Must-Do Mondays: Surprising Ways to Use Dry Shampoo

Tricks to use oil-absorbing hair products

By Diana Nguyen Nov 30, 2015 1:00 PMTags
Kristen StewartTristan Fewings/Getty Images

Nowadays, everyone from Kristen Stewart and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to lazy girls everywhere love a good oil-absorbing dry shampoo. Besides saving water, it prolongs the time until your next hair wash (everyday cleansing can strip hair of its natural oils, leading to brittle strands). But not too many people know that dry shampoo can make getting ready even easier than intended. To clue us in, we tapped lifestyle pro Carly Cristman for her dry shampoo tricks.

Use it the Night Before: We already know how to correctly use dry shampoo, which includes letting the formula absorb into hair for a few minutes without touching it—but try sleeping in it too. "I wash my hair at night and put a little bit on my roots to bring my hair back to life and give it some texture," said Carly. "It saves so much time in the morning when it's cold and all you want to do is stay in bed." Come morning, it'll give you just enough grip and much-needed volume.

Keep Curls From Clumping Together: If you hold your hair in a really hot curling wand, you'll notice that sections will start to cluster together into perfect ringlets. Unless you're going for a Toddler & Tiaras look, opt for more mature, naturally imperfect curls or waves. Apply a starch-based dry shampoo ("Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo is my hair saver," Carly added) over the curls to absorb the natural oils clumping your hair together—this will also help separate the strands.

Define Your Brows: Missed your last brow appointment? Need to retouch them in a pinch? Spray some dry shampoo on your finger and apply throughout the brows to volumize the hair. If you have thicker hair, use a spoolie to brush the formula through the hair; it'll help keep the strands in place. If you're using a pigmented or colored dry shampoo, make sure it matches your hair color when it absorbs.