Product Review: drybar® Detox Dry Shampoo

If you've been around the blog for awhile, then you know that I love dirty hair! And if you're new here - welcome - and let me explain! Clean hair is just so...so clean. My hair always looks best, and holds the style better when it's second, third, or even fourth, and sometimes fifth day hair. But that also means that I need a good dry shampoo. One that isn't going to leave my hair looking dull and dry - or even worse - deposit a nasty build-up of gunk on my hair and scalp. I have a couple of favorites, but I like to try new ones, because, 1) I just like to try new products, and 2) maybe I'll find some new favorites.


(This post contains some affiliate links which were added to make it easier for you to find the items. If you click on the links and make a purchase, it doesn't cost more, but I will receive a small commission. You are free to use the links or not. If you do, I thank you!)

One of the items in my January 2017 Sephora Play! box was a small can of drybar® Detox Dry Shampoo. Since I had never tried any of the drybar® products, but had heard great things about them, I was excited to try it.

The website says that the Detox Dry Shampoo absorbs oils, impurities, and odor while adding body and fullness - leaving hair feeling fresh and clean. It says it is lightweight, easy to use, and that the micro powder blends in with hair color, so there is no white residue left behind.

INGREDIENTS. I found three different versions of the ingredients - one on the Sephora website, one on the drybar® website, and one on the can itself. I'm listing the ones on the can:
Isobutane, Propane, Dimethylimidazolidinone Rice Starch, Alcohol Denat., Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, AMP-Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Citrus Junos Seed Extract, Cyperus Esculentus Root Oil, Prunus Insititia Seed Oil, Panthenol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Isopropyl Myristate, Parfum (Fragrance), Cyclopentasiloxane, Acrylate Copolymer, Aqua (Water, Eau), Magnesium Carbonate, VP/VA Copolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Butylene Glycol, Talc, Pentylene Glycol, BHT, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Eugenol, CI 77491/77492/77499 (Iron Oxides).

The instructions say to shake well, spray 4-6 inches from scalp, allow to dry, then gently rub in with fingers.

Let me just put this out here right now - I was really disappointed in this product. I use dry shampoos quite frequently, so I consider myself fairly knowledgeable in the correct usage. I used this product the night before we were going to see The Little Mermaid. To make a long story short, we were busy until late, and I have been having problems with my shoulder, so I didn't want to mess with all that goes into washing, drying, and styling my hair the night before or the day of the show because I knew that it would cause me to be in pain and I wouldn't be able to enjoy the performance.


THE SMELL. Oh. My. Gosh. This product is so heavily fragranced - and I didn't find it pleasant. I can't even describe it. My great-great grandma's perfume smelled better. I brushed, and brushed, and brushed my hair, hoping to get rid of some of the smell. I hoped it would dissipate overnight. But the next day, I was still getting whiffs of it. I was so embarrassed. I can only hope the people around me thought it was the little old lady two seats down. Yes, I wished I had just washed my hair and suffered the shoulder pain.

THE POWDER. It wasn't invisible, and it didn't disappear. When you hold a spray product 4-6 inches from your scalp, unless the nozzle has something to direct that spray directly to the roots, it's going to spray beyond the roots, too. This stuff comes out fast and strong - and powdery. It was like coating my hair with Halloween spray paint for hair. My hair felt stiff, dry, and looked dull. All of the things I DON'T want when I use a dry shampoo. Even after it "dried" (for me, it dried almost immediately), I tried rubbing it, hoping it would remove some of the powder, but very little of it disappeared. I even tried brushing it, but my hair still looked dull. And it felt like straw.

THE RESULTS. I felt like my hair looked and smelled worse after using the product. You can see in the before and after photos below that it did not make my hair look good. The after photo was taken after I sprayed the product on the roots (there was a lot of overspray), let it dry, rubbed the product through the roots as directed - and even brushed my hair to try to make it look better. It didn't.


This after photo doesn't even look as bad as it did in real life. You can see that my hair looks somewhat dull and a little grayish - but it was much more dull and grayish in reality. And it felt so dry and you could tell that there was a build-up on it.


THE CAN. I don't know if I just had a faulty can or what, but when I got it out to take photos for this blog post, it leaked. It leaked that nasty, nasty smelling liquid all over my hands, the carpet, and who knows what else, and it was all I could smell ALL. DAY. LONG. It's in the garbage can now where it can't ever torture me again. That smell!!

LESSON. Never, ever try a new product before an event. (I already know this, so I'm not sure what possessed me to try this the night before!)

RECOMMENDATION. Obviously, I wouldn't recommend this product. There are far better dry shampoos out there, in my opinion. But if you feel you must try it, I would recommend getting the mini can rather than the full-size can - that way, if you hate it, you're not out as much. Or try to buy it somewhere that will accept returns. Just in case.

I'm going to be doing some more reviews on dry shampoos soon, and then I'll probably do a round-up of my favorites and fails. If you have any that you love, let me know!