Taking A Look At Dry Shampoo
In the last blog post I talked about bar shampoo versus "regular" shampoo. Although I've never seen it as an option for me ( I have dry curly hair, sensitive skin and allergies ) dry shampoo is still an option for some people.
Historically powders have been used to help temporarily clean hair for centuries. They were of course used during a time when frequent washing just wasn't an option. Some of these powders were perfumed, some were coloured and all kinds of things were used including wheat, rice, potato flour, clay, chalk or even ground fish bones. Yup, I really just said ground fish bones! Clay was one of those ingredients that was actually used both in its dry form or as a wash. When it's used as a wash it can both cleanse and moisturize the hair much like traditional shampoo.
While "regular" or "traditional" shampoo cleanse both the hair and scalp, dry shampoo concentrates on the hair. Dry shampoo is meant to temporarily clean the hair (or more simply put extend your style a day or two before you need to wash it.). In this way it acts more like a styling aid that shouldn't be over used. Dry shampoo sprays accomplish this by using a propellant to distribute ingredients, absorbents to absorb excess oils and an abrasive to scour the hair to remove dirt. As a result dry shampoos will inevitably leave residue on the hair resulting in product build up that leaves the hair feeling rather...well unpleasant. Many dry shampoos are unfortunately sold as an aerosol spray which is a problem if you have allergies and are in anyway health and environmentally conscious.
Typical ingredients to avoid in these sprays would be things like talc, liquid petroleum gas (LPG's), isobutane, propane, butane, cetrimonium chloride, alcohol, and fragrance. There are however some types that you can sprinkle on the scalp, massage in and then comb through. Many of these shampoos are corn starch or rice starch based but can still contain the above irritants including phthalates and parabens. They are available in different colours but sometimes they can still leave visible residue on the hair. There are more natural alternatives as well as homemade recipes that you can find online for those who want to give them a try while still avoiding all those nasty chemicals.
In my search it has been regularly suggests that you should never use dry shampoo for more than two days in a row or spray it on the ends of hair (it will contribute to further dryness). It isn't meant to replace your regular hair washing routine, your hair and scalp still need to be properly cleaned.
I've compiled a list below of some of the potential side effects or reactions that can be contributed to dry shampoo.
- Respiratory toxicity: Talc is often present as an absorbent which can lead to respiratory issues, including asthma attacks.
- Fragrances can cause multiple types of allergies or sensitivities including skin, eyes, and breathing.
- Hormone disruption resulting from the parabens.
- Fungal growth from the build up of chemical powders and pollutants.
- Flammable if the product contains butane, isobutane, or propane in the spray propellant.
Sources:
healthline.com/health/is-dry-shampoo-bad-for-your-hair
webmd.com/allergies/chemical-allergies
nutrafol.com/blog/you-might-throw-out-your-dry-shampoo-after-reading-this/
insider.com/how-dry-shampoo-is-ruining-your-hair-2017-10
wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_shampoo
allergicliving.com/2010/09/02/avoiding-the-triggers-of-your-asthma/
illumai.com/blogs/biome-beauty/tips-for-using-dry-shampoo-safely
needleworking-history.com/2019/09/14/18th-19th-century-hair-powders/
100percentpure.com/blogs/feed/the-ugly-truth-about-dry-shampoo-and-why-natural-shampoo-is-better
healthtap.com/questions/276037-i-breathed-in-dry-shampoo-hair-spray-with-talc-powder-and-now-my-lungs-burn-poison-control-said-i/
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