I Use Three (Yes, Three) Dry Shampoos, and My Hair's Never Been Better
If you need dry shampoo advice, I’m the one to call, but be warned, I will talk for a loose 45 minutes. I have tried so many formulas, techniques, and strategies, and I’ve finally found my Holy Grail. Unsurprisingly, it’s not one dry shampoo, not two, but three, all used in different ways from one wash day to the next. Here’s the breakdown.
It’s wash day, I’ve washed my hair, conditioned, and blow dried my hair. No need for dry shampoo already, right? WRONG. The perfect time to apply dry shampoo is on clean hair! I’m going in with Not Your Mother’s Plump for Joy (reviewed here, but before there were multiple NYM Dry Shampoos). I start at the nape of my neck and move up, dividing my hair into horizontal sections and spraying the root under the hair. I do maybe four sections, and add any extra by my temples or hairline if I feel it’s needed. I flip my head over and massage in all the product, then flip back and brush it out. If I’ve washed my hair in the morning, I repeat this step before bed, but if I’m washing my hair at night, I don’t use 2x the dry shampoo. I sleep with my hair down, and let all that dry shampoo settle in.
After I’ve worked out, it’s time for dry shampoo number two; Bumble and Bumble Pret a Powder Post Workout Dry Shampoo Mist. I’ve reviewed this dry shampoo before, and even did a deep dive into micellar dry shampoos, so believe me when I tell you this dry shampoo does what the others can’t. I spray my Post Workout dry shampoo liberally , mainly around my hairline, but also doing a few sections and, again, spraying under the hair. I like to do this right after I workout, so my hair has as little time as possible to dry sweaty, and the Bumble and Bumble Mist has maximum time to get in there and do its job. I use my ZIIP, I shower, and I used to let my hair air-dry, but lately I’ve been blow drying, and Pret a Powder Post Workout MIst might work even better this way. I can’t even say how many bottles of this stuff I’ve gone through, it’s a staple for me (Hot tip: Wait til a Sephora sale and buy three bottles at a time).
My third and final dry shampoo is a fairly recent find, but it quickly became a favorite. Kristin Ess Dry Shampoo Powder is in many ways, the ideal dry shampoo. No aerosol to feel guilty about (there are much bigger problems than aerosol cans, but some people can’t have enough problems!), no fragrance to compete with any other scents you have going on, and you can get it on a Target run (I wait for Target’s regular 25% off beauty sales and stock up on this and the Not Your Mother’s). I use this for all other dry shampoo needs, and apply it right before bed. If I worked out in the morning and did my Bumble and Bumble routine then, I’ll use a little of this before bed. I mainly focus on my temples, where my hair gets the oiliest, and around my hairline and crown. I only use Not Your Mother’s on clean hair, and this is the everyday dry shampoo for all the other days, until the cycle starts again.
This may seem like overkill, but this is the best way I’ve found to keep my hair looking good despite only washing it once or maybe twice a week. And I have oily hair! And I work out almost every day! And I’m a sweat monster! I can even manage to wear my hair down on the third day, which years ago would have been unbelievable.
