I’m convinced that dry shampoo is a gift from the Gods,
despite the fact that I smell like I grabbed a baby off the street and rubbed
him all over my face (more on that later). Working at the salon, I’ve had
people laugh at me when I tell them that I wash my hair approximately every
three days; many women told me that they have to wash their hair twice a day
because it’s too oily to handle for 24 hours straight. Before I get any
further, let’s go over the basic concept of not washing your hair:
1.
When you wash your hair, you strip the natural
oils from your scalp that you hair needs to stay healthy.
2.
The more you wash your hair, the more oil your
scalp will produce to compensate for the oils you’re losing. Therefore:
3.
The more you wash your hair, the oilier it will
start to get.
4.
Use dry shampoo to absorb some of the oils,
extend your style by a day because you’re lazy like me.
That being said, a lot of people still don’t like how their
hair feels if they skip one shampooing on a day when they’re in a rush. Enter
the miracle of dry shampoo. Flip head over, spray at roots, tousle your hair
around with your fingers, finish styling, and done. On days that I use dry
shampoo my hair is a little bit flatter than usual, and with the brand I’m
using right now (Ojon’s Rub Out) I smell like straight up baby powder for the
beginning of the day, but you’d probably never guess that it’s been 4 days
since my hair has been shampooed.
Although you can probably tell that my hair hasn’t been
colored since late September. =/
Speaking of color, it’s a great way to make your color last
longer because you’re washing it less. And to make your hair a tad healthier
since you’re letting your scalp’s natural oils have time to work. Just don’t try using it for more than one day
in a row; for whatever reason it starts to look really obvious at that point.
Also, don’t try styling with products that make your hair a little greasy (e.g.
serums) because it’s completely counterproductive.
So far I’ve only tried out 4 different brands, and here’s
what I think of them.
Big Sexy Hair: By far my favorite.
It uses clay (instead of talc like most) to absorb the oil, so it’s better for
darker hair if you’re worried about overdoing it and having a white coating on
your strands. The smell is a little funky like most of their products, but it
goes away in no time.
Rockaholic by TIGI: Smells like
orange cleaner. Again, the smell goes away but you can tell that the
fundamental makeup is a little different from the Big Sexy. It doesn’t work
quite as well, but it still definitely gets the job done.
Kenra Platnum: The only one that
I’ve used that has been advertised specifically for color-treated hair (that’s
what their whole Platnum line is about). A very tropical scent, and tied with
the Rockaholic in my book as far as getting the job done.
Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser: Smells
like baby powder to the max. However, the purse-appropriate size bottle I got
in one of their starter kits is a must have, especially if you’re not sure
whether or not you’ll be able to get a wash in when you’re staying over
somewhere.
I know there’s also other brands
you can get and try at a drugstore if you wish: Tresseme recently came out with
a spray as well as a foam for curly hair, Psssst, Sally’s has a few cheaper
ones that come in different scents as well.
Need a fix immediately and don’t have the time to run
somewhere and get a bottle for yourself? Follow my grandmother’s instructions
and VERY CAREFULLY sprinkle some baby powder on your roots, and tousle like you
would with dry shampoo, and continue on with your day. If you use non-aresol
hairspray and are constantly fighting oils try out an aresol. They generally
have a higher alcohol content and are a little more drying. I’ve sprayed my
whole head down before and brushed it out when I didn’t have my dry shampoo
with me and it does an okay job. Just make sure that you don’t have a spray
that it prone to flaking or you’ll just look like you’ve got major dandruff
problems.
And there you have it! (I’m too lazy for a witty closing
statement since I need to leave for class the second I finish this. The only
reason I had time to write it was because I used dry shampoo and gained a half
hour of free time.)
P.S. The instructions on the bottles will actually tell you
to spray it in then brush to distribute. I tousle because I like my hair messy,
it gives a bit more volume, and because the only time I ever touch a brush is
when I’m back-combing my hair. If you’re more comfortable using a brush, by all
means brush away.
