The main purpose of dry shampoo is to reduce the appearance of oily hair and make your hair look freshly washed. In this regard, Powder Play does not fail. However, its true strength lies in its ability to give your hair a bit of lift. Note the name: Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder. This gives you a clue that its main goal isn’t so much the clean look as it is giving your hair some volume and texture. Looking limp is a common problem for unwashed hair but even people who do wash their hair regularly but have hair that just lacks oomph can benefit from this is as well. Not only does it lift the hair, it holds that lift for a surprisingly long time.

If you have ever tried to “back tease” your hair using hairspray, you know that it is not a simple process. This involves spritzing hairspray near the roots of your hair and combing it backwards repeatedly, which gives varying results and also results in a lot of breakage. On a good day, it can make your hair look a lot poofier, but on a bad day, it can leave you with a sticky hairspray mess and broken strands. BSH Powder Play offers a great alternative to this technique. It gives a similar effect with much less effort. Just rub some of this powder in toward the roots and you’ll have the teased look in no time!

I have dark brown hair and this powder isn’t noticeable at all on my hair. It also doesn’t have any discernible fragrance, which is a big plus for me because I don’t like any other scents to conflict with my perfume.

The bottle is small and this was a bit off-putting at first, but after using it a few times I can see that it’s going to last a lot longer than I initially thought. Keep in mind you’ll only need to apply some to the roots of your hair so you’ll need much less of this than you would liquid shampoo. You just need a small amount to get the lifting effect and the bottle dispenses the product very reservedly, so no worries about wasting it. It’s also very reasonably priced for a product of this type. Click here for more info or to buy Big Sexy Hair Powder Play.

This would also be a good choice to keep in your bag if you have to wear a hat and are worried about hat head. I do a lot of walking and would freeze without wearing a hat in the winter. Of course, this only makes my limp hair look even flatter once I take it off. I started keeping this in my bag so I could fluff my hair back up when I take my hat off and it works really well for that purpose. Now I can go from “hat head” to big sexy hair in no time at all!

So far, this is one of my favorite dry shampoo products. It’s similar to Schwarzkopf Osis Dust It in the sense that it’s really more for volume than oil absorption, although it easily accomplished both. Those whose hair does not lack volume might not be as impressed as I am, but if you have flat, limp hair, I strongly suggest giving Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder a whirl.

If your main interest in using dry shampoo is to fake freshly washed hair, ALTERNA Caviar Dry Shampoo won’t disappoint. While other hair powders do other tricks and absorb grease almost as an afterthought, this one truly does make your hair look and feel like you just washed and blow dried it. It’s not a small feat and it’s great to get this look with only a fraction of the effort. Not only does it soak up oil from your hair but it also does a great job of absorbing excess product, so if you tend to overload your hair with shine serums, mousses, and other styling products, you can count on ALTERNA to clean up the mess and help you start over again.

ALTERNA dry shampoo also gets points for its packaging. Housed in a sleek dark purple bottle, the presentation is elegant and makes it a product you’d be proud to leave in plain sight on the shelves of your bathroom or vanity. The fact that it doesn’t use an aerosol pump like some dry shampoos makes it a great choice for environmentally conscious consumers. The bottle does a decent job of dispensing the product, although some people might find it easier to use by unscrewing the top section altogether and simply pouring it out into the palm of your hand.

Now, it doesn’t do a whole lot beyond making your hair look and feel clean. It does add a bit of volume but it doesn’t give you big full hair the way something like Osis Dust It does. But a lot of people aren’t really looking for tons of extra volume and if this applies to you, then there is no reason to pass on it. It has a great clean scent and it actually let me go five wonderful days without having to wash my hair, which makes it well worth the price. It’s in the middle range when it comes to dry shampoos. There are both cheaper and more expensive options but this one is a great middle ground. Click here to see the best prices on ALTERNA Caviar Dry Shampoo.

The ingredients list in this product is pretty impressive. It doesn’t include talc, which is irritating to some people. Instead, you will find natural ingredients such as corn starch, tapioca starch, and soy protein. It’s supposed to be anti-aging. At first it was hard to imagine what they meant by that. It turns out that the ingredients are so gentle that they won’t make your hair look dull and damaged, which in many cases does make you look older.

Coconut oil is unique compared to other oils typically used on hair such as mineral and sunflower oils because it can actually penetrate through the hair shaft to the scalp and infuse it with protein. This helps hair to grow stronger, have more body, and be less resistant to breakage. If your hair is lacking a bit of life, this is a great way to add some bounce. It also makes dry ends or split ends appear much healthier thanks to the fatty acids it contains. This oil moisturizes and fortifies hair in a way that no other treatment can.

Not just any oil or product labeled with coconut will do the job, however. First of all, coconut shampoo is easy to find but this does not carry the same benefits as the oil. Many of these shampoos only feature the fragrance of shampoo so you are going to have to look a bit harder to find what you need. A health food store or natural beauty aisle is a good place to start. You must use pure coconut oil for hair to reap the benefits so avoid the refined types. These lose all of the nutrients that help the hair during processing. That’s why it is essential to seek out something labeled as virgin coconut oil. For hair, the closest you can get to nature is usually a better choice so read labels and ingredients very carefully.

When you buy pure coconut oil, you might be surprised to find that it is not a liquid at all but rather is more of a wax. It only becomes a liquid at higher temperatures so some slight warming may be necessary before using it. It is usually enough to scoop a bit out and warm it slightly in your hand before applying it to your hair. If you purchase it in liquid form, there is a good chance it is not virgin coconut oil so again, make sure you are getting the real thing if you want to reap the benefits.

After warming the oil, apply it to dry or damp hair. Make sure hair is not dripping wet when you apply it. Pay extra attention to the scalp, massaging into the scalp so it can penetrate. Then distribute it all the way through to the ends of your hair using a comb. Put a shower cap on to help the oil stay in place while you do other things. It should be left on for a few hours or ideally overnight if possible. Stick to the lower range of time if your hair tends to be oily but try to sleep with it if you have really dry hair. Once it has had a chance to soak in, wash your hair and dry and style it as usual. Note that you may need to shampoo your hair twice to get all the oil out and you may want to skip conditioner. If you find that your hair looks too greasy the first time you use it, you can use dry shampoo to make your hair look less greasy and next time try using less oil.

Most people find that doing this intensive coconut oil for hair treatment once a week is plenty. This should help counteract the stripping effect of your shampoos as well as any heat styling you may do during the week. While you may want to do it more often than that at first to help restore your hair’s condition, you should eventually switch to once weekly for maintenance. Any more than that can be a bit of a hassle and really shouldn’t be necessary. As the condition of your hair improves, you may only need to use coconut oil once or twice a month.

After using natural coconut oil in your hair, you will start to notice less breakage and shiny hair. Straight hair will look more healthy and even and curly hair will have better curl separation and definition. This is a great place to start before shelling out for expensive treatments as many people find no need for high end deep conditioners once they try coconut oil. It’s a cheap and natural way to get beautiful hair.