There’s been a lot of recent buzz around cleansing the hair without getting in the shower. As consumer awareness grows about the damaging potential of harsh cleansers and drying processes, product companies are responding by releasing innovative new products, dry shampoos, no-rinse shampoos, and cleansing towelettes, that offer ways to rid hair of oils and odors without setting foot in the shower.
The Dish on Dry Shampoos
The most popular of the showerless-shampooing options, dry shampoos aren’t necessarily new to the hair care market, but recent months have shown a resurgence of this category of products. Dry shampoos are specially formulated to soak up excess oil on the scalp and in the hair, allowing for a longer period between actual wet shampooing and styling. “It’s our number one product because it saves hair from too much shampoo, heat-styling, or color loss, while improving texture and volume in a miracle style flash.” explains Nick Arrojo speaking of his wildly popular ReFINISH Dry Shampoo.
But how do they work on textured hair specifically? I caught up with Hair Rules founder and texture guru Anthony Dickey, who released a new Hair Rules Volumizing Dry Shampoo at Texture on the Runway, to talk about how they would work on our wide range of texture types. The good news: they’ll work on everyone! Dickey explained that for loose wash and go styles, dry shampoo works best on looser curl patterns that fall more into the 2 and 3 categories to add texture and volume. Coils that fall in the 4s would be best to use dry shampoos to prolong and refresh a straight style. “It’s great how this product is coming back,” says Dickey. “It’s just a healthier way to wear hair.”
A popular concern with dry shampoos is the white powdery residue that is left by the spray on product, which for a brunette can be a serious concern. Hair Rules’ dry shampoo has a clear formulation, while other brands like Bumble and bumble offer tinted powders that blend into the hair.
Cleansing Towelettes
Dry shampoos are specially formulated to soak up excess oil on the scalp and in the hair, allowing for a longer period between actual wet shampooing and styling.Chic Sheets are a neat new product to hit the market offering a quick and easy way to remove odor and tame frizz. Sold exclusively by AveYou, these innovative pieces of disposable cloth are smoothed over the hair lifting odors and leaving hair with a fresh vanilla citrus scent. Similar to dryer sheets, Chic Sheets have properties that also remove static frizz and flyaways. Chic Sheets are compact and easily portable making them ideal for refreshing hair after the gym or a night on the town.
DIY Alternative Cleansers
If you’re in a rush or have a refreshing emergency, search through your cabinets and try baby powder, cornstarch or unscented talc powder. These products have a similar effect as dry shampoos, but require a bit more creativity in application.
Final thoughts
It must be noted that dry shampoos and cleansing towelettes, while they can extend the life of a style for a handful of days, should not be a replacement for actual shampooing. In order to maintain scalp health, be sure to use clarifying shampoo which actually removes environmental pollutants, sweat, and product build up from the scalp.
