Lynn’s Too Lazy To Wash: Do any of these dry shampoo/hair refresher products really work? (I know they can’t substitute for proper washing!) To cut down on the number of times I have to use my hair straightening iron, I’ve tried Batiste (a powder spray) dry shampoo. To be honest the granny smell put me off and it left a gray film on my hair. I’ve now switched to Aveda’s refreshing hair mist which is basically organic lavender water. It’s more expensive but I’m happy with the results. Is this stuff genuinely better or do you think I’m kidding myself?!
The Right Brain responds:
Hey Lynn, just kidding about you being lazy; it’s actually good that you’re limiting the damage from straightening irons. Can hair refreshers help you? Well, sort of but it depends on what kind you use and how you style your hair.
The powdered types (like Batiste and Pssst) will absorb some oil from your hair but the downside is they can leave a whiteish residue, as you noticed. (And if you’re really in a hurry to spend your money, you can read what we previously wrote about the Stila hair refresher. It’s basically a $30 bottle of cornstarch!)
The liquid refreshers, like the Aveda product, are basically fragranced water. They can refresh your style to some degree, but it depends what styling products you used in the first place. These liquids can disrupt the film that mousse or gel put in your hair and may make your style droop.
The Beauty Brains Bottom Line:
If you like the way these products work on your hair there’s nothing wrong with extending your time between washings with a liquid or powder refresher. However, there’s no special technology in the expensive products, so you should shop around for an affordable alternative.
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I like the Fekkai summer hair series of products. I have wavy hair and it freshens up my style with a light spritz. I’m also a fan of plain old baby powder. It’s the best product out there to soak up the old, icky scalp oil (gross).
I recommend the hair powder from Hair-Fix. (http://www.myhairfix.com/) It comes in colours so it does not leave your hair white like baby powder or corn starch, and does a great job of soaking up oil and adding some texture. The only thing I regret about my new multi-coloured high-lights is that this stuff no longer works for me!
I like Oscar Blandi Pronto. But i put the powder onto the brush then run the brush through my hair for better results. no powdery build up then.
this really does get me one extra day. Aveda refresher,it has a crappy nozzle, so replace that. I find the aveda only works if I blow it dry a bit after.
It’s always good to have several alternatives in your hair care basket!
I have tried different hair powders until I got to try Bianco Hair & Body Powder by Principessa Beauty. It’s a spectacular product! It works amazing! It gave me lots of volume & body like if I had just had shampoo and blowout and it did not leave any white residue, and it’s smell so yummy!.. It’s definately a must-have product!
I got mine at BellaBellaBoutique.com. The direct link for the product is: http://bellabellaboutique.com/public_store_product.php?prd_key=e5dc025274
Baby powder (the cornstarch variety) has always worked for me. Just be sure to brush it all out to remove the white residue.
Cornstarch works great for me and I have dark brown hair. If I brush and massage it out it leaves no residue.
I like Algemarina Dry Shampoo (I’ve bought it off Amazon before). I have dark hair so I can’t just load it on, but it works well and has a refreshing scent.
http://www.amazon.com/Algemarina-2060-Dry-Shampoo-6-76oz/dp/B0009R5AXQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1205203184&sr=1-7
I third the posters above who use cornstarch. I have dark brown hair, and if I can’t wash it, I just rub a bit of cornstarch into the roots and brush it out with a boars hair brush (and then wash the brush out). It doesn’t leave any white residue and actually tends to give my hair more volume (probably due to extra brushing) but more importantly, it works and is cheap cheap cheap!
Baby powder works just fine…if you don´t want to smell like a baby´s bottom, used your favourite fragrance talc.
Mommanista was right about Hair Fix. I tried it, and I love it! It also has a light herbal scent, and it isn’t a spray so there are never any clogs. It’s not messy, but there is an applicator brush for super-clean application. It didn’t make my hair gray (I have dark brown hair). It didn’t weigh down my fine hair. Thanks for the tip Mommanista!
Batiste has a wretched smell, but there is a new fragrance of it that is pretty good, actually: Blush. Nowhere near as cloying as the Original or Tropical scents. Pssst leaves far too much residue, and the Bumble&Bumble stuff is crazy expensive. I’ve turned a bunch of friends on to Batiste – most of them are dark brown hair, as I do, and hated baby powder and cornstarch! As far as I can tell, Batiste has the highest ratings on review websites.
I was skeptical ordering the “shielo hydrate mist” for my hair and even more so when I first sprayed it on my hair, but I was pleasantly surprised. It does seem to freshen up your hair and give it a cleaner look.
My hair was already “day and a half old” but it was not greasy looking after using, just had a nice shine. It does “wet” the hair somewhat so I do have to blow dry afterwards (where as some re-freshening mists are dry and do not require drying). I even gave a few squirts to my face after applying my moisturizer and it gave my skin a nice soft glow.
I had use a light mist from Shielo called the HYDRATE Refreshing Mist, and I love it because its so light and great for daily misting to get my hair straight and remove flyaways. Shielo Hair products has a great reputation, but I never heard of their mist?
So I decided to try it out. I am not disappointed. I find it gives my hair good color when I straighten it. And it is much lighter so hair does not feel greasy or goopy. Go ahead and mist away cause it smells great and perfect size to keep in your bag to freshen your hair throughout the day!
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