How To Use Your Hair Dryer And Dry Shampoo For Amazing Second-Day Hair

If we all had the time and energy, we'd probably wash our hair more often. Then again, according to experts, hair washing should only be done once or twice a week — even less if it's color or chemically treated. It's a different story if you have an oily scalp, with the American Academy of Dermatology Association recommending that once per day might do the trick.

But for most people, washing once every few days is the norm. The only downside to this routine is it doesn't always result in a good hair day. It's especially worse one to two days before your designated wash days, as your strands tend to be at their oiliest.

This is where dry shampoo comes into play. Our crown of glory's savior, dry shampoo is specially formulated to suck the oil out of the scalp, making your hair look and feel semi-fresh on the second, third, or however long it is until your next wash day. But instead of simply applying it all over your roots, hairdressers recommend also using a blow dryer to make your hair look salon-fresh.

As it turns out, we've all been using dry shampoo wrong. While it's true that dry shampoo has the capacity to zap away oil that makes your hair look and feel grimy, there's another tool that you should use in conjunction to completely eliminate excess oil: your magic blow dryer.

Speaking with Glamour UK, celebrity hairstylist and presenter Tom Smith dished that dry shampoo tends to stay in your strands after application, and it won't go away by merely brushing. With the help of your blow dryer, you can literally blow out the remaining product to render your locks completely clean. He advises people to wait around one to three minutes after dry shampoo application before blow drying to absorb as much oil as possible, and then put the tool on the coldest and fastest air setting. "The cold air catches those dry shampoo particles and literally blows them away – voila! You have effectively 'dry cleaned' your hair," he explained.

Aside from clearing your hair of extra product, blow-drying also helps in boosting the volume of second-day hair. Your locks can look flat in between washes, and with this trick, you can add the much-needed lift it needs.

Few things are more infuriating than dealing with second-day (or third and fourth) hair. Luckily, there are some tricks that you can try to make it bearable. For one, you may want to massage your scalp in between washes to get rid of gunk pooling around the area. "At least massaging your scalp skin will really help to also loosen up debris. So you don't necessarily have to wash it with a shampoo itself, but keeping it clean is very helpful," dermatologist Dr. Anthony Rossi shared with CNN. "You can also use things like leave-in conditioner or scalp oils that help nourish and moisturize the scalp." 

To help keep your hair from accumulating extra grease and oil between washes, try braiding your hair at night or putting it in a bun. You may also want to avoid applying more product, as that will only contribute to oil buildup that may clog the pores in your scalp.

But if you really can't stand not washing, you can also look into doing the "no poo" hair trend, which is basically just washing your hair without shampoo. "I don't think there's anything bad or wrong with [washing with water only], and certainly washing with water will remove actual dirt, pollen, and sweat," dermatologist Elizabeth Hughes told Healthline. With this hack, you can still wash your hair all while not subjecting it to extra chemicals.