Addicted to All Things Pretty

The secret is out of the bag.  Ladies like myself have fooled the world into thinking we’re fresh from the salon on days that we haven’t even done so much as washed our hair.  So what’s the secret; (Not so) day shampoo.  If you know any old school wig wearers, dry shampoo is not a secret at all; it became an inexpensive way to keep delicate wigs that couldn’t be submerged in water clean and fresh, without interrupting the curl pattern or style.  For a while dry shampoos were one of those products that we didn’t talk about and carried around this misconception of it being dirty.  I guess if I heard the term ‘dry shower’, I’d raise my ‘brows too.

There’s a dry shampoo on the market for everyone, no matter what your choice of hairstyle is, and searching for the perfect one could be complicated.  Hopefully this guide will assist you if you’re in the market for dry shampoo.

Dry Straight Hairstyles

For hair & scalp try Basiste, Beyond the Zone, Pssssst!, Tresemme,  or TIGI Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo.  The application for all of them is pretty basic; spray all over from afar, wait a few minutes for the powder-like substance to absorb the oily, and use a clean brush to brush out any remaining product.  This is also great for touching up your bangs.  These are the types of dry shampoo I use when wearing weaves, but I never apply it to my scalp.  I only focus on the hair itself.

For the scalp try using classic baby powder, Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry, or Blow Faux Dry.  With an extremely light hand, dust a small amount of power, allow it to absorb any excess oil, and use a clean brush to brush out any remaining product.  This method focuses on the scalp and about n inch of hair from the root.  I’ve yet to master powder like any of my best friends but the results always look like that of the ones listed above.

For Braids, Curls, and Locs

For hair & scalp try using no-rinse foam, liquid, or gel (not so) dry shampoos.  As many of you know I love wearing weaves, but if you’ve ever worn a weave you know cleansing the scalp is a hassle since your hair is braided in a pattern and often covered by a net.  I’ve used Sea Breeze Scalp Astringent but fell head over heels in love with Organic Root Stimulator Dry Shampoo.  You can read my review here.  I’ve also heard about people with braids and locs rave about it as well.  With these formulas you apply the product and use a warm damp towel to blot your hair or to remove the product from your scalp.  Tresemme makes a foam dry shampoo for curly hair, and companies have been making no-rinse liquid dry shampoo for years, that used to be limited to hospitals for patients that couldn’t easily wash their hair.  With these formulas you typically apply them to your hair and viola, you’re ready to walk out the door.

For many naturalistas this can be tricky because depending on the amount of product you use for your head of curls using a dry shampoo can be ineffective, since dry shampoo is used as a refresher and not a replacement.  Dry shampoos also won’t effectively remove all traced of heavy products.

More Tresemme…