Is dry shampoo bad for your hair?

Categorized as Shampoo/Conditioner Tagged

Last Updated on March 27, 2022 by Rei

is dry shampoo bad for your hair

To understand whether using dry shampoo is bad for you, first, you have to understand what it does.

Dry shampoo’s main selling point is that it supposedly cleans your hair without having to wash it like you usually would. While it’s true that it does “cleanse” your hair, using dry shampoos regularly would be bad for your hair in the long run.

To answer the question, is dry shampoo bad for your hair? Yes, dry shampoo is bad for you because it doesn’t actually clean your hair. It just absorbs the sebum and dirt on your hair, making it appear cleaner than it actually is.

If you use dry shampoo regularly without washing with regular shampoo, it could cause a build-up of dirt and sebum on your hair. 

Not to mention that it dries your hair and scalp when used consecutively.

To avoid the problems that come with dry shampoo, we suggest that you use it 1-2 times a week followed by a regular bath.

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What is better dry shampoo or regular shampoo?

It depends on the situation. Say you’re on a gym and you just finish your workout, and you have to run some errands after. Then a quick spray of dry shampoo should remove all that greasiness on your hair without having a full-blown shower.

Another situation you might want to consider using dry shampoo instead of just a regular shampoo is when you want to extend your fresh salon blowout for a day or two. 

People also use dry shampoo as a volumizer; it can act almost as a mouse, giving your hair that extra life it needs.

Some brands of dry shampoo can even give your hair some shine.

While all this is great, using dry shampoo consecutively for too long can lead to all sort of problems including dry hair, dry scalp, hair loss, a build-up of dirt on your hair.

To safely use dry shampoo, we recommend that you only use them when absolutely necessary. 

Still, nothing would beat a regular shampoo when it comes to cleaning your hair and scalp.

Is it okay to use dry shampoo every day?

We recommend that you limit the use of dry shampoo to 1-2 consecutive days.

More than that, you’re just going to damage your hair because of all the build-up of dirt you accumulate thru out the day.

Not to mention the build-up of dirt caused by dry shampoo can block hair follicles and drive unwanted bacterial growth on your scalp.

How to safely use dry shampoo

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The main thing you should focus on to safely use dry shampoo is the time between using your dry shampoo and your regular shampoo.

The build-up of dirt on your hair doesn’t actually go away when you’re just using dry shampoo. It just accumulates on your scalp drying and blocking your pores in the process.

We recommend that you only use your dry shampoo when absolutely necessary. A clean scalp that is cleaned by water and regular shampoo is much better and healthier.

Another thing you want to consider when using your dry shampoo is your hair type.

Certain hair type doesn’t tolerate dry shampoo that well.

If your hair is brittle, for example, dry shampoo would be terrible because it dries your hair, making it even more brittle.

For thick and curly hair, only use it on oily sections, so that it’s easier to clean your hair the next time you wash. 

For fine hair, we recommend using it near the roots. Dry shampoo can also be used as a volumiser, spraying it near the roots can give your hair the extra life that it needs.


  1. 14 Best Dry Shampoo For Oily Hair 2020
  2. The Last Dry Shampoo Guide You’ll Ever Need.

By Rei Garnet

I've been a hairstylist and worked for salons for over 8 years and I want to share my passion and knowledge with a wider audience. My goal is to give everyone the best hair they could possibly have.