Dry shampoo, texturizing spray and powder: the guide

The comeback of dry shampoo has been going on for a few years and the range of products has grown considerably. Are too many choices confusing you?

So dry shampoo, is it the same as texturizing spray? Is it better to use a powder or a spray format? Do you have to use a special technique for all these products?

It’s time for a little update on the dry shampoo and other members in this range, don’t you think?

I’m a big fan of all these products because my hair is very flat and fine and also I workout almost daily.
So I usually need a little help to refresh my hair, but also to give it volume and to do hairstyles and volumised up-dos!

But you don’t use a dry shampoo or a texturizing spray the same way or for the same reasons. Let’s dig into it, shall we?

Dry shampoo:

• What is it?

Dry shampoo is a your BFF if you tend to have greasy hair!

It’s a hair product with a base of absorbent powders (from starch or clay) used on dry hair (without water) and it’s usually used between 2 shampoos. It contains no sulfates, no detergents, which makes it more gentle to the scalp.

It’s really convenient when you have no chance of washing your hair for several days (camping, treck, festival in Ireland…) (yes, I went to a muddy festival once) or for those who have bangs that become greasy very quickly, after a workout… Or maybe just one of those very lazy days, you know what I’m talking about. Those days you didn’t hear your alarm and there is just no time left for the whole hair routine!

Dry shampoos exist in 2 different types: a spray or a powder to apply directly to the scalp. Some are transparent, others are whiter and some are tinted (great for hiding the roots between 2 colors!).

It can have a slightly mat finish, but if you want your hair to shine again, you just need to apply a day cream for hair (such as Phyto for example) to polish and soften them.

You’re not supposed to use dry shampoo too often: it doesn’t replace a real shampoo that cleans and removes residue and excess sebum.
Personally, I use a dry shampoo about once a week, on the 3rd day after shampooing. (OK sometimes 2 times)
And I usually use a real clarifying shampoo once a week to clean the build-up and oxygenate the scalp.

• How do I use Dry Shampoo?

First step, start by brushing your hair to remove tangles. It also allows to remove residues and dust you may have in your hair.

Then, depending on the product, you distribute or vaporize some dry shampoo on your hair roots, usually on the most oily areas. If you’re using a spray, don’t forget to shake well the bottle at first and try to spray the product from a good distance (20-30 cm) and it’s better to use small short sprays of the product to avoid to putting too much product and irritating your scalp.
If you put too much product, your scalp may become itchy after a while and it can provoke dandruff (yummy!).

Then, after a little massage to the roots, it’s advised to let the product sit for 2 to 10 minutes (depending on the greasiness of your hair) allowing time for the product to absorb the excess oil.
For an optimal effect, you can finish off by massaging your scalp with your fingertips or better, you can rub it gently with a towel. This allows the powder to be well distributed all over the scalp. And the towel will help remove any excess dry shampoo.

Finally, finish by brushing through your hair to clear the last residues of dust and product.

The result: plumped and light hair with volume and a nice feeling of freshness. Depending on the nature of your hair, this cooling effect lasts from a few hours and up to 2 days for the lucky ones. (for me, it’s usually 12h)

• My favorites:

Batiste:

I’ve been a fan of Batiste dry shampoos for a while (at least 2 years) because I find they’re really efficient and I love that there is a lot of choice: different flavors (I love that cherry one), others are tinted according to the color of hair, some are glittery… In short, everyone can find their perfect dry shampoo!

The texture is not the finest among dry shampoos I’ve tried. You can feel it a little on the scalp and it’s not really transparent. But it does the job and I think they’re particularly absorbent.

They are usually available in drugstores like Boots and online for $7 to $9.

COLAB:

A big crush on this dry shampoo!

COLAB is a British dry shampoo brand owned (among others) by the model/blogger Ruth Crilly from the blog A Model Recommends.
Initially, I was very suspicious because all the other bloggers (friends with Ruth) were raving about it and that is typically the kind of thing that stops me.
But hey, curiosity (and the fact that it costs less than 10$) won and I sent my husband on a mission to Superdrug when he was travelling to London. (the products were not available here and they can’t be delivered because they’re flammable -_-)

This is a super fine dry shampoo and it’s almost transparent, you hardly feel it on your scalp and it’s decently absorbent.

There are 5 different perfumes, each bearing the name of a city: London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Rio.
(and obviously, the one named Paris smells like rose, according to the very cliché romantic image of Paris I guess) (and I’m sure that when you use it, you can hear the accordions bigsmile )
So I chose London, a perfume that smells like regular hair styling products, a very classic fragrance and honestly, I love it!!!

I’m delighted because COLAB will be available in Dubai in a few weeks (not sure where exactly, I’ll keep you posted), because I must admit that it’s not financially interesting to pay for a plane ticket Dubai-London to get some! wink
Otherwise, it’s available in London in Superdrug and is also sold on feelunique.com. (and it also exists in a very convenient mini version!)

• A miss:

Kérastase Powder Bluff:

I wanted to try a Kérastase dry shampoo, because according to the reviews I read, it was supposed to be completely imperceptible (it was before discovering the COLAB one).

So actually, it’s completely transparent and very fine but it’s also totally ineffective!
It takes a ton to absorb the sebum excess and after a while, it becomes very noticeable on the hair and most importantly, the can is empty very quickly!
And honestly, for a price ticket of 37$, it kind of hurts!

My tip on this one: keep your money!

The texturizing powder or spray:

• What is it?

In the UK and especially the US, these kind of products are very famous. But in the rest of the world, it’s more commun to use sea salt sprays on wet hair to add some waves and volume to your hair.

