Tired of the lather, rinse, repeat cycle? Dry shampoo is the modern day equivalent to fairy dust. Sprinkle a little on your hair and voila! No more hassle of shampooing your hair and drying it! Whether your hair needs to be cleaned after a workout at the gym or you need to add life to it in between washes, dry shampoo is the cure.
How does dry shampoo function
Dry shampoo has actually been around for centuries. Only recently it has enjoyed a newfound resurgence, thanks to the growth of a hectic modern day lifestyle. Dry shampoo is available in the form of dry powder, as a liquid to apply, and also as an aerosol spray.
The alcohol or starch based spray of dry shampoo can remove oil and grease from your hair and at the same time increase your volume. It can be easily brushed out of your hair leaving you with clean, fresh tresses. Suitable for all hair types, it helps in maintaining scalp health. The working of the dry shampoo is quite simple- the alcohol or starch in it acts by dissolving dirt, oil, and debris giving you’re a cleaner and fresher look. It is ideal for the woman on the go.
Our dry shampoo experience
We decided to try the dry shampoo to understand the hullabaloo.
- The first step is ensuring your hair is dry. This isn’t much of an issue. I have read about people who have sprinkled their hair with water before using a dry shampoo. Only one word of advice, don’t.
- The aerosol spray packing warned me about maintaining a safe distance from my scalp while spraying. We tried to spray it onto all sections of the scalp without leaving any oil or grime.
- Â The spray was applied onto the roots of the hair. The excess powder was brushed off.
The white chalky residue on parts of the scalp freaked us out, but , as it turns out, that the buildup was only excess dry shampoo and it soon disappeared.
What hair felt like: It definitely felt clean and it smelled great. It didn’t look limp or in need of a wash. So, yes it does seem dry shampoo fulfilled on the promise of cleaning your hair without soap and water. But on the other end, it doesn’t feel as satisfying as it does after giving my hair a long soak.
DIY: Make your own dry shampoo!
For those of you who want to go the organic route, we have a DIY dry shampoo mix.
What you need: 2 tablespoons corn starch, corn meal, baking soda, talcum powder or baby powder, few drops of essential oil, dried flowers or herbs to scent
How to make: Mix equal parts of the above-mentioned ingredients in a bowl. Make sure that you get a fine powder. You can grind the mix in a blender for better results. You can add dried flowers and herbs to the mix to enhance the aroma and a few tablespoons of essential oils.
How it works: The corn starch acts as an oil absorbing medium along with the powder. The added essential oils can be based on your specific hair needs and texture. So you can add lemon grass oil if you are suffering from hair loss, eucalyptus oil for unclogging pores on your head and so on.
The verdict on dry shampoo
However, there is a note of caution for those who want to stock up on dry shampoo- you need to use water on your scalp because rinsing hair has its own place in maintaining hair health. Water hydrates your scalp and that’s something dry shampoo in its present form can’t achieve. Dermatologists still recommend using dry shampoos only for emergencies with wet shampooing still preferred because dry shampoo can’t remove debris and flakes of your scalp.