bottle preferences. But as a generalist? Nobody does it better than John Frieda.

Step 4: Spray some stuff on it

There's never a bad time for one last sparkle coat. Shine spray is awesome because you can use it literally any time. Your hair doesn't need to be clean, kempt, it doesn't even need to be there at all—pretty sure it would work just as well on Vin Diesel's scalp as it does on my ends. Right now I'm using Biolage Shine Shake because it's pink, moisturizing, and light enough for fine hair, but Emily swears by Redken Shine Flash, and usually TIGI Bed Head Headrush is my go-to because the mist is really fine, so you'll never end up looking like Greasylocks.

—Lacey Gattis

Aymeline photographed by Emily Weiss.