You don’t always find time to shampoo even if you want to. What if you get a work out during your very short lunch break, have to rush to a friend’s birthday party right after work or have gone out camping and water is rationed out? No way you can squeeze your whole shampooing routine in there.
That aside, you shouldn’t be shampooing your hair every day even if you can. Daily shampooing does more damage to your hair than you know. The harsh chemicals in shampoos that strip away dirt and gunk also strip away your natural oils and can dry out your hair, thus leading to scalp and common hair problems.
Enter dry shampoo. It does everything regular shampoo does but in less than half the time, with half the effort, with no water, and with none of the damage. Dry shampooing gets rid of scalp odour, absorbs oil, and even adds a bit of bounce to your hair. So you’ll shampoo less, protect your hair and still look ultra fabulous.
The instructions on a dry shampoo bottle are straightforward – apply on scalp, let sit, comb. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. Using dry shampoo properly is something you have to learn to do. But don’t worry, it’s not that hard and once you get the hang of it you’ll never go back to daily shampooing ever again. So let’s get into the the right way to use dry shampoo.
Prepare Your Hair
Remove all clips, bobby pins, scrunchies, beads and rubber bands from your hair. Comb your hair so there are no tangles or knots. This is an important step as it will make it easier and more efficient to apply the dry shampoo.
The Right Way to Use Dry Shampoo
Your hair must be completely dry before you start. Not wet, not damp, not slightly damp – DRY. If there’s water in your hair, the dry shampoo is going to mix with it and get all gunky. And troubleshooting that is going to make you wish you had just shampooed the regular way to begin with.
Applying the Dry Shampoo
- Start wherever your parting is. Hold the bottle a good 10 to 15 inches away from your scalp and spray.
- It should be more of a spritz than a spray, really, because if you spray on too much the product is going to weigh your hair down and make it look even more greasy.
- Divide your hair into sections and work on spritzing your hair section by section.
Take a break here for between two and ten minutes. Most people skip this part because they’re in a hurry and then they wonder why the dry shampoo doesn’t work. The shampoo needs time to absorb the oils and do its thing. So attend to other parts of your wardrobe or makeup while you wait.
Right Way to Use Dry Shampoo
- When the shampoo has had some time to sit in your hair for a bit, massage it into your scalp with your fingers. There’s no special technique to it, it’s the same as you’d rub in your regular shampoo. Just make sure your hands are both clean and dry.
- Next, give your hair a vigorous brushing. This will run the dry shampoo through the length of your locks and finally get any residue off your hair too. Using a blow dryer here can really help. Also make sure your brush is clean and dry. There shouldn’t be any gunk or strands of your hair on the brush as residues of dry shampoo will just stick to it and go back into your hair while you are brushing.
The dry shampooing is done!
Hair that is dry shampooed will not looks as great as just-washed hair so don’t go in with high expectations. If you want more of a clean feel, try rubbing some essential oils into your hair. This will make it smell like you just washed it and it can also mask any odours that the dry shampoo could not eliminate.
How to Use Dry Shampoo tips
How Often to Dry Shampoo
If you’ve been shampooing too much and want to break out of the daily cycle, start by alternating between dry shampoo and regular shampoo. Then as you get more comfortable with how your hair feels, play around with the intervals between washes. For example, wash with regular shampoo one day, then dry shampoo for two.
How long you can get away with only dry shampoo is purely an individual thing. Some people can get away with shampooing just once a week and needing even the dry shampoo just about twice in between. Others will find that they can do no more than a day or two with dry shampoo before they desperately need a wash. Observe the response of your own hair and customize your use accordingly.
Other Dry Shampoo Tips
How to Use Dry Shampoo
- Some dry shampoos can still have harsh chemicals in them, supposedly to better absorb the oil and impart other fabulous effects. So try getting your hands on organic dry shampoo or, better yet, make your own at home.
- Dry shampoo may not be that suitable if you have very dry hair. The dry shampoo needs oil to cling to and absorb. Those with dry hair tend to not produce so much oil on their scalp and the dry shampoo can then tend to just sit there and not make any difference.
- Dry shampoo may not be suitable for you if you have very curly hair. Since the process of using dry shampoo properly requires a vigorous brushing, you may not find it a very unpleasant experience and it’s not that healthy for you to be vigorously brushing either. That being said, you may still discover that it works well for you so don’t take these guidelines as facts.
- Some users of dry shampoo find that it works better for them if they use it at night instead of in the morning. Some dry shampoos can leave a slight residue on hair, especially if you have darker locks. Using it at night gives that powder time to be absorbed or at least rubbed away on your pillow as you sleep.
Image: Shutterstock