Dry Shampoo: Why Every Woman Should Own It

While it's been around for decades, dry shampoo has stayed mostly under the radar until recently. Once thought of by the public as an out-of-date product exclusively used by little old ladies that only wash and set their hair once a week, this secret weapon within the hair industry can be your key to amazing hair. 

Skip the Shampoo

More and more we're hearing that washing our hair every day unnecessarily strips the hair and scalp of oils, causing them to become dry and damaged. So what's a girl to do when you want to skip the shampoo, but your roots are too greasy to get away with it? Along comes dry shampoo to the rescue.

By sprinkling or spraying a little dry shampoo on your roots, especially around your hairline and where you part your hair, you can quickly and easily sop up any excess oil and go about your morning beauty routine without the need to lather up. 

Get A Grip

We all love the feeling of freshly-washed hair, and how soft and silky it can be. Unfortunately, it's this smoothness that can make styling your hair difficult. Cue that dry shampoo. Not only does dry shampoo absorb excess oil, it lightly coats your hair and, as a result, gives your hair more volume and "grip" to hold your hair in place longer.

Dry shampoo is especially handy for fine, limp hair or when you need an extra boost of volume for that girls' night out. Creating an at-home updo? A little dry shampoo applied to your hair beforehand will make creating volume, or shaping the perfect curls, much easier.
  

Picking the Right One For You

There are many different versions of dry shampoo on the market and, depending on your hair, and what you're using it for, there will be a version meant for you.

Dry hair? Choose a dry shampoo with vitamin B-12 and keratin in the formula to help replenish missing moisture. Keep in mind, if your hair is excessively dry, it may be that you've been washing your hair too often to begin with, so reaching for the dry shampoo instead will help the situation on its own.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo cleanses by absorbing excess oil and dirt that weighs down hair.
Sea Buckthorn Berry extract, which is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and healthy omega fatty acids, conditions hair leaving it soft and manageable. The lightweight formula creates soft texture and removes odors to refresh hair between shampoos.
Dry shampoo can sometimes leave a whiteish residue on your hair. Those with dark hair would do well to pick one of the tinted versions that contain just enough tint to camouflage its presence in your hair.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (Gentle Formula for Brown to Dark Hair)

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (Gentle Formula for Brown to Dark Hair) is lauded as the original and best dry shampoo. It gently revives hair in 2 minutes—naturally.
With a unique combination of plant-based ingredients, it absorbs excess oil so hair is left clean and volumized. Oat milk softens, protects and moisturizes hair.

If you're using dry shampoo to skip hitting the showers post workout, you'll want to go for the stronger formulas. These contain extra oil-absorbing power, along with a fragrance that will help counteract any sweat smell that may linger on your scalp.

RENE FURTERER Naturia Dry Shampoo with Absorbent Clay

RENE FURTERER Naturia Dry Shampoo with Absorbent Clay is perfect for the gym bag, long trip, camping, and office drawer, maintaining your hairstyle, or avoiding frequent shampooing. It cleanses hair in minutes, leaving it light, luminous, and perfectly healthy, without using water.

Whether you're using dry shampoo as a time saver, a styling booster or both, having this handy product in your arsenal will help you say goodbye to those bad hair days.

Is It Important to Alternate Shampoo?

Is It Important to Alternate Shampoo?

It’s a common belief in the beauty industry that it’s necessary to change shampoos periodically to revitalize your hair. This comes from the idea that hair “adapts” to a shampoo and your hair no longer gets the same benefits that it did when you first started using it. Many sources will tell you to alternate shampoos periodically to keep hair looking fresh, clean, and shiny. 

Although it may seem that using the same shampoo over a long period of time leads to reduced performance, this isn’t due to adaptation to the shampoo. If you use any hair product, over a period of time, some of the ingredients will build up on the hair and scalp, and reduce the natural shine and body you experienced when you originally started using the product. If you alternate shampoos for a short period of time, you’ll probably wash out some of the build-up left over from the previous shampoo and experience renewed body and shine.

To reduce the need to alternate shampoos, pick a shampoo formulation that doesn’t have added conditioners or other ingredients that build-up easily on the hair shaft, roots or scalp. Keep in mind that it’s not just shampoo ingredients that build up over time, but also conditioning and styling products. In fact, these products are more likely to be the culprit when hair starts looking dull than build-up of shampoo ingredients. 

