This Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment Essentially Spun My Straw-Like Hair Into Gold

Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.

The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors can't shut up about. This time, I'm highlighting one of the most transformative hair treatments I've ever tested, Dae's Stargloss Shine Treatment ($44). 

Pre-shampoo hair treatments have been my number one tip and hair secret ever since I discovered the under-the-radar category a few years ago. I've never loved traditional masks—not only do most formulas weigh down my fine strands, but more often than not, they don't do anything transformative for me. It always feels like whatever benefits a mask should be offering me simply circle the drain as I rinse it out. Then, a couple of years ago, I discovered a pre-shampoo oil that I fell in love with, despite it's overwhelmingly expensive price tag, and a few years after that, I fell even more in love with a pre-shampoo treatment that was a slightly heavier, more balm-like consistency (also devastatingly expensive). That said, the long-lasting results these treatments delivered were so far superior to those I was getting from traditional masks and hair treatments that I bit the bullet again and again despite my whimpering bank account.

Even though I loved the two treatments I'd found, I desperately wished I could find a more cost-effective alternative. I also felt guilty suggesting products that were over $100 a pop to people looking for recommendations. So when Dae—a brand I've adored for years—launched its own iteration of a pre-shampoo treatment this past summer, at a fraction of the price, I was ecstatic. What's more, the results were as good, and honestly even better, than the hair potions I'd been obsessed with previously. Enter Stargloss ($44).

"This product really epitomizes the essence of Dae, which is that haircare should be a self-indulgent yet simple part of everyone's 'dae,'" CEO and founder Amber Fillerup Clark tells me. "We want to create magic and dreaminess—even with the little things."

I was introduced to Stargloss at an interesting point in my life and hair journey. As a lifelong blonde who had been dabbling in platinum for the past four years or so, I was dealing with—for the first time ever—some serious issues with my hair. I had developed an allergic reaction to bleach where my entire body would burst into hives the second it touched my scalp, and while I pushed through with an arsenal of Benadryl for about a year (a Band-Aid solution, really) it was taking a toll on my hair and scalp. That combined with COVID-induced hair loss, stress-induced thinning, and some hormonal imbalances, had created the perfect storm for an epic hair meltdown.

My identity felt so tied to my blonde hair, but I simply couldn't go on bleaching—or even lightening—my hair, regardless of how well I was trying to care for it or how careful and talented my colorist is. (Cass Kaeding, I love you!) So we decided on the plot twist of all plot twists for someone who has never not been an iteration of blonde, and I went red, which I've LOVED. What I didn't anticipate, however, was the complete overhaul I'd have to perform on my haircare routine and the realization that red hair requires so much more time and effort if you want it to look and feel rich and velvety. (And I thought being blonde was hard!)

Stargloss couldn't have launched into my life at a more opportune time, and it's one of the only products I've tried that can truly perform a miracle in one go—transforming my dry, straw-like copper strands into the gilded, shiny red mane of hair I'd been dreaming of. 

You can quite literally see that my hair (especially in the "before" to the right) looked like straw. No shine! No smoothness! Drab color! I thought it was hard to keep my blonde hair looking shiny and vibrant, but I've found red is even harder to keep rich and expensive-looking. That said, all it took was one (just one!) session with Stargloss, and my hair looked and felt almost unrecognizable. Even after I shampooed and conditioned, the long-lasting effects stuck with my hair. My hair feels smooth and glossy as I blow-dry my strands, and while I usually have to spritz my hair with a shine mist after I've curled or waved it, the effects from the Stargloss are so strong that I have zero need for any other finishing products. (As someone who hates the feeling of product in my hair, I appreciate this.) I use this treatment roughly once a week or as needed depending on where I am or what time of year it is. I could not be more thrilled with it and have already turned all of my closest friends onto it—regardless of their hair type or color.

Who it's for: all hair types and textures—from straight to coily, fine to thick

Headlining benefits: adds luminous shine, delivers immediate and long-lasting hydration, smooths frizz and flyaways

Extra perks you'll love: heavenly scent composed of prickly pear, mandarin, and magnolia; tiny, glittering golden flecks that impart a light-catching gleam while the treatment is in your hair but wash right out

Key ingredients: prickly pear seed oil, moringa seed oil, shea butter

What it's formulated without: SLS, SLES, parabens, phthalates, synthetic colors. Plus, it's vegan, cruelty-free, and Leaping Bunny certified.

I'm extremely lazy when it comes to my hair. (Go figure that I always seem to choose the most high-maintenance hair colors.) But if you're like me and hate adding in extra steps to your haircare routine while you're shampooing or after, you'll love this treatment.

At the most low-lift level, all you have to do is use it to saturate your dry, dirty hair—concentrating on the mid-lengths and ends—for at least 20 minutes before you plan to shampoo and condition your hair as you normally would. That said, if you want supercharged results, I'd recommend letting it marinate for longer. I'm a big fan of leaving it on overnight if I'm planning to wash my hair in the morning. Or I'll work it into my hair and slick it back into a braid or bun before a workout or even a day of errands. Part of the magic is that it absorbs well; leaves your hair with a subtle, light-catching gleam; and won't make your hair look gloopy, greasy, or wet, like most hair treatments do. 

What inspired you to create Stargloss?

I love hair oiling before a wash, and I love a traditional hair mask, but sometimes you don't want to sit in the shower for that last extra step. I wanted to create something that you could easily apply to dry hair. Think of it like hair oil plus a buttery mask combined—something you apply before you go work out, clean, get the kids off to school, go on a walk, whatever! Then you shower and wash like normal! The result is super-shiny, soft hair, as if you just got struck by a shiny shooting star. 

What sets it apart from other popular hair treatments on the market?

The format—I set out to do something completely different in the glossing and shine treatment category. I didn’t want to create another in-shower product, because I felt that would be too similar to a mask. I wanted something you could apply to dry hair before the shower, leave on for 20 minutes or longer (even overnight!), then shampoo and condition as usual. And OMG the results are amazing. Stargloss was born after many, many rounds and years of formulating to get it just right. It was not easy, but I would not give up!

What are some of the key ingredients in Stargloss, and why did you feel they were essential? Also, tell me about the cream's subtle shimmer.

The cream texture that you apply to your dry hair is so creamy and so hydrating. It's full of prickly pear and other nourishing and shine boosting oils that lock in and smooth the cuticle. The end result is unparalleled smoothness, silkiness, and shine. Plus, it's clean! 

As far as the glitter, I always want the actual product to be gorgeous. In this case, I played off the Stargloss name for inspiration and added subtle golden flecks, which are a surprise and delight for the consumer. They rinse right out, but they just make the experience of using the product dreamy and magical! I personally LOVE the soft golden flecks in the formula, so I like to slick my hair back in a bun and then run errands and go about my day.