I’ve tried dry shampoo before. I couldn’t really tell you why — other than I love trying new products — but as someone who wets her hair in some capacity on a daily basis, I was pretty certain this type of product wasn’t really for me. And then last week Dove invited me and a group of editors out for a dry Shampoo demo and I realized I’d been sleeping on some of the benefits for my hair and other girls with curls, coils, and kinks.
The basic purpose of dry shampoo is to absorb excess oil in the hair and, therefore, extend the time between wash days. Now Black girls know a lot about going a while before washing our hair, but absorbing oil? That sounds a little counterproductive considering we’re constantly adding oil to our hair to keep strands moisturized — which you should be doing. But with all that product tends to come buildup and that’s where dry shampoo comes in.
“When you’re doing natural sets, you may put a little too much oil or cream, so, while your curls out here are popping because ends needs a lot of moisture, your roots don’t need that much so you might apply too much product and that’s when dry shampoo comes in handy,” celebrity hairstylist Cynthia Alvarez explained.
To demonstrate proper application technique, Cynthia used blogger Krystal (Krys) Benson as a hair model and began sectioning her ‘fro with her pinky finger so as not to disrupt her curls. She then sprayed Dove’s new Fresh and Floral Dry Shampoo right on the model’s roots, explaining, “I’m literally going to spray right on her scalp because I don’t want to dry her hair out.”
After letting the shampoo sit for 2 minutes, Cynthia simply massaged the product into the models roots, fluffed her curls, and she was good to go with refreshed, clean strands, which also smelled pretty great, Krys noted.
Being active, I asked about using dry shampoo on wet hair as a way to freshen up after the gym. Unsurprisingly, I was told that was a no-no, but Cynthia did explain dry shampoo actually has an unexpected benefit as a pre-treatment before a workout. The talc in the formula helps reduce the amount of moisture and sweating in your roots which can, in turn, save your style.
“Spray before you put your hair up in a ponytail or braid it and you’ll notice your hair won’t get as gooky or as oily,” Cythia advised, adding you’ll still likely need to dry your hair after the workout but the difference in moisture should be noticeable. If needed, you can also spray hair lightly again, once dry, to revive that clean feeling.
When it comes to protective styles and even locs, Cynthia says you can do dry shampoos, the key is easing your way in. “I would say start off with a lighter formulation, which is the Unscented, and then if you feel like it’s not enough for you, I would use Volume and Fullness or Fresh and Floral because those are a little bit stronger.” Generally, she said when it comes to the product, “Don’t be afraid, start off slow; you can always reapply.”