One alternative to switching shampoos is to keep using your old one and use a clarifying shampoo once a week to remove all the “gunk and junk” that’s weighing down your hair. Clarifying shampoos are essentially shampoos with extra surfactants that help remove residue. The problem is these shampoos can dry hair out and change the look of color treated hair by slowly stripping away the tint. That’s why it’s important to use a clarifying shampoo no more than once a week and even less if you can.

The best way to avoid the problem of having to alternate shampoos is to limit the use of hair styling products, particularly ones containing silicone which can be difficult to remove even with a clarifying shampoo. Use conditioner only where it’s needed such as on the ends of the hair. Hard water can also cause buildup that can lead to dull, lifeless hair, so consider having your water tested if your hair is difficult to manage.

The bottom line? There’s no need to alternate shampoos. Keep a bottle of clarifying shampoo around and use it when your hair starts to look dull. Meanwhile, keep using the shampoo you enjoy.

Highly Recommended! Giovanni Shampoo & Conditioner

Have you ever encountered the following experience? After using a shampoo or conditioner that claims to make your hair silky smooth, your strands do feel luscious at the beginning, but then after a period of time, they start to become frizzy, feel weighed down and even resulted in hair loss? I experienced losing nearly a hundred hairs every day after shampooing awhile ago, this really freaked me out as I thought something was wrong with my body, but then (luckily) later I found out that it was caused by my shampoo which contains Dimethicone. 

Dimethicone is a synthetic oil-based material, which boosts moisturizing and hydrating properties. Upon contact with the hair, it will fill up gaps between the hair cuticles, thus giving a shiny appearance and smooth touch to your hair. However, Dimethicone also has its downsides. Since it is water insoluble in nature, it cannot be removed thoroughly after hair wash. On the contrary, it forms a coat on your hair and with repeated washes, the coating gets so thick that it makes the hair loses elasticity, feels weighed down, clogs follicles, irritates the scalp and in more serious cases, leading to hair loss. 

So, it is my shampoo which contains Dimethicone that causes my hair loss! As soon as I stop using it, the situation improves a lot. After I dropped that evil shampoo like a hot potato (yes, you should too!), I was on the lookout for a Dimethicone-free shampoo, and finally I have found an amazing hair care brand from the US – Giovanni.

Being an organic brand, Giovanni’s products do not contain Dimethicone, Parabens, SLS, chemicals and they are pH balanced with biodegradable formulas. Their shampoos deeply cleanse hair and clarify scalp, while leaving no traces of harmful chemicals, providing gentle care for your tresses.

Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo (For Damaged Hair) 8.5oz / 250ml
Features a pearlized formula that transforms hair into a silky palette. The luxurious lather soothes dry, chemically processed hair and cleanses gently for manageable smoothness. I like its subtle fruity fragrance from Apple and Aloe Vera Essences, which provide antioxidant protection and act as enhanced moisturizers for even silkier hair. 100% vegetarian ingredients, USDA Certified Organic.


http://www.cosme-de.com/en/product/product_page.html?pdid=7830

Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner (For Damaged Hair) 8.5oz / 250ml
Features a silkening formula with Vegetable Protein to renew hair. It infuses deep moisture for manageable smoothness and protects against split ends. I also like its fruity smell just like the shampoo. It instantly brings a smooth sensation to my hair which might feel dry after using organic shampoo. Hair also feels lightweight afterwards. 100% vegetarian ingredients, USDA Certified Organic. 


http://www.cosme-de.com/en/product/product_page.html?pdid=7829

After using the above two products for two weeks, my hair loss improves dramatically. It’s been 3 months since I started using them, now only a few hairs fall out occasionally after I wash my hair. My scalp feels more cleaned and clarified, and itchy feeling greatly reduces. For those who want to have healthy mane, Giovanni’s shampoo and conditioner ar e must-try items!

Five-Step Plan to Healthy Hair

Have split ends become an everyday thing where you just cut it off when you see one? That's just a temporary measure and it's time to get to the root (pun intended) of the problem! When hair is so damaged that it snaps or splits, you need to take steps to savage it:

1. Lay off the chemicals.
   Even the strongest hair can't withstand a full-on assault of peroxide and straightening solution. Talk to your stylist or colorist about how to give it a rest for at least three months (it may require a different cut or daily routine to camouflage roots or unwanted waves).
   
