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This new dry shampoo helps my greasy hair go three days between washes

It rivals my all-time favourite can, and it’s £5 cheaper

Eleanor Jones
Wednesday 12 May 2021 06:01 EDT
After just a week of use, this trusty can has become a staple in my beauty regime
After just a week of use, this trusty can has become a staple in my beauty regime (iStock/The Independent)

Real talk: I’m a naturally greasy-haired person. I have an oily skin type which seems to apply my scalp, as well as my complexion, and with a head full of fine, limp hair that laughs in the face of the word volume, I’ve had to become a habitual daily hair-washer in order to prevent my fringe basically sticking to my forehead pre-lunch.

Every hairdresser I meet recoils in horror at this regime, and I’ve lost count of the articles I’ve read telling me that I need to “train” my hair to adapt to gaps between shampooing. But that’s easy to say when your head isn’t the one that looks like it’s been dipped in the deep fat fryer every 24 hours.

I’ve never had the patience to let it get worse before it gets better, but the one product I have found that will let me push the boundaries of oil-free possibility is dry shampoo. Believe me when I say I have tested them all, from affordable brands like Batiste and Colab to high-end sprays like Living Proof, Oribe and Bumble & Bumble, with varying degrees of success.

When I heard that Hairburst – one of the top rated brands in our pick of the best hair vitamins  – was branching out into hair products with the launch of its own dry shampoo, I knew I had to add it to my to-try list.

And after a week of regular use, I might just be a convert. Here’s why.

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Hairburst volume and refresh dry shampoo

hairburst-dry-shampoo-review-indybest.jpg

Buy now £14.99, Hairburst.com

Before we even talk about actual degreasing, there are three key things I look for in a good dry shampoo: no obvious residue, a scent that I can actually stand lingering long-term, and a decent price.

Hairburst ticks all of these boxes. On the white powder front, it cleverly deploys aluminium starch (rather than the oft-used rice starch found in other comparable products) for maximum absorbancy, and from the moment I released the first spray I was struck by how truly invisible it is. I’m a brunette, so if things get chalky, it shows, but even before I brushed it through, this dry shampoo had an impressive barely-there finish.

Of course, barely there means nothing if the smell is awful, but this little pink powerhouse scores highly there too. It’s billed as a coconut and avocado fragrance, but the former is what really shines through, giving a pleasant nod to the tropical holidays we haven’t been able to go on for far too long. That said, while the scent is nice, it’s also not too overpowering; once it’s applied, I forget it’s there, and it certainly won’t clash with any hair mists or perfumes you might like to layer over the top.

As for price, I won’t pretend this is the cheapest dry shampoo on the market, but as someone who would happily drop £20 on a can of Living Proof’s (also truly excellent) “perfect hair day” dry shampoo, this represents a £5 saving, and I have to say, it genuinely offers comparable results.

I started tentative, not fully trusting the new kid on the block to begin with, but after a couple of days of including it in my routine, I began to realise the full potential of the Hairburst dry shampoo range. It’s soon gone from post-gym refresh or morning-after-wash pick-me-up to the thing I rely on to allow me to wash my hair every three days, not every single day, and that feels pretty revolutionary.

Not only does it mop up grease instantly, making my roots look like they’ve been scrubbed in the shower, not just blasted with a can, it also adds volume and shine to my hair, to the point where I’d be tempted to say that my second day hair now actually looks better than the first. The Hairburst website notes that its formula also includes panthenol, a vitamin B5 derivative that helps to retain moisture – and I can confirm that there’s definitely no crispy ends or crunchy finish here.

The only thing I’m not a huge fan of is the packaging, which I feel looks slightly cheaper than this premium product deserves. But that’s purely a matter of personal preference – if you’re a person who loves pink, it’ll take pride of place on your dressing table, and even if it’s not your thing, the stuff inside the can is so good, you won’t care about the outside anyway.

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The verdict: Hairburst dry shampoo

As a newcomer to the Hairburst range, I had my reservations about hailing the new dry shampoo as a haircare hero, but having tried it for several consecutive days, I’m impressed – and I’d say it’s worth that £15 price tag.

A little goes a long way, so if that feels like an investment, it is at least one that will last you a while. But if you want to try before you buy the full version, there’s also a £5.99 travel size that will allow you sample its wonders before you take the full plunge (our prediction? You’ll be back for the big one in no time).

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