You may liberally spritz your Dior perfume on your hair before heading out, but you could well be wasting your money – not to mention ruin the healthy pH balance of your scalp in the process, too.

First things first, perfumes contain high levels of alcohol, which can irritate the scalp and make it really dry, causing visible flaking and even dandruff. And it’s not just the scalp that perfume affects. You’ve just blow-dried your hair, used nourishing and moisturising products, only to douse it in alcohol-prominent perfume. Doing this every day causes damage and dryness to your gorgeous locks in the long-term. 

Founder of Not Another Salon, Sophia Hilton, confirms the effect perfumes have on your hair, “We don’t think twice about spaying our neck with perfume every day. But what we don’t think about is how high in alcohol it is and how 1/3 of it is actually being instantly absorbed, not by our skin, but by our hair! Even worse some girls even spray they hair directly, leading to a dryness they can just never put their finger on where its coming from. It’s worth thinking about, if you are in a dryness battle… just where exactly is my perfume going?”

In short, no perfume anywhere near your head going forward. But, if fragrancing your hair is something you truly love to do (and we completely understand why), then don’t despair: you can track down your favourite scent in the form of a hair mist. 

Hair mists are made with lower alcohol content and some even have beneficial ingredients which are known to moisturise your hair too! Talk about a real win here.

Here are five of our favourites:

Diptique Eau Rose Hair Mist

Add a soft scent of rose to your hair with this Eau de Rose hair mist from fragrance favourite, Diptique. Enriched with camellia oil, a nourishing protective oil, it locks moisture into your tresses, whilst maintaining a light and delicate essence. 

£36, harrods.com

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Hair Mist

Infused with the same signature notes of black coffee, white flowers and vanilla, this hair mist is the perfect solution if you can’t stay away from your Black Opium parfum. A key ingredient being argan oil, spray all over your hair for scneted nourishment. 

£35, yslbeauty.co.uk

Rituals The Ritual of Happy Buddha Hair & Body Mist

A combination of the citrus freshness of sweet orange and the sensual woodiness of cedar wood, this hair and body mist offers a light musk to your hair. The water-based formula means you can spritz to your hearts content and not worry about ruining your outfit or makeup!

£16.50, rituals.com

Chanel Coco Madmoiselle Fresh Hair Mist

This hair mist contains the same fresh and elegant tones as the Coco Madmoiselle perfume we all love. Vibrant, captivating and free. A huge positive of this hair mist is its handy travel size - take it anywhere! 

£34.20, johnlewis.com

Herbivore Botanicals Hair Perfume Mist

Using a blend of essential oils and aloe water, these hair mists make for a refreshing spritz to the hair pre-going out. The sweet and fruity aroma of the apricot scent is our favourite but there’s also jasmine and rose to choose from. 

£9.18, herbivorebotanicals.com

Images: brands’ own