Is dry shampoo actually BAD for your hair?

Okay guys, we are going to talk about something that has actually changed my perspective SO much not only as a hair stylist but as a human all together. Yes, I’m dramatic, but this is huge for me.

I’m sure you’ve all heard it’s not good to wash your hair every day and all that jazz. I’m also sure you’ve heard about dry shampoo and how it’s great for days when you don’t wash your hair and you need a refresh!

WELL… it’s actually not as great as you think it is for your scalp and your hair! I know, I was actually mind blown too. This topic was actually brought to my attention by a fellow hair stylist, Danielle (@_danielledoeshair), and she made so much sense it was ridiculous.

Danielle talked about how dry shampoo can have some not so good effects to your hair and scalp. She basically summed up how anything that is meant to dry out your hair should never be used or produced.

Let me back up a little bit, when you break down the science of the scalp, you will learn all about the natural sebum that your scalp produces to nourish your hair. This sebum, or ‘grease’, is packed full of nutrients and vitamins to keep your hair healthy and at its best. When you wash your hair every day, you are unintentionally stripping this sebum out and taking away what your hair actually needs.

Now, we’ve always thought that the answer to keeping our hair healthy and not washing it was to apply dry shampoo to soak up any excess oil and sebum and help you to go longer in between washes. Wait a minute, doesn’t this sound like you’re doing the exact same as just washing your hair? Yes and no.

In my opinion, too much of anything is never good. After I read Danielle’s post and took it all into consideration, I decided to do a little experiment of my own. I typically wash my hair once per week which means I go 5-6 days without washing my hair. I know, it seems like a stretch, but it’s always worked for me because I had dry shampoo to make my hair seem like it’s way less dirty than it actually is. I decided to stop using dry shampoo for a few weeks and see how I felt.

I braided my hair, wore some headbands, and tried to manipulate it in ways that you couldn’t see my grease as much. I was also rinsing my hair in the shower and conditioning the ends a bit to rinse off any excess sebum without shampooing it and stripping my hair like we talked about above.

I have to say this, my scalp is way less dry and itchy after trying this out! Usually by the time I get to day 3 or 4 I feel like I need to claw the heck out of my head because it would get so itchy and flaky. I was kind of surprised to be honest, pleasantly surprised. I always chalked it up to having a dryer scalp in the winter time or ‘sure my head is itchy I haven’t washed it in 5 days’ but I never would’ve thought that I was using too much dry shampoo! I also loved the dry shampoo because it would give my fine hair volume and texture and when you have hair like me, you’re always trying to figure out ways to give yourself more body.

Once again, I was shocked that as a professional I never thought of dry shampoo in this way before. Over the last week or so I have applied just a touch of dry shampoo to the front sections of my hair before I go to work in the morning depending on how I’m wearing my hair that day, and my scalp has been okay so far! I’m not utilizing it every day anymore, though, just when I feel like I actually do need it.

It’s so easy to get caught up in trendy products and such and again, too much of anything is never the best idea. Is dry shampoo terrible for your hair? Some may say absolutely, I definitely agree BUT a little bit here and there won’t be as bad if you utilize it sparingly. Don’t overdo it or go crazy and spray your entire head, let those oils shine! Your natural sebum is to help nourish your scalp and hair and it contains all the nutrients and proteins to give your hair that silkiness and shine like you see in the commercials!

Moral of the story, I’ve learned a lot from this! Thank you to Danielle for showing me the light, and hopefully this has also given you a new perspective on dry shampoo! Whether you are a die hard shampoo lover like me, or you could care less and use it every once in a while, I think the verdict is that dry shampoo definitely is not the best product ever in creation like I always thought. It’s been a difficult break up, but it’s what is best for my scalp and hair so I guess it needed to be done sooner or later!

Let me know your thoughts on this! xoxo