Ask a group of women what their beauty hero is, and it’s likely that at least one of them will say dry shampoo. Allowing you to lie in for longer and making blow-dries last an extra day, dry shampoo is undeniably a modern-day beauty saviour – but are you really getting the most from it?
George Northwood, hairstylist to the likes of Alexa Chung and Alicia Vikander, says that the key to getting the most from your dry shampoo is to tackle grease before it even happens. That’s right, you should use it straight after you’ve dried your hair post-wash.
“I use dry shampoo on my clients for prevention, not cure,” he told us. “Particularly with finer hair which gets oilier more quickly, spritzing it onto a newly blow-dried style will amp up volume and make your hair last longer between washes too.”
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Before you begin, picking the right product is essential. If you have darker hair, choose an invisible formula such as Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Two Day Extender or Living Proof Healthy Hair Dry Shampoo to avoid a chalky residue. Blondes might actually find that a powdery formula helps to cover dark roots and promotes a creamier hue – Klorane’s cult classic Oatmilk Gentle Dry Shampoo is one of the best all-purpose formulas.
“Use dry shampoo as you would a volumising spray, spritzing hair in sections about two inches apart, working down from the parting to the nape," Northwood explains. “Hold the nozzle around eight inches from the hair and don’t focus on one area for too long, to avoid product build-up. You can even gently shake your head as you’re spraying it, to make sure it doesn’t all settle in one particular area.”
After this, the most important factor is the absorption of the product. Right now your hair probably has a scarecrow-like matt finish, but the technique you use to rub in the product is responsible for remedying that. “When you’ve evenly spritzed the dry shampoo into the hair, massage it into your scalp like you would wet shampoo in the shower – making sure it’s all rubbed in and evenly distributed.”
Follow this religiously and your hair won’t get greasy as quickly, it’ll have lasting volume and it’ll boast the kind of “grit” that makes plaits and up-dos a dream. But the reality is that sometimes you oversleep, you have 10 minutes until you have to leave the house and you need a solution to greasy roots immediately. What then?
“The most important thing when time is tight is to attack the areas that get the greasiest, which means focusing on the T-section,” Northwood says.
Yes, just like with skin where the T-zone of the forehead, nose and chin is the problem area for those with oily complexions, the most grease-prone section of the hair is in a T shape too: “Just imagine drawing a capital letter T on top of your head going up the parting with the top across the front of the head, along the hairline.”
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Just spray the dry shampoo in that shape, again around eight inches from the hair, and massage in exactly as before. And if there’s one more thing to know, it’s to avoid falling into the trap of simply scraping your hair back into a ponytail in the hope of hiding the grease.
“Don’t be tempted to tie it up. Dry shampoo by its very nature gives hair that bedhead, messy vibe, but if you pair that with a messy top-knot then it’s a double negative – it just looks scruffy,” Northwood says. “Instead leave it down in mussed-up waves and keep a little bottle of dry shampoo in your desk drawer for top-ups throughout the day.”
Problem, solved.
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