Wash Your Hair Less and Prevent Hair Buildup With This 2-Second Trick

We all have those greasy hair days. That’s when dry shampoo becomes your best friend. But the buildup and excess product that lingers between your hair follicles doesn’t do your scalp (or your strands) any good whatsoever. Not only does the product often not absorb, but when improperly applied, it can leave you looking like you have a snowfall of dandruff on your head. Thankfully, in an episode of What The Wellness, Matthew Collins, celebrity hairstylist and global Dyson styling ambassador has the secret tip for preventing dry shampoo buildup.

“Dry shampoo is really such a misunderstood product and people use it the wrong way,” Dove celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend previously told Well+Good. “It’s a wet product on the inside of the can, even though it’s ‘dry shampoo,’ so it needs that millisecond of air to dry it before it hits the scalp.” To apply it properly, he suggests holding the can 10 to 12 inches away from your scalp (or roughly the area of your forearm). Also helpful? Paying attention to the ingredients that are meant to be super soakers (aka leave your hair without a lick of oil). Powders are more absorbent and do a better job at soaking up thick, greases, while starches help to reset hair with moderate oil.

After spritzing dry shampoo onto your scalp, use a hair dryer (Collins recommends Dyson’s) and then use your fingers to massage the product into the scalp. “This is going to break up any of that excess that kind of looks white sometimes with dry shampoo,” Collins says. You won’t sacrifice volume with this trick.

And voila, say goodbye to greasy hair. For more hair styling tips and secrets, watch the What The Wellness video above.

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