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Confessions of a Dry Shampoo Convert

Confessions of a Dry Shampoo Convert

[themify_box style=”gray announcement”]Editor’s Note: From time to time we like to invite local experts from the community to answer questions about things that make parenting easier. Today we asked Meagan Haney, a professional stylist and makeup artist with H2O2 Hair Studio, to tell us about the wonders of dry shampoo, a magic potion for many busy moms.[/themify_box]

I don’t know about you guys, but I absolutely love greeting each day with the knowledge that I get to spend an hour taming the fuzzy mop I call hair. It’s totally like a scene from a Disney movie: Me, hopping out of bed, throwing open my window, breathing in the fresh morning air. I smile at the bird on my windowsill as I caress my locks, thinking, “I get to style my hair this beautiful morning.”

Ok, actually that’s not true. I never wake up thinking that. I stumble over the dog, throw on somewhat clean running gear, a hat and head to the gym. I get back with just enough time to shower and grab some coffee on my way out the door to my studio.

Some days I want to take time to diffuse and smooth and curl. Other times, (ok most times) I need to speed things up. I need to look like I took an hour, but in reality it’s been slept on for two days, endured a BodyPump class and styled at the red light two blocks from work. Enter my best friend — dry shampoo.

You’ve seen it on the shelf. You’ve picked it up. You’ve walked around with it. Do I? Don’t I? Then, reluctantly, you’ve put it back. How does a dry shampoo even work? Does it work? Would you really use it? Would it become yet another resident in the product graveyard under your bathroom sink? I have the answers to your questions…

How Does Dry Shampoo Work?

Dry shampoos use ingredients like rice starch, talc, rice proteins, silica, zeolite crystallines (say whaa?) Think of them like little sponges. Distributing the product onto the hair, those various ingredients sponge up excess oils and then expand to create volume. As you rub the product into the scalp, the oil absorbing ingredients are activated and distributed. The effect can be magical.

Should I Use Dry Shampoo?

YES! And again I say, “Yes!”

OK, when? Anytime. Seriously, you can use dry shampoo anytime. But here’s a few of my favorite examples about who should use it:

  • If You Have Oily or Dry Flat Hair: It is great for absorbing excess oil so that you don’t have to shampoo every day. That doesn’t mean that you have to have worked out or sweated. It means maybe you have oilier hair and are trying not to shampoo everyday. Or maybe you have dry hair and the second or third day after washing, it’s lying a little flat.
  • If You Want to Extend the Life of a Good Blowout:If you’ve recently styled your hair, spray on at night so that the oils never have a chance to make your hair dirty or greasy. See? You’ve just made that blowout last at least two days.
  • If Your Life Is Crazy Busy: You haven’t shampooed in day or so, you’ve been at the ball field all afternoon and you have school Open House? Dry shampoo. I often refer to it as Febreeze for your hair. It will give your hair some oomph AND deodorize.
Which Dry Shampoo Should I Choose?

OMG, Becky. There are like hundreds of dry shampoos on the market. Tips of the trade:

Look for formulas that are aerosols rather than strictly powders. Aerosols allow the product to be more evenly distributed so you don’t end up with clumps on your scalp. My favorites are Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray and R&Co’s Death Valley.

Make sure that the dry shampoo is the right color. If you have dark hair, a formula that is not specifically for dark hair or that is wetter, will often show up—making you look like you have dandruff or that you are a hair-amateur. If you have very blonde or gray hair, choose a product with no color or your hair will just look dirty.

Dry Shampoo Application Pro-Tips From an Expert

Apply the product much like a root lifter. Lift small sections in the crown and on top of the head. Spray at the root. Allow to dry for a minute. Rub into the scalp. If you have very fine, straight hair, brush your hair after allowing the product to dry. This will ensure the product dissipates and isn’t visible.

If you are headed to the salon for a chemical service, make sure to shampoo well before you go. Often stylists don’t have enough time to wash your hair before a service and because the purpose of dry shampoo is to stay in the hair, washing it out prior to a chemical service ensures accurate results.

Just like a best friend, dry shampoos are here to make life easier. They want to share the day-to-day burdens. Let dry shampoo be your new BFF!

[themify_box style=”lavender”]meagan haney thumbABOUT THE AUTHOR: Meagan Haney, a Shoals area native, started a career in English and journalism, but soon heard the Siren’s call of the beauty industry. She’s been behind the chair as a hair stylist and makeup artist for over fifteen years. When she and her extremely (literally) colorful husband, Jason, aren’t styling the hair of Huntsvillians at H2O2 Hair Studio, they’re doing whatever their four-legged beast, Ozma, demands of them. Whether binge-watching on Netflix or pouring over the latest issues of InStyle or Vanity Fair, Meagan is constantly reminded that her work here is not done.[/themify_box]

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A salon pro explains why dry shampoo should be a new mom's best friend, as well as who should use it and when.


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