Am I Losing Hair Because Of My Dry Shampoo?

Many of us probably still remember that post that went viral on Facebook a few years ago that immediately shook the dry shampoo world! A woman from the UK had posted a photo of her bald patch on her head blaming her aerosol dry shampoo. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just google ‘dry shampoo horror story’ and you’ll see.

I remember the girls at the office and even my friends were all talking about it and trying to scare each other off from using dry shampoos ever again (it lasted for a short while, I know a lot of them still use dry shampoo today).

The Controversy

Is it true? Can dry shampoo cause hair loss?

Depending on how you treat your scalp, oh for sure it can definitely be a factor and cause many scalp issues. What I found was that many consumers are not really aware of how to properly use dry shampoo. I’ve heard horror stories of women using dry shampoo for 2 weeks straight, skipping shampoo the entire time and I silently squealed in horror. My silent squealing wasn’t from the fact they haven’t washed their hair, but because I was just imagining the amount of product buildup and their poor suffocating hair follicles!

Dry Shampoo is not intended to be a replacement for shampoo & water:

Here’s what you NEED to know if you use dry shampoo: if you’re spraying product and powders near your scalp, you must wash it out! Not 2 weeks later but one to two days later at the most. You don’t want to suffocate the hair follicle which can lead to dry brittle hair and possibly hair loss.

Dry Shampoo vs. Regular Shampoo: What You Need to Know

People assume that dry shampoo and regular shampoo are synonymous but each has a specific function. While regular shampoo works to clean your hair by REMOVING dirt and oil, dry shampoo works by ABSORBING OIL and refreshing your. Dry shampoo should NOT be used as a substitute to regular shampoo (ie. if you usually wash your hair 2x a week, you can’t wash your hair 1x and use dry shampoo and count that as 2 washes). The problem becomes when the dry shampoo powder + dirt + oil sits on your scalp for too long (longer than a day). This build-up not only irritates your scalp but it also clogs your hair follicles, suffocating and weakening the hair roots which can lead to hair loss and stunt hair growth.

How to Extend Your Hair Wash Schedule

Listen, it’s 2019 and women are busier than ever juggling their careers, side projects, families, and everything else life brings. So believe me, I hear you when you say “Mary, I don’t have 30 mins in the morning to wash, dry and style my hair”. That’s when dry shampoo comes into the picture and can help prolong the days between your shampoos. For example, if you usually wash your hair on Mondays and Thursdays, you can use dry shampoo on Thursday and shampoo on Friday. Read more on how to extend your hair wash cycle here.

Tips to Know When Using Dry Shampoo

The rule of thumb should be, you use dry shampoo on the day or day before you plan on shampooing your hair. This will prevent product build-up and hair loss.

AVOID synthetic, aerosol based dry shampoos as these can have synthetic ingredients and fragrances that can increase the amount of scalp irritation and hair damage.
Use a NATURAL dry shampoo to avoid irritation. Use as needed.
Use dry shampoo to extend your hair wash schedule by 1 DAY not 1 week. For most people this means washing your hair every 2-3 days. Also use a diy clarifying natural shampoo to ensure you remove all the build up every time you wash.
I would even recommended doing a weekly scalp scrub to really make sure your hair follicles are free of product.

Using dry shampoo is the best time-saver and is a great way to help train your hair to need less washing, however just make sure you’re using it correctly and not causing product build-up at the roots!