All about Dry Shampoo. To use or not to use?

Dry Shampoo has gained a lot of popularity with skyrocketing sales in the last couple of years with an overwhelming number of brands selling them. 

And why not?

If it's easy to use, time- saving (especially on those days when you have pressed the Snooze button a million times), cuts-down on the number of hair-washes/week, obviously we will all go for it! Right?

What exactly is Dry Shampoo?

It's a powder or a spray which can absorb all  the oil that makes your hair look greasy without drying your scalp and without actually having to wash your hair.

Types of Dry Shampoo:

- Powder form 

- Spray form: choose the one suited for your hair type 

Volumizing- if you have straight, flat, fine hair to get the instant volume and fluff.

Refreshing- with a pleasent scent to get rid of the odor.

How to Use it?

1. Start by brushing your hair and remove all the tangles.

2. Sprinkle the dry shampoo powder over the parts of scalp that are the most oily (the crown). 

If you are using the spray form, then hold the nozzle atleast 6 inches away from your scalp and spray evenly over the entire area needed.

3. Optional: you can spread the powder to the hair shafts and ends with a brush if your hair is very oily. If not, you can skip this step.

4. WAIT for 5 mins till the oil gets absorbed by the powder. 

5. You can now brush the powder off and style your hair.

Few things to keep in mind:

-can get messy

- it cannot be used on wet hair (since talc in the powder + water =clumpy dirty hair!)

- do not rub the powder on the hair and if using a spray use it from a distance of 6 inches as this can lead to an itchiness.

My favorite Spray Dry Shampoos:

I usually try to stick to the home-made powder (DIY below) on those no-time-to-shower days. After seeing so many of these fancy Spray versions all over the market, I could not resist trying them! ;)

The Sephora "Express Dry Shampoo" and the Dove "Invigorating Dry Shampoo" are two of my go-to products. Both of these products have worked wonderfully for me till now.

 

DIY Dry Shampoo! 

You need:

-Baking soda

-corn starch

- baby powder or any other talcum powder

-old makeup brush or an old salt/pepper shaker

Mix equal parts of the ingredients and mix well. Apply as instructed above.

TIP: add a few drops of essential oil (rose oil, lavender oil ) if you want the fresh feel you get after washing your hair. However apply these oils to the mid shafts to ends and not to the roots to prevent greasing- up again!

TIP: add dried flowers and herbs (rose, hibiscus, lavender, mint leaves) to the powder and store it in a dark cupboard for a couple of weeks to get a lovely scented powder!

TIP: for a darker hair types : add equal parts of Cocoa powder! 

Pros:

- According to hair care experts, daily washing of hair, can be detrimental to the quality of the hair and the scalp by wiping out the nourishing natural oils. Therefore dry shampoo can help in reducing the number of hair washes+ blow-drying/week

- Instant rescue from the greasiness without actually having to wash the hair. 

-great during traveling or after using the gym.

- most of the formulations come in spray-forms and have added effects (e.g. volumizing, perfumed etc) which people prefer to use.

Cons:

-if the powder is used in excess -->white spots!

- it just absorbs the excess oils, does not remove the odor, cell debris, and dirt. It does NOT CLEAN the scalp. 

- Talc being the main ingredient- can lead to allergic reactions

- over-usage can lead to product buildup which clogs the pores.

In a nutshell:

They are convenient and save a lot of time and help in reducing hair-damage with excessive shampoo-ing. However, if they are not used correctly, they can do more harm than good.

What do you guys think about Dry shampoos? What are your favorite products?