Now, I’m not sure exactly what rock I’ve been sleeping under, but I only recently became aware of the lifesaver known as dry shampoo. This is how it works: you apply dry shampoo (which can be in powder or aerosol form) onto the roots of your hair, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then comb it through. Afterwards, previously greasy or flat hair appears “clean” again.

It’s incredibly convenient when you just don’t have enough time to wash and style your hair as usual because it removes excess oil and product build-up, gives your hair volume, and freshens it up.

Dry shampoo is great for women like me who chemically process their hair and probably shouldn’t wash it every day. It’s also apparently good for those who are bedridden and are unable to take showers (think bed rest, not convalescence home – yet).

Even though I’m capable of bathing, I’m always looking for ways to avoid taking a shower (it’s one of my weaknesses). As a result, I was convinced that dry shampoo was a product for me. So, I tried two of the top performers on MakeupAlley: Klorane and Oscar Blandi.

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Extract

Because Klorane had the highest reviews and was less expensive than it’s closest competitor, Oscar Blandi, I tried it first. The reviews do warn that the can doesn’t last long, and even though I found it for as low as $15 on folica.com, it’s still a bit steep.

It performed well, however, as I didn’t notice any flaky residue in my hair (which is a common complaint of dry shampoo) and it completely god rid of my greasy roots. My hair also had more volume, in kind of a just-been-teased sort of way (which probably sounds worse than it really is) so I can imagine it would be especially useful if you’re wearing your hair up.

But my major complaint with Klorane was the SMELL. It smells like old-lady hairspray…and after using it, my bedroom smelled like old-lady hairspray (no offense to old-ladies…I just don’t like the smell of Aqua-Net). It was so strong that it kept me from wanting to use it (so that kind of defeated the purpose).

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo

I chose Oscar Blandi next, which was available at my local Ulta, and tried both the powder version as well as the aerosol.

The powder was just a bit too powdery for me and I went through the day feeling like I had powder in my hair (which I did, but it still kind of freaked me out). The aerosol was easier to apply and seemed to perform comparably to the Klorane. The major selling point for me, however, was its smell: it was immeasurably better than its competitor. It has kind of a citrus, honeysuckle fragrance (the website calls it lemon verbena) which I found pleasant and freshened up day old (or even two day old) hair well.

It’s more expensive than Klorane at $21 a can, but I’m weird about smell so I’m willing to spend more for that. To stretch it out, I only use it when I really need it and if there’s a high probability that I’ll run into another Homo sapien that day.

Other popular brands include Rene Furterer and Ojon Rub Out and because products work differently on various hair textures, you may find that another brand works best for you. But for a quick and effective way to freshen up your hair in between washings, or to preserve the color you just paid $150 for, or if you’ve decided to spend the next three weeks in bed (bless your soul), dry shampoo may be for you. It saves time as well as wear and tear on your hair.

And for the fun of it, let’s wrap up this review with a rule:

Because Cool Broads present themselves in the best possible light, they don’t leave the house with greasy hair (unless it’s under a hat).

~tcb

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