If you’ve ever pulled out your dry shampoo on day three or four of greasy roots and felt like it just wasn’t doing the job, you’re not alone. Most of us have been using dry shampoo wrong our whole lives. The biggest tip I share with clients at A Perfect Hue is that dry shampoo is meant for clean hair, not dirty hair. That one shift will change everything about how long your blowouts last, how healthy your hair feels, and how vibrant your color stays between salon visits.
Here’s the secret most people don’t know. The day you freshly style your hair, that’s the day you should be reaching for your dry shampoo. Apply it right after you finish styling, either right before or right after your hairspray, and brush it through. The product will absorb your natural oils as they come up through the scalp, before they ever have a chance to make your hair look greasy. Used this way, you can stretch your style an extra day or two, sometimes longer. So instead of thinking of dry shampoo as a rescue product, start thinking of it as a prevention product.
My personal go-to is Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo. It’s a traditional aerosol with great oil absorption, no gritty buildup, and it works beautifully on every hair type I’ve tried it on.
Our salon favorite, though, is K18 AirWash Dry Shampoo. This one is a little different from what you might be used to. Instead of a powder spray, it’s a non-aerosol liquid mist that you rub right into your scalp. A little bit goes a long way, so don’t go overboard on the first try. Both products perform best when you apply them before your hair gets oily, not after, and both are available right here at the salon.
A lot of clients come in surprised that their hair feels dry and their color is fading faster than it should. Almost every time, the culprit is over-washing. Daily shampooing strips away the natural oils your scalp produces to keep your hair healthy, which leaves your strands feeling parched and brittle. On top of that, the pH of our tap water opens up the cuticle every time you wash, and color molecules slip right out. The more often you wash, the faster your color fades.
For most of my clients, I recommend washing once or twice a week. If you can stretch it to once a week, even better. Your hair, your scalp, and your color will all thank you.
If you have a vivid or vibrant color that’s prone to fading, like a red, copper, or any fashion shade, here’s the trick I share with my color clients. On wash day, flip your head over the side of the tub and shampoo and condition your hair in ice cold water, doing the full wash right there over the tub, not in your usual shower stream. Once you’re done, wrap your hair up in a towel and go take your regular shower for the rest of your routine. The cold water keeps the cuticle sealed throughout the whole wash, which is when most of your color loss actually happens, and locks those color molecules in. Your shade will look fresh weeks longer than it would with a warm-water wash.
If you have hair extensions, you already know that washing them at home is a whole production. The drying time alone can take an hour, and getting your style to look the way it did when you walked out of the salon is no small task. That’s exactly why we offer our “I Woke Up Like This” Blowout Membership at A Perfect Hue. It lets you skip the wash and dry at home and come straight to us for the maintenance, so you can have salon hair all the time without the work.
In between visits, dry shampoo is your best friend. Pick up a can to keep at home for those mornings when you need a quick refresh between blowouts.
As a gym goer myself, this is a routine I have down to a science. My hair tie of choice is TELETIES, which we carry at the salon. The spiral design grips your hair without pulling and is much gentler than a traditional elastic. I will say that for guests with fine hair like mine, TELETIES still leave a little bit of a line, just nowhere near as deep as a regular hair tie. I blow it right out and you’d never know it was there.
My other gym day secret is to blow dry the sweat right in. When I get home, I take my hair down, blow dry my roots until they’re completely dry, style as usual, and finish with a refresh of dry shampoo. No shower needed, and your hair looks like you spent way more time on it than you did. The same approach works for sleep dents, hair tie marks, or anytime you need to reset your style without starting from a wet wash.
What you do at night matters just as much as what you do during the day. To keep your blowout looking fresh for as many days as possible, sleep in a satin cap or wrap your hair in loose braids. Some of us, myself included, prefer a high loose bun on top of the head. Whatever style works for you, the goal is to keep friction off your hair so you wake up with smooth roots, intact ends, and minimal frizz.
The easiest way to extend your salon services and keep your hair healthy between visits is to invest in the right products at home. We carry both Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo and K18 AirWash at A Perfect Hue, located at 5597 S. Rainbow Blvd in Las Vegas, right between Durango Tacos and Amata Thai Restaurant. Stop in on your next visit and we’ll help you pick the dry shampoo that works best for your hair type, your color, and your routine.
Ready to book your next blowout or color appointment? Book online at aperfecthue.com/book-now
Emily Climer is the owner of A Perfect Hue in Las Vegas, Nevada. A dedicated gym goer and lifelong dry shampoo fan, she loves helping her clients keep their salon style going strong between visits, workouts, and wash days. Book your next appointment with one of our talented stylists.
