The sun was shining, the sky was crystal blue — and it had been exactly one week since hot water last flowed through my showerhead.
My hair was desperate for a wash, and I was due to meet friends on a nearby rooftop soon. My building’s superintendent assured me that the hot water would return “by the end of the day,” but after a few hours of radio silence from him, things weren't looking up. By 6:30 p.m. — the faucet now gurgling out an alarming brown sludge, hair still dirty and my phone buzzing with a dozen messages from friends texting, “Get over here now!” — I knew it was time to call in Redken.
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Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo
As someone who routinely opts for an extra hour in bed when given the choice between showering or sleeping, I am no stranger to dry shampoos. Over the last 10 years, I’ve tried countless formulas to sop up the grease that always seems to accumulate at my roots within 24 hours of a wash (thanks, Sicilian genes!). Lately, I’ve been loyal to one product that I declared my personal holy grail. But one night of Redken is making me question that loyalty.
The brand's Deep Clean Dry Shampoo has been trending for months on TikTok, with the hashtag #redkendryshampoo picking up almost 60 million total views. The videos rave about the product's oil-absorbing properties, so I knew I had to get my hands on a bottle to see what the fuss was all about.
It's easy to use
The bottle instructs you to spray the product from root to end, scrub it into your scalp with your fingers and then brush it out. So, that's exactly what I did — and a week’s worth of city grime and sweat completely disappeared.
Redken also recommends holding the bottle at least 10 inches away from your hair. Based on personal experience, that advice should be heeded. If you get too close, you risk leaving behind a white residue on your strands. On darker hair colors, like mine, it could be mistaken for grays or dandruff if you're not careful.
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It gives my hair massive volume
The Deep Clean Dry Shampoo has a bit more grit than my usual dry shampoo, and it's definitely not as lightweight. But if you’re looking to give your hair more body, that isn’t necessarily a problem.
Before brushing out my hair, I was amazed by the volume. However, after brushing, my hair still looked good but didn’t have the drama I craved. So, I spritzed a little more dry shampoo directly onto my roots and let it sit before giving them a good zhuzh. Instantly, my days-old dirty 'do morphed into something I normally only see after a salon visit. I had to use quite a bit of the five-ounce can to bring my hair back to life, but the results were undeniable.
If you have bangs like me, this won’t replace the daily wetting, shaping and drying. But for the other 90% of your hair, this might become your new hair care go-to.
It saved my night
After a quick shave in the kitchen sink (cold water still worked out there), I dashed out the door and made it to my friend’s rooftop just in time. To be honest, I was a little put-out when the party didn’t stop for everyone to compliment my fabulous head of hair the moment I walked in. But when I told a friend that I hadn’t washed my locks in a week, he was amazed by the dry shampoo’s power.
“Does my hair smell?” I asked. “Be honest.”
“No, not at all.” He took a whiff. “That’s incredible. It’s really been a week since you washed it?”
“Exactly.”
“It looks great.”
While I'd prefer to have hot water 100% of the time, I won't be too hard on my superintendent when the next plumbing catastrophe occurs — especially now that I have a new favorite dry shampoo that can come to my rescue.
For more stories like this, check out:
- This hair volumizer took my locks from dull and straight to bold and bouncy
- Enhance and embrace your natural waves with these 12 expert-loved hair products
- You may be washing your hair too often — here's what experts say
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This story was originally published on June 25, 2021.