The texturizing powder or spray are also styling hair products but you apply them on dry hair (on the roots or the lengths) and they thicken the hair for a “big hair” effect, very Brigitte Bardot style.
You can apply them the 1st day after the shampoo, on blow-dried hair, to give a cool “day after shampoo” effect. It’s also perfect if you need to style your hair because it will add some grip.
Personally, I never do it, because I find that my hair quickly gets dirty and usually after 12 hours, I start to feel the product on the scalp. And, to top it, my scalp can be very itchy after a while…

The formula is like a mix between a hair spray (it’s a little sticky, to really fix and lift the hair) and a powder spray, but it hasn’t the thickness of a dry shampoo.

It’s not as absorbent as a dry shampoo. It is more like a styling product than a cleansing product. The claim of these products is to texturize the hair. These are completely transparent products in your hair, no risk of looking like Marie-Antoinette!

Texturizing styling hair products exist in 2 forms: powder or spray.

• How do I use Texturizing Powder / Spray?

It really depends.

– Powder:
You can sprinkle this very fine powder with a “salt shaker” type packaging, directly on the scalp for an immediate plumping effect or on the lengths. The powder becomes transparent and leaves the hair thickened and with a grip effect. This is my favorite product for my hairstyles with braids. I apply the powder and it’s magic, my braids are twice as thick! (Check out the images below).

– Spray:
You use it almost like you would with dry shampoo. Apply the product in small short bursts, you vaporize it on the roots or the lengths and you can crunch your hair for a very wild effect. It’s the ideal product to give a good lift to very flat hair, even just after you’ve washed your hair (and of course, on the second day).

For both products, one important thing: do not brush your hair! The whole point of the product is that it coats the hair to give it this textured look. So you don’t want to remove everything by brushing your hair…

• My favorites:

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray:

I already did a review on it in my post “Big hair don’t care” and I still love this precious product ($42 for a bottle ouch).

It’s completely transparent and really gives a very volumizing effect which is quite impressive. A little goes a long way and I apply it mainly on my roots. The sticky hair spray feeling is still quite present, but that is what secures this “lift” effect on the roots.

However, after a dozen hours, I really feel it on the scalp and it tends to cause some itchiness… So I use it very sparingly. Considering the price of the bottle, that’s better anyway! wink

It’s available in Space NK. Here, in Dubai, it is also sold at Bloomingdales.

Batiste XXL Plumping Powder:

I love this magic powder!

It helps to give body to the hair and also boosts the volume on the roots. You really don’t need much and it leaves no traces in the hair, as it becomes clear as soon as you’ve massaged it with your fingertips.

I love applying it on my lengths before styling to make all kinds of fluffy buns or even better directly on my braids for a messy and very big result!

On the left, a normal braid, and on the right, the same braid “plumped” with Batiste powder (I have stretched it a little on the sides but the powder gives it the oomph without adding any gaps in the braid).

And as I apply it more on my lengths, it can easily be removed in the evening by brushing it through and it leaves no residue in the hair.

The Batiste XXL Plumpling Powder is available at Boots or other drugstores for less than $10.

The Volumizing Dry Shampoo:

• What is it?

It’s a mix between the above 2 types of products that I just talked about.
A product which is able to absorb the excess oil but also to have this texturizing action for a lighter and volumise hair. It also allows to do great up-dos which will last. So basically all the actions together!

Sounds exciting isn’t it?

Well, except that in reality, if the powdery effect is too intense, so the product can be rather difficult to handle…
Indeed, it’s quite difficult to brush the excess product out when your brush gets glued to your hair! In fact, it’s a bit like having teased hair, you know what I’m talking about? It’s almost like your roots are tangled.

And after a few hours, you can really feel the product on the scalp, so if you’re like me and you have a sensitive scalp, it can often become itchy as well…

So usually, I find the texture to be quite thick and complicated to use, especially on long hair. I think with shorter hair, the result would be much more convincing. Feel free to leave me a comment if you have short hair and you use these kind of products! smile

Anyway, it’s still a product that I don’t want to use on freshly washed hair, rather the second or third day after the shampoo.

• How do I use Volumizing Dry Shampoo?

You use it exactly the same way as a dry shampoo, same technique! (however, as I said earlier, brushing the excess can be complicated because of the stickiness of the product)

• A product I liked anyway:

Batiste Volume XXL:

I think this product is not really well “categorized”. It’s classified as a dry shampoo with a volume effect but I think it has exactly the same effect as a texturizing spray.

It’s not super absorbent so it’s not ideal if you want to use it for your greasy hair. Let’s say that it will refresh slightly dirty hair but it’ll do nothing for you if you have super oily hair!

However, the volume effect is pretty decent and it is great to use on the roots. It’s rather clear, so no need to brush out the excess and the feeling on the scalp is not too thick (at least, far less than other Batiste dry shampoos).

For me, it’s a good dupe of the expensive Oribe and so that’s good news!

Batiste Volume XXL is available in many drugstores or for example on Asos.com for $7 to $8.

• A miss:

COLAB Extreme Volume:

What a disappointment!
As much as I love the classic COLAB dry shampoo, the Extreme Volume version didn’t really convince me.

It’s super thick, it leaves a lot of white residue on your hair even if you’re careful when you use it. So yes, it’s absorbing but the sensation on the scalp is really not pleasant at all. You can feel it much more than the classic version.

The volume effect is decent but the feeling was so awful that I just wanted one thing after I had applied it: go wash my hair!!!

If you still want to give it a shot, it’s sold in London in the Superdrug stores and online on feelunique.com for $7.

And you, are you a dry shampoo and other texturizing styling products lover? Which are your favorites?

Photos credits: bonnie-garner.com

Cet article est aussi disponible en français: Shampoing sec, poudre et spray texturisants: le guide