The 6 Helpful Benefits Of Dry Shampoo

If you’ve never used dry shampoo before, then this post is about to change your life! To the everyday shampooer, can you imagine how much time you would save by not having to wash and dry your hair everyday?

I frequently hear clients say “I HAVE to wash my hair everyday. It gets too greasy otherwise”. But what they don’t realize is that shampooing everyday is exactly why their hair is getting greasier.

I can’t tell you how frequently I’m complimented on my hair and I have to hold back from saying “Thanks, I haven’t washed it in 5 days!”

Dry shampoo is literally my secret weapon. If you’ve never used it before, then keep reading to learn why you should be!

Is dry shampoo good for your hair?

So this question is a tricky one, because no, it does not have any conditioning, repairing, or reconstructive properties.

BUT it does stop you from over-doing things that cause damage to your hair like shampooing, blow-drying, and ironing. So if dry shampoo helps you avoid further damage, then I would say YES it is good for your hair!

Dry shampoo benefits:

1. Absorbs oil
2. Saves time
3. Neutralizes odor
4. Increases color longevity
5. Keeps hair healthy
6. Adds volume and body

Who wouldn’t benefit from at least one, if not all of these things? You’d be lying if you disagreed.

1. It absorbs oil

The main purpose of dry shampoo is to absorb the natural oils from your hair that your scalp produces. It diminishes the appearance of greasy or dirty hair.

You’re generally able to go AT LEAST an extra 2-4 days without even wetting your hair with the use of dry shampoo. Everyone is different and produces different amounts of oil, so some may be able to go longer than others without shampooing.

If you feel that your hair is really oily or greasy all the time, that’s actually likely because you shampoo your hair too often. Every time you shampoo your hair, you are drying it out. When your hair and scalp are dried out, your scalp produces even more oil to over-compensate this. Your hair needs the oil to moisturize and smooth the hair.

This is why it’s important to NOT wash your hair everyday. If you aren’t sure how frequently you should be washing your hair, read my post here.

2. Dry shampoo saves you time

I don’t know about you, but washing my hair is a big deal because it takes up so much of my time and effort. I even end up planning my social events around it.

“If I wash my hair Thursday, then I’ll be good to go and won’t need to wash it my entire vacation”.

How nice does that sound?? 90% of the time when I go on trips, I do not need to wash my hair the whole time I’m there. It takes me 2 minutes to brush it out, and depending on how I’m styling it, 5-15 minutes total.

With dry shampoo you don’t even have to wet your hair, so that saves you from shampooing, conditioning, blow drying, and ironing. It may not sound like much, but it adds up especially if you’re running late in the morning.

On the days that I wash my hair I typically end up adding an extra 1-2 hours onto my getting ready time. I could not imagine having to do that every single day!

3. It neutralizes odor

Now, I can’t guarantee that it will take out the campfire smell from your hair if you were sitting by a fire pit all night long. If that’s the case, then yes you are better off washing it.

But if you’re concerned about your hair smelling strictly because you haven’t washed it in a few days, then don’t worry, you’re covered.

Dry shampoo neutralizes any odors in your hair from the natural oils produced by your scalp. Some dry shampoos are scented and add a fragrance, but not all of them are if you don’t like that sort of thing.

4. Dry shampoo increases color longevity

Yep! Dry shampoo will help your hair color last longer. This is strictly because when you use it, you aren’t washing your hair nearly as frequently.

Shampoo and warm water will pull your hair color out even if you are using a professional grade, sulfate free, color safe shampoo. Unfortunately there’s no avoiding it completely.

So if you’re spending the money to get your hair colored, you’ll want to get the most out of it. And dry shampoo makes that possible!

5. It keeps hair healthy

When you shampoo your hair, you are stripping it of natural oils that are needed in order for it to stay healthy and moisturized. When you use dry shampoo, the natural oils are still present; they just aren’t as visible.

Aside from just over washing, it also stops you from using heat tools on it as frequently. When you don’t shampoo, you don’t need to wet or blow dry your hair. Other than maybe a few small touch-up passes with your iron, you can skip the heat tools all together.

6. Dry shampoo adds volume

I often hear clients with fine or thin hair tell me that they need to wash their hair frequently because blow-drying gives them volume. Yes that makes sense, because the natural oils that your scalp produces can weigh fine hair down.

But instead of washing, try using dry shampoo. It increases volume because the starch ingredients cover your hair and add texture. As it is absorbing the oils that weigh it down and being thickened by the texture, your hair will get twice as much volume.

