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I've been wanting to write this post for a LONG time. I have. I really have. As a busy mama - washing my hair daily is a luxury beyond my reach.
Dry shampoo has been a staple in my daily routine. I've tried so many brands from ones you can find in your local drug store or grocery store to ones from Ulta & Sephora to ones from MLM's.
I found some absolutely horrible ones. I've found some ok ones. And I found one that "would do until something better came along." Sometimes ignorance is bliss. But recently I bit the bullet and actually looked at the list of ingredients in some of the ones I was using.
PROPANE.
Y'all. So many of them had freakin PROPANE in them. Yes, I'm usually a label reader but I was avoiding looking at the ingredients in my dry shampoo because I knew I'd give it up if I knew what was in there. Clearly I was right.
Freakin PROPANE.
Here's two of the problems I was having in trying to find that perfect dry shampoo.
1) the darn white residue. I'm brunette. Even if whatever dry shampoo claims it wouldn't leave residue, it did. One had it so bad I used it on my kids hair for their 100th day of school in kindergarten because they needed to dress up like little old men. It made them totally grey. I have enough grey in my hair, I don't need any more ;)
2) the fragrance. I prefer fragrance free or things to be scented with essential oils, but I know that in the dry shampoo world, a fragrance free option is rare. And when it does exist, we are back to it turning my hair grey from the residue. The one I used on my kids hair literally took over a week and multiple washings to get the awful fragrance out.
Not long ago, I was scrolling on my Instagram feed and came across a blog post that Lauren Scruggs Kennedy had talked about in how she was using natural remedies to help combat the flu. Obviously, that peaked my interest because we try to go the natural route when we can. I was so excited to see her using the same essential oils I know and love. I started scrolling through older blog posts and soon discovered that Lauren had launched a dry shampoo with Anna Chesson called Stranded.
Always on the hunt for a better dry shampoo, I checked out the site and was giddy with what I saw. First - they have SHADES!!! Brunette, red head and blonde. You guys - NO MORE WHITE RESIDUE - can I get an amen?
Second, it didn't contain freakin propane. In fact, their dry shampoo only contains a handful of ingredients and I can pronounce all but one of them. And the one I can't pronounce is only rated a 1 on EWG's Skin Deep site which made me quite happy. While I didn't love that there is fragrance on the ingredient list, I know that's something I can't completely avoid (but I do when I can). Heck, the company is still relatively new and maybe eventually they'd consider releasing a fragrance-free option. So, I ordered.
And I'm happy. I'm so very happy. This dry shampoo comes in powder form which may seem a little scary, but now that I'm used to it, I really like this application because I feel like there's less waste. There's only 1 hole in the top of the bottle, so you don't have to worry about shaking too much on. I've got really dark hair and this is designed for all shades of brunettes. It blends beautifully and really absorbs the oil well. It gives a little extra texture and volume to your roots (yes, please), but doesn't feel sticky or tacky or gross like some other brands. The fragrance it does contain is extremely subtle and I don't smell it at all once I've applied it. The powder is free from dyes, sulfates, parabens, and gluten. Oh yeah, and it works! As I write this, I'm on day 3 hair. In the places I've used Stranded (mostly my crown and around my face), there's no oil and my hair looks like I just washed it. In places I didn't use it (like the middle to bottom of my head) there is oil, so I know this stuff is truly working. I was going to post a picture, but I need my roots done badly so even with no dry shampoo in, there's grey LOL.
This is hands down THE BEST dry shampoo I've ever used. I'm in no way affiliated with the company, but when I find something that I really, really love, I just want to share it with all of my readers. If you're on the hunt for a good dry shampoo, I hope you give Stranded a try!
Be sure to follow them HERE on Instagram!