Some may know of it as dry shampoo, others may know of it as hair powder. What ever you call it, this stuff is legit and every girl should own a bottle of it.
Hair powder isn’t a new discovery, and has actually been around for quite some time. In the 18th century, men used powder to tint the color of their wigs to make them more white (can you even imagine a time when men wore wigs?!). Nowadays we use hair powder a little differently…
Hair powder (or dry shampoo if you may) can be used for a few different hair issues. The main benefit of this product is that it absorbs the oil in your hair, and can save you from washing your hair for days. Honestly, if you have the right hair powder, it’s pretty gross how long you can go with dirty hair. This is where the term “dry shampoo” comes from. It doesn’t actually clean your hair, but it sucks up all that oil. Another amazing benefit is that it can create TONS of volume in your hair! If you have naturally limp hair, spray a little powder at your roots, tease it a bit, and you will freak over how big you can make your hair.
Over the years, I have tried and tested quite a few different hair powders, and I thought I’d share my experience in hopes to help you find the perfect one for you!
Let’s start with my all time FAVORITE…
Khlorane Dry Shampoo
When I started using Khlorane I instantly fell for this product. It was unlike any other hair powder I had used before and I just love it! Khlorane works great, it isn’t heavy, it doesn’t make your hair feel tacky, and the fragrance is subtle. Khlorane won’t leave any coloring on the hair, even if you have dark hair, and it just rocks! You can find Khlorane at Sephora and some high end beauty supply stores.
Jumping straight to my least favorite…
BigSexyHair Volumizing Dry Shampoo
BigSexyHair Volumizing Dry Shampoo sounds like it should be the most fabulous hair powder right? I mean, that name says it all and screams Victoria’s Secret Hair, BUT I hate this stuff! The first time I tried it my hair was pretty clean (washed it the day before). My intention was to spray some in for additional volume, and BIG SEXY HAIR (come on!). This stuff FEELS SO TACKY! My hair felt dirty, rough, and I was afraid to even put my comb through it because it felt like I’d break my hair off if I brushed through it. Yuck. If I was styling hair for a photo shoot and needed to vamp up some hair, this MAYBE would work, but for the every day user, I give this a thumbs down. I’ll spare telling you where you can purchase this product, and you can thank me later…
This may be my second favorite…
Naturia Dry Shampoo by Rene Furterer
Naturia Hair Powder reminds me bit of Khlorane. It’s a light hair powder that won’t make your hair feel tacky, like the BigSexyHair one will do. What’s unique about this powder is that it sprays a translucent color. It reminds me of a blot face powder if you will. It works great, and Rene Furterer is a fabulous brand of hair products. My ONLY complaint about this hair powder is the smell! I hate to say this, but it kind of smells like B.O. (body odor). I thought I was crazy in this thought, so I kept it to myself and continued using it, until a client of mine whispered this same thought in my ear! She too thought it smelled like B.O., and then I didn’t feel as crazy. Judge for yourself, because this stuff really works great. You can purchase Naturia Dry Shampoo at any high end salon or beauty supply that carries Rene Furterer products.
Couldn’t go without mentioning…
Bumble and bumble Hair Powder
I love Bumble and bumble styling products. Their concept is so fun, and the products really do work. Initially when they created their version of this product many years ago, the powder was in a little bottle and you had to “pouf” it into your hair. This created a challenge for most people, so thankfully they reformulated and created an aerosol spray hair powder. What’s unique about this stuff is it comes in 5 different colors. So their intention is that a redhead will use the Red Hair Powder, and if you have black hair you use the Black. The only thing is, this stuff can make a mess! It won’t stain, so fear not, but you can get colored powder everywhere if you’re not careful when applying. I generally recommend almost everyone to just purchase the White Hair Powder, just for safety purposes. This powder is a little tacky, but in a good way. This is fantastic for photo shoots, and once it’s in your hair you can tease it to the ceiling! My favorite is the Blondish Hair Powder. It’s the perfect level 7 caramel color (for stylists ears of savvy clients), and if you have roots, this color can actually camouflage them temporarily! You can purchase Bumble and bumble at many salons.
My Tips:
1. Be sure to apply powder to DRY hair. If you spray this stuff on wet hair it will not be a good outcome.
2. Don’t spray powder directly on the part of your hair. Start an inch down from your part and spray. If you spray it too close to your part or hairline, you have potential of seeing the powder in your hair.
3. Spray powder from about 8-12 inches away from your head. Don’t be afraid to go nuts either!
4. Once hair powder is in your hair, tease it up, smooth it out, and rock your big hair. The powder helps to create a cushion in your hair and the tease will not fall out.
5. You can use at home products to absorb oil too! These won’t have the same affect as a professional aersol hair powder, but if you’re in a crunch, it will do. I’ve heard of people using baby powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and Goldbond (yes Goldbond) to temporarily act as a dry shampoo.
Enjoy!
So weird…who would ever use cornstarch? 😉
Love these suggestions Sherri! Another that I’ve used is the Oscar Blandi Hair Powder which smells lemony (good to cover that oily smell).