I watch old movies religiously. And when I say "old movies" I don't mean things like
Pretty in Pink, Star Wars, or even
The Godfather. I'm talking the silent era to the mid-1960s. I kick it old school. Word.
Anyhoo, one thing that always strikes me as odd is that women in these movies make a big deal out of washing their hair. They go to the salon once or twice a week or can't go out on a date because they have to stay home and shampoo (a favorite line of mine is from
Cabin in the Cotton where Bette Davis says "I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair..."). What the hell?
Apparently, it's a fairly new habit for women to shampoo their hair daily (and by "new," I mean in the last 40-50 years or so). According to
Web MD, we're only supposed to wash our hair 3-4 times a week.
Who the Franchot Tone are these women who don't have to shampoo daily?
This is a (pretty bad) picture of my hair:
(For this hair clip and other hair accessories, visit our Etsy store!)
For all intents and purposes, I have the hair of a young Asian girl. It's long, ridiculously straight, and a strange dark brown/black color. And, 15 hours after being washed, it's greasy. Again. In order for my hair to look clean, I'd have to wash my hair twice a day; there's no way I could even imagine skipping a wash.
Or so I thought...
I recently discovered the Holy Grail of hair care that is dry shampoo. And like most new converts, I feel the need to share it with everyone.
My favorite dry shampoo product is Bioluxe. It doesn't smell horrible or leave a white powder residue (which would stand out in dark hair like mine). It brushes out well and, seriously, works magic in my greasy-morning hair. It sells at CVS for $6-7 (for a 5.5 oz can).
I like to pair the shampoo with a dry conditioner (sprayed on the bottom half of my hair; I have to keep it away from my roots and bangs as it tends to make them greasy again). A few spritzes is all you really need. I really like Suave's dry conditioner (CVS has 3.2 oz cans for around $4).
Suave also has a dry shampoo (which sells for about $3.50) which I buy if I'm low on cash. But it (and the conditioner, actually) has a weird smell. Their dry shampoo also leaves a light dusting of powdery residue on my hair which takes a bit to brush out. It also fills my room with a cloud of the same residue. For the price, though, it's a decent enough product.
I use the dry shampoo and conditioner every other day. I'm a morning shower-er so I do the dry stuff first, put on a shower cap (it has a floral pattern. Very chic and sophisticated and not at all "sad old lady"-like) for when I shower.
When I do wash my hair, I like to alternate between Aussie (if I can find their volumizing conditioner), Garnier Fructis, John Freida, and L'Oreal. I highly recommend all 4 products.
Because you were just dying to know which shampoos I use...
The point of this blog post? Dry shampoo is good. Like, "Holy Pop-Tarts, this stuff is amazingly magical" good.
(My hair before...) (...and after dry shampoo-ing)
The only hair-problem dry shampoo doesn't cure are "morning bangs." Those require a good soak, comb/brush, and dry. Then you can dry shampoo for grease-free bangs.
(Pictured above: Morning bangs. And a stupid moving GIF)
(PS, I know what you're thinking. "Really? More Jean Dujardin? Have you no life?" The answer to all of that is "Yes." (even the part about the life). But, seriously, my bangs look like that in the morning. I can never marry as I wake up looking like Lucky Luke with a retainer and a face covered in cold cream and shame).
(And by now, fair reader, you've probably noticed that there are two of us Retrospect-ers who write this blog. One likes spoon rings and wants a new back yard. The other likes charm bracelets, old movies, and shampoo. I tell her that her money spells don't work, she tells me there's nothing special about Jean Dujardin. It's a harmonious win-win :) ).
