A Clean Albeit Dry Shampoo
Do you wash your hair every day? Or are you more of a once or twice a week type of gal? What do you do after a great workout at the gym? How do you handle your hair?
For me, I never gave much thought about my tresses for the longest time until my daughters were adolescents. We discovered together a whole world of hair products, care, styles, and the fact that you can train your hair to actually be beyond what you are stuck with. Did you know that you can train your hair to forgo the need for a daily wet shampoo? I hadn’t the foggiest. It took a while for mine, as I always washed my hair in the shower every day since I was a child, but now I can go two to three days between wet shampoos. I still may wash every day, but I find that my hair behaves better when it is not so squeaky clean.
How does one get good results? That depends entirely on your hair, the products you use and the look you want. What I have found to be effective and easy is dry shampoo. Dry shampoo is, you guessed it, a dry method of washing your hair. Some actually ‘clean’ your hair, but others absorb oils which allow you to get another day or two between wet washes. There are many brands on the market which fall under two types – powder or aerosol spray. And within this there are clean, safe, nontoxic brands and ones that are not.
For me, it is and always will be safe and clean. In our home, we have been using safe clean products for years and have found them to be very beneficial in not only reducing our toxic overload but aiding in keeping our health on track. Definitely has a learning curve, but one worth pursuing. And besides, there are so many options now, tools to do the research and companies are becoming more aware that consumers want transparency and clean ingredients that it is easy to make the switch and keep the clean products in our homes and cupboards.
My first encounter with dry shampoo was when my mom was recovering from a difficult surgery. She had to spend some time in the hospital and could not leave her bed. A nurse brought in a shower cap filled with a powdery substance. She proceeded to place the cap, rub my mom’s head to distribute the powder, remove the cap, and voila. No more bed head nor oily hair. Where had I been all my life? All those camping trips wearing a ball cap hiding bad hair up in a pony? This was revolutionary!
After this, I began my dry shampoo days by making my own DIY formula – cornstarch and cocoa powder. I have dark hair, so I use about equal parts of each and place them in a smallish container. When using this shampoo, I use a puff, or cotton pad and attack the roots next to my scalp. This is where the oil resides, so I start here, rubbing it in and drawing it to the end of my hair. Allowing it to absorb for a few minutes before I style my hair gives me the results I want. And added bonus: TEXTURE. I have straight, fine hair. Not the luxurious wavy, thick hair I envy. One can dream, can’t she? But with my secret weapon, I now have hair I can do stuff with and style in fun ways.
Texture is the key to updos, incredible styles and amazing hair. Seriously, I never knew. But now that I know, there is no going back. To achieve the right balance, I use dry shampoo the day after a wet shampoo day. It gives me an extra day and my hair benefits with the added texture. I may get by with an additional day, but usually I throw it in a ponytail or an updo.
A word of caution is in order – too much of a good thing could damage your hair or scalp. Because the very nature of dry shampoo is to absorb oils, it can cause irritation to the scalp, remove too much oil leaving the hair dry and damaged, alcohol-based sprays can be damaging and very drying to the hair (and keep reading to see why aerosols are not the best choice at all). Many advocates of dry shampooing recommend not using dry shampoo two days in a row and to carefully monitor the condition of your hair and scalp for damage and irritation.
Typical ingredients in dry shampoos include: kaolin clay, cornstarch, rice starch, cocoa powder, charcoal, essential oils, fragrance. With aerosols there is liquified petroleum gas (LPG) – often a combination of butane, propane, and isobutane, and benzene. The trouble with LPG is it is highly flammable and you could end up with your hair on fire. And petroleum products are not the safest ingredients for our health – “a substance known to potentially contribute to some cancers. It’s also a kidney toxin, neurotoxin, and a respiratory toxin, not to mention a leading groundwater contaminate” (What’s Up with Petroleum in Beauty Products? goop.com). Fragrance has its own issues that I have written about in previous articles.
On December 17, 2021 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that P&G issued a voluntary recall of aerosol dry conditioner spray products and aerosol dry shampoo spray products. HERE is the full report. Brand names affected are Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essence, Waterl<ss, Old Spice and Hair Food. The reason for this voluntary recall is the presence of benzene detected in some of the products. “Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen. Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening” (USFDA Company Announcement, December 17, 2021).
You may remember a similar recall on sunscreen and after-sun products that occurred a few months ago. Benzene was detected in many popular brands and was taken off the shelves. HERE is an article published on October 12, 2021 with more details.
Whether we use dry shampoo over wet, or even sunscreens to protect our skin, it pays to be watchful and for the most part, clean products do deliver great results. As we go forward in opting for better health choices let us ask God for wisdom who gives generously to all without finding fault (James 1:5). Clean living is a choice, but I also recognize that it is one I have chosen for myself and my family and we have seen the benefits in our health and well-being. I am not a doctor, and I am only speaking from personal experience, but I am glad to be on this journey with the Lord at my side.
