Last month I confessed I only wash my hair once a week. A handful of people reached out with questions and, what I heard people say most clearly is: I could never do that. My hair gets so greasy.
First of all, let me tell you that one year ago, I was washing my hair daily. Daily! I felt like it was greasy by the end of day two. But, a friend encouraged me to try to spread out my washes and, after a little research, I learned that the more you wash your hair, the more oil it produces. You don't want to wash it as much? Don't wash it as much.
It took some effort, but, slowly, I trained my hair to be washed less and less. I started with an every other day schedule and progressively increased the duration between washes. Let me tell you: I had some BAD hair days last winter as I worked toward my goal. Real. Bad. I thought I was going to get reprimanded at work a few times (not joking!).
Here we are, one year later, and my hair is significantly thicker and healthier. I shower daily, but am saving so much time avoiding constant washing and styling.
This is after a week of no washing. No filter or edits on the photo :)
Everyone's hair is different and the single wash/week might not work for you, but, I can almost guarantee that, if you're washing daily or every other day, you could stand to wash less. I found Almost Exactly blog to be a really good resource for learning tricks to reduce washing and moving to a more natural routine.
After spending the last year testing all sorts of dry shampoos, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. I wish (wish, wish!) I could afford to use an EWG-approved kind each day, but, at this time, it's not in the budget. I go through them too quickly.
Dry Shampoo Ranking:
Newest favorite: Verb’s Dry Shampoo
Pros: I received this newly reformulated dry shampoo as a gift from Verb and have loved it! It smells wonderful and is great for dark hair. It leaves my hair voluminous and looking fresh.
Cons: It does leave a bit of white residue initially, but I found it blends in easily much more than some of the others.
Best all-around: L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay Dry Shampoo
I discovered this at Kroger and allowed myself to believe it was maybe a little bit more eco-friendly since it had clay in the title. Probably a lie, but it made me feel better :)
Pros: It absorbs oil well, but does not leave residue. It added volume to my hair without weighing it down. It smells amazing, too.
Cons: The bottle is a little smaller than some of the others, but worth paying a dollar more for what it does.
Most effective: Not Your Mothers Shampoo Dry Clean Freak
Pros: This dry shampoo left my hair feeling and looking the cleanest. It did not leave any residue and didn't weigh my hair down.
Cons: It is unscented and I prefer a light smell (nothing too overpowering, though).
Best smelling: R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo
OK OK. This one isn't affordable. I bought it when I was in a pre-wedding haze and I felt like I needed everything, ever to make myself look and feel beautiful. But I thought I'd include it since it has been fully vetted.
Pros: By farrrrr the best smelling dry shampoo I've used (I think it rivals Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo!)
Cons: The price. And, I didn't think it was as effective as drug store brands at reducing oils.
Runner up for all-around best: Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo
Again, the name here implies some level of healthiness, which is just the kind of marketing tactic that gets me.
Pros: No residue left behind, nice scent and definitely effective at reducing oils.
Cons: It didn't thicken my hair like the Extraordinary Clay did. But, it didn't leave residue or anything, so I'd buy it again.
Best non-dry shampoo option: Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion
OK don't freak out at the price of this one. It's a little bottle but it lasts for-ev-er. I have barely dented it since my friend Sara gave it to me in March.
Pros: It seriously thinkens my hair and creates a matte texture that makes it look clean.
Cons: Well, it's not actually a dry shampoo. So I don't know that it necessarily absorbs oil; it seems more like it covers it.
Worth mentioning: Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo, Keratin Infusion
Pros: A total bargain and definitely effective. Nice scent, no residue left behind. I'd buy it again, but it wasn't my favorite all around.
Cons: I read online that it weighs some people's locks down, so if you don't have coarse hair, it could be an issue.
The most residue left behind: TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo
Pros: Nice scent, effective at making hair look clean. Very affordable.
Cons: This shampoo left a lot of residue behind for me. I don't know why, because other people seem to love it. It was not for me.
Most overrated: Batiste Dry Shampoo - Fresh
Pros: Effective at cleaning, did not leave residue
Cons: I was so, so excited to try Batiste Dry Shampoo. It has gotten rave reviews and was an Amazon #1 new release in February. The smell was way too overpowering for me. I couldn't even finish the bottle. Chris isn't sensitive to smells and even he was overwhelmed by it.
And now, a few I'd LOVE to try:
Qet botanicals: They have crazy-good EWG ratings! I would love to try their Lavender Powder Dry Shampoo.
Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo: I've used a friend's once and loved the smell. Definitely want to try it!