You can even use it on day 1 hair just to get some extra volume! Sometimes when your hair is too clean it is silky and weighed down. This will give you that lived in, un-done and textured look on day 1.

How Do I Use Dry Shampoo?

I get this question ALLL the time. One time I had a client text me the next day after purchasing some dry shampoo because she couldn’t figure out how to get it out of her hair. I died laughing trying to picture her in her bathroom, confused, trying to get it out without using water.

To use, shake up the can a bit, hold it 8 inches away from your head, and spray it at your root area. A little goes a long way and I would start with less and add more as needed.

Once you spray, rub it into your hair and scalp with your fingers until there’s no more oil; brush it out, style, and wah-la! No rinsing needed, it stays in until you actually shampoo again.

If you are on a tight budget or realize that you’ve run out of dry shampoo you can use baby powder as an alternative. It works similarly by absorbing the oils and neutralizes any odor, but if you have darker hair it is a lot more likely to show up than a typical dry shampoo.

When Should I Use Dry Shampoo?

As far as what days to use dry shampoo on, that number varies from person to person, and it may not even be the same from week to week. You can use it several days in a row.

I have found that you will get maximum longevity if you start using dry shampoo on day 1. I use it immediately after my hair is dried and then each day after until I shampoo it. This allows me to go 7-10 days.

If I only use it when I begin to feel oily, let’s say day 3 on, then I can only go about 4 or 5 days max without shampooing.

I also want to point out that it is best to use dry shampoo in the morning or when you are getting ready to style your hair. It doesn’t serve much purpose to use it at night before bed because you’d probably have to use it again when you wake up anyway.

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, my posts may include affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

The Best Dry Shampoos

Perk Up by Amika

My absolute favorite dry shampoo is Perk Up by Amika. It smells amazing, does its job, and doesn’t leave any sticky residue feeling in your hair like some other lines do.

This is my number one recommendation no matter what hair type or hair color you have. I have not met a single person that did not like this product.

Schwarzkopf Refresh Dust

My second favorite dry shampoo is Refresh Dust by Schwarzkopf. This was the first dry shampoo that I fell in love with. It doesn’t coat the hair like other brands, it adds body and smells great.

Quickie by Design Me

This last dry shampoo actually acts as a bonus root color spray. Quickie Me is a colored dry shampoo that is ideal for anyone that gets their roots colored, OR has dark hair.

Sometimes when brunettes use regular dry shampoo (especially for days on end) you can see a white hue in the hair from the product. This product is tinted sightly to avoid that from happening.

Now this doesn’t act fully as a root coverage spray, but it can definitely take some of the stark harshness away from the line of roots coming in.

Is dry shampoo better for your hair than washing it?

This is a pretty popular question! The answer is that they each serve their own purpose.

While shampooing too frequently is not good for your hair because it dries it out, you do need to shampoo it from time to time. Your scalp needs exfoliated and if sweat is not removed it can cause dandruff and flakes.

The amount of time between washes varies based on how much oil is produced, how much you sweat, and what products you’ve used since you last washed your hair.

Dry shampoo is not meant to replace washing your hair completely. It is merely meant to extend the time between washes.

Are there any negative side effects of using dry shampoo?

There aren’t negative side effects of using dry shampoo but like with any product, you have to know how to properly use it.

If you are completely replacing your regular shampoo with dry shampoo, that can cause a number of problems. This can include dandruff or scalp breakouts.

But this is not due to the dry shampoo itself, it’s because you are avoiding washing your hair. I typically don’t recommend going more than a week without shampooing. And I also recommend using scalp products simultaneously. Check out my post here if you have noticed any scalp issues from skipping shampooing.

Some dry shampoos also may contain a fragrance, which can be irritating to some. If you are aware of a sensitivity to perfumes or fragrances, then be sure to get a fragrance free dry shampoo.

Conclusion

Adding dry shampoo to your hair care routine can be life changing. Everyone can benefit from using it for at least one of the six reasons mentioned below:

1. Absorbs oil
2. Saves time
3. Neutralizes odor
4. Increases color longevity
5. Keeps hair healthy
6. Adds volume and body

To get the best results, it’s recommended to start using dry shampoo on day 1 after washing and blow drying your hair. This will help you to avoid getting greasy to begin with, instead of trying to erase the oil with the product.

Dry shampoo is not meant to replace shampooing, but instead increase the time between shampoos.

Leave a comment below of your favorite dry shampoo! And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!

last updated 08/14/2023