Thousands of NaturallyCurly readers voted on this year’s Best of the Best product awards, and one of the most surprising (to me”> items that won you all over was Batiste dry shampoo.
Granted, I am a woman with 4C hair, the tightest of the curl patterns. Additionally, my hair strands are stubborn due to their low porosity and thickness. These attributes are precisely why I love my coils, and the reason I’ve been wearing them in protective styles — to avoid environmental and manipulation-based damage to my ends. As I continue rocking cool protective styles, I am extending their wear with each installation. When this happens, my scalp needs extra special attention, but sometimes… I get tired, y’all. After eight hours of work, 1 hour of kitty cat-playtime, two hours of band practice, and texting loved ones at any given moment throughout the day and night, I don’t have time left to oil, massage, treat, rinse, and repeat a washing regimen on my scalp. It ain’t happenin’.
That’s why I said to myself, “I’m going to try Batiste dry shampoo. The curlies like it; maybe I’ll like it, too!”
So… here’s what happened…
FIRST IMPRESSION
Skepticism: My knee-jerk reaction to the Best of the Best selection.
Visions of teeny bopping girls clamoring over pop star-buzz magazines flashed before my eyes when I saw the swirling seafoam green aerosol spray bottle. Upon receiving it, I shook the bottle and felt as if I were about to put 100% opaque white spray-deodorant onto my scalp. Skepticism turned into remorse. Why did I choose to try this?
Well, first impressions can be wrong? Right?
In this case, only one spritz told me what I needed to know.
INGREDIENTS
Oryza Sativa Starch, also known as Rice Starch, is the only ingredient that stood out to me. It is absorbent, which makes it perfect for those that have oily scalp and hair.
Following the CG Method? You need to know that this dry shampoo contains Denatured alcohol, one of the many ingredients that help makes the product efficient for those with oily scalp and hair.
The spray liquid is feather-light, which instantly surprised me, especially since I was expecting a weighty spray that would cake onto my scalp. It sprays on with ease and is cool to the touch, which is a bonus for those that live in either arid or humid climate. Since I have never used a dry shampoo before, I was very excited about this product’s attributes.
APPLICATION
The bottle shows a 3-step application process with illustrations and numbered bullets that instructed me to shake the contents and spray it on sections of hair. Concentrating on the roots, I massaged the dry shampoo into them. Because my hair was in box braids, I could not follow the third step of brushing the dry shampoo through to remove any residue that may have built up. As it turns out, this is a critical step in applying a dry shampoo.
Typically, I pre-poo, or massage a blended-herb scalp oil, into my scalp before cleansing my curls. In this instance, I wanted to get straight to freshening up my scalp and box braids, so it was the very first step I took in my routine. Because my Spidey Senses signaled that I might get a lot of white, chalky build up and a dry scalp, I reached for Jane Carter Curls to GO! Shine On Curl Elixir in case I would need to add moisture to my scalp.
RESULTS
My scalp and roots were covered in the dry shampoo, even though I rubbed in it in between my braids to reduce the residue’s appearance. Although I knew Batiste refreshed my scalp and made my braids smell pleasant, I couldn’t walk around with a technically clean crown that looked like a powdered donut. Alas, I reached for my curl elixir and sprayed it onto the white areas. It helped by getting rid of the residue while simultaneously adding moisture back into my roots and scalp with its argan and macadamia oils and aloe vera.
This is my first time trying a dry shampoo of any brand, and after my initial use I felt like this product was so simple to use (with the addition of a little oil to remove the white cast”> and is a reasonable alternative to a full scalp and braids washing session.
I continued to use the product with the addition of oil, and after several days I found that the product was working too well! It truly does absorb oil, even a couple of days after use. In my case, my scalp continued to get dryer no matter what type of hydrating spray or oils I applied. Fortunately, I had a couple of secret weapons in my kit: Long Aid Naturals Tea Tree Detox Clarifying Spray and FORM Beauty Clarify Detoxing Shampoo. These were legitimate lifesavers for my scalp!
PRICE
Although prices vary by retailer, I’ve seen it online and priced under $9.
So, would I recommend this to those wearing protective styles? No. Would I toss this bottle in the hands of you with honest-to-goodness oily scalps? In a heartbeat. Although I cannot say that it is a win for every single hair texture and curl pattern, I did find that it works for its intended purpose: efficiently fixing oily roots and refreshing the scalp between washes. If you have fine or loose curls that easily get weighed down by products and need help stretching out your wash days, give this a try. If you’re an adventurous coily like me, you can give this a try too, but just be warned that if you have coarse hair that’s prone to dryness, this product was made to soak up oil and might not be the best for thirsty hair.
Did you vote for Batiste Instant Hair Refresh Dry Shampoo – Original as this year’s Best of the Best awards? If so, tell why and what you love about it in the comments!
It’s now available on SHOPNaturallyCurly if you need to restock on your HG, or if you’re on the hunt for a new dry shampoo.
And many thanks to those of you who shared your stories and reviews with me about dry shampoo on Instagram! Click over to @naturallycurly’s feed to see what your fellow curlies have to say about it.
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