“I’m a dry shampoo-obsessed beauty editor – and I’ve just learned that I’ve been using it all wrong”

How to use dry shampoo effectively

Credit: Getty

Hair


“I’m a dry shampoo-obsessed beauty editor – and I’ve just learned that I’ve been using it all wrong”

By Lucy Partington

3 years ago

1 min read

Despite it being a staple in my routine, I’ve recently learned that I’ve been using dry shampoo wrong – and I don’t think I’m alone. 

It’s fair to say that I am a fully fledged dry shampoo lover. I use it on two, three and sometimes four-day-old hair. I also use it to add volume to my hair when it looks lifeless. I’m even guilty of using it straight after washing and drying it, just to add a little bit of grit to make it easier to style. Basically, I just don’t think I can ever imagine a life without it.

My usual way of application is to just aimlessly spray it all over the top of my hair, as close to my scalp as possible – either when it’s up in a top knot or when it’s down. I can’t lie, I often spray so much that it turns my hair completely white. Then I’ll leave it for a few seconds – gotta let those oil-absorbing ingredients work after all – and then aggressively massage it out or use a hair dryer to blow away all the powdery residue. 

Most of the time, that method seems to work pretty flawlessly, but it does mean I get through a can quite quickly. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t work so well, and I just put that down to my hair being beyond help and a surefire sign that I should stop being lazy and just wash it.

But, I was recently at a beauty launch with a hairdresser who was doing a demonstration on a model. When she used dry shampoo in the hair, she first started by separating it into three layers – like I would when I’m drying it – then she held the can around 15-20 cm away from the head (which I think is the key step because it allows the product to disperse properly) before lightly spraying it towards the root. Then she took down the next section and did the same again, repeating until she’d sprayed each layer. 

After leaving it for a few seconds, the hairdresser gently used her fingers to massage the dry shampoo in, distributing it as much as she could – and honestly, I was in shock at the result. There wasn’t endless white residue (even using a product that I thought was notorious for doing just that) and the hair looked bigger, bouncier and much fresher than when she started.

I’ve since started following the same method and can safely say it’s not only saved me a whole lot of dry shampoo – I’m now using less for a better result – but it’s also a lot more effective, too.

It seems everyday really is a school day. 


Main image: Getty

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