Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

Dry Shampoo: For When You Just Don’t Have Time to Shower

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Duke chapter.


I’m a constant snoozer—I try to wake up at 8:30 for my 10:05 class, but inevitably end up waking up in a panic at 9:30. At that point, there’s no time for showering, and there used to be no fix for my greasy, dirty-from-last-night ponytail. I have to go to class looking like I’ve got an oil slick on top of my head, and wondering if everyone else has noticed it. We’ve all been there, and it’s a gross place to be.

But, recently, a new item has come on the market that is the perfect remedy for such days. Dry shampoo, a water-free way to freshen your hair, is great when you’re in the biggest hurry, ever (just like every other Monday morning). Sprinkle some of the loose powder into those greasy roots, rub it in, and go! Some of the most well known brands on Sephora’s website (www.sephora.com) are Oscar Blandi’s Pronto Dry Shampoo and CLEAN Dry Shampoo.

Most of these dry shampoos contain tea tree oil to nourish your scalp, natural starches such as tapioca, rice, and oat starch to clean your hair, and fragrances such as lemon verbena to make your hair smell great! Also, it’s important to make sure when you’re buying this miracle product that you buy from a brand that doesn’t include parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, or petro-chemicals. Although they sound fancy and sophisticated, all of those chemicals are bad for either your hair or your body. Stay away!

This fairy-tale solution to your bad hair day problems doesn’t come without its own little problem though. Make sure you rub the normally white powder in all the way before running out the door; otherwise you’ll end up looking like you’ve got a terrible case of dandruff. Or, even worse, you’ll look like you have gray hair!
For that little issue, you could also consider buying a product created for your hair color. On Sephora’s website, products such as Bumble and Bumble Black Hair Powder To Go (which comes in every hair color) seem to be selling out! If you’re concerned about white dust in your hair (which we all should be—that never looks cute on anyone!), go for a darker color.

In my opinion, this is the best invention since the invention of the microwave. My dry shampoo has saved me from looking like I just went swimming thousands of times, and I cry when I run out of it. So, go buy this product! You won’t regret it, I swear!

Sabrina is a Junior at Duke University, and is double majoring in English and Public Policy. A born and bred South African, Sabrina has traveled to the USA to pursue her higher education. As well as being a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Sabrina is also Assistant Vice President for Recruitment for the Panhellenic Association at Duke. Sabrina has written for Duke's daily newspaper, The Chronicle and Duke's fashion magazine, FORM. After graduating, she hopes to attend law school preferably in her favourite city, New York. In her spare time, Sabrina vegges out to various fashion blogs, mindless TV (Pretty Little Liars anyone?) and online shopping (which borders on an addiction). If you manage to catch her in an energetic mood, she's probably on her way to cardiodance (or to the nearest mall).