How To Use Dry Shampoo Properly
The Truth About Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a go-to for so many of us - the quick fix when you need to head out the door and didn't have enough time to properly wash and condition. While it may save you in a pinch, chronic dry shampoo usage can end up damaging your hair in the long run. Learn what dry shampoo does to your scalp, how to recover from dry shampoo overload, and Garrett’s healthier alternative when you need a hair refresh.
Is dry shampoo bad for your hair?
While it can temporarily make your hair look refreshed, using dry shampoo improperly does a number on your scalp. If you go days straight using dry shampoo, it will accumulate on your scalp and can cause blocked hair follicles, resulting in dryness, irritation and inflammation. And if your hair follicles aren’t healthy, your strands won’t be and you may begin to experience increased hair fall. Think of it this way - you apply makeup in the morning, go to bed without washing your face, wake up and reapply makeup again and again. That's what applying dry shampoo over and over again to your scalp is like. TL;DR: An unhealthy scalp could lead to scalp conditions, hair thinning and loss.
Overdid it on the dry shampoo? Here’s how to rebalance:
Find yourself dealing with the above symptoms? First, recognize when you need to lay off the dry shampoo. Dry shampoo is fine for a quick touchup here and there, but should never replace properly washing your hair. A good rule of thumb is to stop after two days of dry shampoo usage. If you feel like your hair needs dry shampoo on the third day, make time to wash it. It’s better to wash your hair more than to overload on dry shampoo.
Now if your scalp is in a bad place because you use too much dry shampoo, you want to focus on deeply cleansing and hydrating your scalp. Replace your regular shampoo with Suna Exfoliating Shampoo, a salt-free cleanser that uses rhassoul clay to gently yet powerfully exfoliate your scalp to break up all that buildup and any flakes on your scalp. Because your scalp needs extra balance at this moment, Suna is also formulated with sodium hyaluronate to lock in moisture and soothe dry, irritated skin. Bonus: If you start adding Suna to your ritual once a week, you’ll notice your hair stays cleaner longer, reducing the need for dry shampoo. Win-win!
The next step is to protect and treat your scalp out of the shower. When hair is still damp, reach for Cake, our Restorative Scalp Tonic. It’s a non-oily, water-like serum for your scalp, infused with clinically-proven skincare actives that restore and protect your scalp. Swiss apple stem cells create optimal conditions for hair growth and may help protect against hair fall; Lupine peptides support a healthy skin barrier and protect against environmental damage; Indian Senna, a botanical hyaluronic acid deeply hydrates; and rose hydrosol soothes dry, irritated scalps.
Feel like your hair needs a refresh? Try this instead of dry shampoo.
Create a new ritual that might having you ditching dry shampoo all together. Here's what our Founder and celebrity hairdresser, Garrett recommends -
- Spend time dry brushing your hair each night as you wind down for bed with a boar bristle brush, like Nice Brush, to move sebum off of the scalp and redistribute natural oils down the hair shaft to refresh and revitalize hair. Nice Brush merges the conditioning power of boar bristles with the detangling power of nylon bristles to create the perfect harmony of scalp stimulation and oil redistribution.
- Next time you're about to reach for dry shampoo, try Mare Mediterranean Sea Mist instead. A salt spray adds volume, texture and lightly absorbs some oil without all of the added ingredients of dry shampoo.
- Get creative with your hair styles! Try a treatment style pairing a hair mask or oil treatment with a slick back bun or whatever style your hair allows for. This is a beautiful way to nourish your hair while extending time between washes.
Give these tips a try – trust us, you’ll hardly reach for dry shampoo again.
