Sopping up oil and residue, eliminating odor and refreshing strands, reviving and extending the life of a blowout—whatever the hair emergency, there’s a good chance dry shampoo can fix it. Used as a styling aid or as a volumizing tool, it’s come a long way since its chalky, powdery beginnings to become a super-versatile styler. Here, catch up on the latest tips and tricks from master stylists for using this does-it-all wonder product. —Maureen Sheen
Body-Boosting Do’s
“Layer with your favorite volumizing product. Apply dry shampoo first and then a volumizing spray or a foam to give you the volume that you want.” —Nick Stenson, Matrix artistic director
“Spray section-by-section at the roots, focusing on where you need volume and lift rather than at the ends.” —Kien Hoang, Oribe educator and owner of Umbrella Salon
“Anytime you’re working with a product like this, you can use a blow-dryer to move the hair around and get the product deeper into the hair so that it allows it to distribute more evenly.” —Nick Stenson, Matrix artistic director
Bodybuilding Don’ts
“Don’t spray too closely. It should be sprayed from six to 12 inches away. Just tousle the hair around as you spray the dry shampoo.” —Edward Tricomi, master stylist and co-founder at Warren-Tricomi Salon
“Don’t use oils, waxes or creams when using dry shampoo as a volumizer because these will deflate the hair.” —Carrie Hill, Bumble and bumble stylist and educator
“Don’t overdo it. Make sure you shake the head and get it evenly distributed.” —Edward Tricomi, master stylist and co-founder at Warren-Tricomi Salon
Get A Grip
“Dry shampoos add grip to clean hair and create a web-like effect that makes it easier to backcomb and create a cushion for pins to adhere to. Spray at the roots or wherever you will be placing pins to add texture and grip to the hair.” —Carrie Hill, Bumble and bumble stylist and educator
Braid Better
“When you’re working with hair that has a lot of layers or it’s slippery, dry shampoo adds grip so that it holds the braid together while you’re forming it. Don’t go too close to the head or oversaturate it, but spray evenly throughout.” —Nick Stenson, Matrix artistic director
Fringe Refresh
“Bangs are prone to cowlick and tend to get oily faster than other areas of the head. “You can spray a little on the bangs and then either blow-dry them or just comb it through.” —Edward Tricomi, master stylist and co-founder at Warren-Tricomi Salon
Clump-free Curls
“Keep curls from clumping together and looking piecey by spraying a starch-based dry shampoo all over hair after curling.” —Nick Stenson, Matrix artistic director
Sticky Bangs
“Spray dry shampoo at the hairline under bangs to add volume and thickness to fringe and help tame unruly cowlicks.” —Kien Hoang, Oribe educator and owner
of Umbrella Salon
Going Up
“When setting hair, spray the dry shampoo section-by-section before curling to give more grip and body before gathering into an updo.”
—Nick Stenson, Matrix artistic director