   
2. Shampoo gently.
   Hair that's weak or damaged needs a moisturising shampoo. Wash as infrequently as possible, and unless hair filthy, there's no need to scrub hard - just rub shampoo into the scalp and let the runoff clean the ends.
   
   
3. Don't stint on conditioner.
   Those weekly deep treatments some consider a luxury are now a necessity for you. Consider slathering them on every other day before shampooing then following the wash with a regular rinse-out formula.
   
4. Protect yourself.If you can't lay off the blow-dryer completely, at least minimise further damage. Coat strands with a protective styling product, wait until hair is mostly dry (so you spend less time under the nozzle), use the warm setting instead of hot, keep the dry six inches from the head and don't point it on one area for too long. If you insist on flat-ironing, coat hair with a leave-in conditioner first.
   
   
5. Stay out of the sun.
   UV rays dry out hair and ruin its colour. Before going outside, douse your hair with a leave-in sunscreen treatment - or better yet, wear a hat!

Here are our newest haircare products that promise to show your hair some tender loving care:

John Masters Organics Lavender Lavender Rosemary Shampoo (for Normal Hair), US$23 for 236ml

This shampoo contains lavender and rosemary extracts combined with 13 other certified-organic ingredients plus soy protein and wheat amino acids to leave hair healthy, shiny and manageable. It doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate and is safe for colour-treated hair.

John Masters Organics Rosemary & Peppermint Detangler, US$23 for 236ml

This shampoo detangles and conditions with a highly-effective combination of 18 certified-organic ingredients. Natural soy proteins and borage oil replenish lipid content, wheat and soy proteins restore strength and shine, and essential oils of rosemary and peppermint provide an exhilarating scent. Safe for colour-treated hair.

John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler, US$23 for 236ml

 This shampoo detangles and conditions with a highly-effective combination of 18 certified-organic ingredients. Natural soy proteins and borage oil replenish lipid content. Wheat amino acids and soy proteins restore strength and shine, while essential oils of grapefruit, lemon and neroli provide an uplifting aroma. Safe for colour-treated hair.

L'Occitane Aromachologie Repairing Serum (Dry and Damaged Hair), US$35 for 100ml

This leave-on serum smooths and nourishes hair. It repairs split ends and prevents frizz. The non-greasy formula protects against the damaging effects of environmental stresses and preserves the shine of hair and the brightness of color.

Tame your messy hair

 

My hair is always a big problem for me, they are as dry as straw, that's how I usually call them. I tried numerous shampoo and conditioner, and none of them really help. I was about to give up recently, but accidentally, in a hotel room during my short trip, I found a set of L'Occitane 5 Essential Oils Shampoo and Conditioner. And they revived my hair.


The shampoo is not so foamy which I didn't feel very comfortable with at first, because I always think that only foamy shampoo can clean my hair thoroughly, anyway, at least the smell was quite nice, I thought to myself in the shower room. But the conditioner felt good on the hair, very pampering for the hair, smell is light as the shampoo.


The result wasn't significant until the next morning (I wash hair in evenings normally, so my hair can have a whole night to get back in shape, well, better shape at least). When I saw myself in the mirror, I was like: "wow, this is the very first time which I don't need a hair straightener!". My hair was soft and straight and shiny (well, of course not as shiny as in hair product TV ads, but much shinier than normal).


I was so pleased with their performance, and of course this L'Occitane set has now become my bathroom essential!

BAWANG Anti-Hair Fall Pack

My friends always tell me that BAWANG shampoo really works but it has a very strong herbal smell, and THAT is what stopped me from buying.

Then why did I buy it at the end? It was when I found that quite a lot of my hair fell off for a continuous period, and it really bothered me. So I gave BAWANG a try. When I opened it, it did have a strong chinese herbal tea smell, and I used it anyway. After a week, it's about three times because I washed my hair every other day, the hair loss situation improved significantly. Not only that, the hair condition improved too.


So aside from the smell, it's really worth trying!


Tips: Use it in the evening before you sleep (of course blow dry before sleeping). If I have to go out after washing my hair, I use my other shampoo with nice smell. :P