Reader Mailbag — Which dry shampoo is best?
Today we got a request from a reader:
Which dry shampoo does Corporette recommend?
We must admit, we're new to the dry shampoo genre — we've only tried two, an expensive one from Sephora ($24 per can) and a cheaper one from Ricky's (also available at Drugstore.com). The first one felt like our head was encased in a cloud of perfume — the scent was truly overwhelming. The second one, Psssssst, is what we use when we have to skip the shower, for whatever reason. It's available at Drugstore.com for $5.99: Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo, Unscented. We've also heard very good things about the Bumble & Bumble dry shampoo, but every time we go to a store that sells it they seem to have every color in stock but ours.
In all honesty, though, we've found that what works best is to take a shower, soak your hair — massaging your scalp with your fingers — but to skip the shampoo. Perhaps add a bit of spray-on, leave-in conditioner when you get out of the shower, and style as normal.
Any other suggestions from readers?
In all honesty, though, we’ve found that what works best is to take a shower, soak your hair — massaging your scalp with your fingers — but to skip the shampoo. Perhaps add a bit of spray-on, leave-in conditioner when you get out of the shower, and style as normal.
But if you had time to do this, wouldn’t you have time to wash your hair? Seems like it defeats the purpose of dry shampoo.
It depends why you’re trying to avoid shampoo. If you’re trying to avoid overdrying your hair (or avoid using chemicals) then taking a shower without washing your hair works well.
For a low-impact shampoo, I love DevaCurl’s “No-Poo” – it gets rid of buildup but has absolutely no drying effect. The smell is mild and refreshing. Not sure if it would work for straight-haired girls.
Klorane dry shampoo is great, and doesn’t smell too crazy. The French really know the most about dry shampoo and can definitely be trusted in this arena.
I really wanted the Bumble & Bumble dry shampoo, for those times when I really wanted to stretch one more day before having to wash and fix my hair. It was too expensive for my just-out-of-college budget.
I read a website that says cornstarch works the best, and is what’s in a lot of the dry shampoos. If you have light-colored hair, cornstarch on its own is perfect!
My hair is brown, so that wasn’t going to work on its own. What I did was mix it with the darkest shade of that super-cheap drugstore loose powder makeup (Cornsilk?). The powder had a bit of scent, and the color helped the cornstarch not be so noticeable.
Also, it gives your hair an awesome big-hair texture. I felt like a supermodel, which did a lot to alleviate the shame about how long it had been since I’d showered!
I’m so glad about this! I have been curious about dry shampoos because it takes me forever to straighten my very curly hair and if I oversleep or hit snooze too many times, curls it is. If you’re really desperate and the hair’s a little oily, baby powder actually works wonders. Of course, I have quite dark hair, so you have to be really careful about how much you use and to make sure you don’t have gray streaks, but it’s super cheap and always lying around the house.
I second the baby powder vote for blondes & light brunettes. I also have the Bumble & Bumble spray, and I actually prefer baby powder. It doesn’t completely fix the problem, but it will get you passably through a day with ok hair vs. disgusting.
I second the Klorane. Great also at the end of the day for a little root volume before going out. Available from drugstore.com
Oscar Blandi powder (not the spray) from Sephora is the best – works just like cornstarch (which I also like), but better. I don’t like the Bumble and Bumble powder – it doesn’t work to soak up oil like it should, and is messy because it’s colored. Also tried Sebastian spray – no good.
The bumble and bumble works well, but only if your color exactly matches one of the choices. Otherwise your scalp ends up looking stained and very strange. It also gets on your hands and can stain clothes. I’m using the Ojon now, but am not in love (scent is too strong, and having to brush it through is not always good for curly/frizzy hair). Will try the Blandi stuff next.
Unless you feel like you really need an aerosol and/or to spend money, get pure cornstarch baby powder. It costs a fraction of what this other stuff costs and works just as well and without any added chemicals. I discovered this a couple of years ago, after really looking at the ingredients of one designer dry shampoo I had used for years.