At 6:45 a.m. on the Monday morning after Thanksgiving break, I had approximately 2.5 minutes to get ready and get out the door to make it on time to my 8 a.m. class. Like almost all Monday mornings, I went to reach for my favorite dry shampoo – Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo – to rejuvenate my hair that I hadn’t washed since Saturday night… except, I couldn’t find it. Of course, I left it on my home bathroom counter, 3000 miles away, and for the remainder of the day, my oily hair was safely hidden under an incredibly unfashionable baseball cap.
As soon as I got out of class (well, after a much-needed shower and some hair-washing), I raced to Walmart to find a replacement for my Oscar Blandi. My college town doesn’t have a Sephora, so I was in search of cult favorites Psst or Batiste. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find either of them. However, I did see TRESemmé’s Fresh Start Dry Shampoo. I purchased it (for about $4), and was ecstatic about finding a dry shampoo that cost less than my favorite Starbucks order.
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What is it?
TRESemmé’s product, like all dry shampoos, promises a clean head of hair without the hassle of washing – perfect for making that blowout last a day or two longer. Basically, you spray the product at your roots, brush it out, and voila– oil-free, clean hair.
The dry shampoo market isn’t perfect – even the best products (like my beloved Oscar Blandi) can give dark hair a greyish tint and take a while to completely brush out, so I really did not have high expectations for TRESemmé’s dry shampoo. I figured as long as it made my hair look not disgusting then I’d be happy. After all, I’d bought it for $4, so really, how could it even be a waste of money?
How did it work?
6:45 a.m., Wednesday morning: I reached for the TRESemmé and sprayed it on my roots. I waited a few minutes while I put on mascara/brow pencil, and then brushed my hair out. When I looked in the mirror, I expected marginally clean, maybe a bit matte, hair.
What I actually got was flat, lifeless, greyish greasy hair. Never before have I used a hair product that’s made my hair look worse than before I used it. Imagine how your hair looks after three or four days without washing it, and that’s how my hair looked after using this product. Some dry shampoo doesn’t exactly clean, but makes hair more voluminous- not this, as my hair fell flatter than before.
Honestly, I cannot see any positive use for this product. It might be one of the worst hair products I’ve ever personally tried – my roommate even tried it and hated it. This is definitely a waste of money – that $4 could have been better spent almost anywhere; even baby powder would have been more effective for the money. So if you’re looking for a good dry shampoo, don’t look to TRESemmé – you’ll end up disappointed.
Your thoughts?
Have you guys tried TRESemmé’s dry shampoo? What did you think? What is your favorite dry shampoo? Tell me in the comments!
I agree, this is horrible. Psst is ten times better, especially if you blow dry it on a low, hot setting while brushing it through.
I tried it and hated it too!!! It did NOT make my hair look clean, but actually made it look awful, and I had white stuff on my comb that was sticky and hard to clean.
Hey! KLORANE is a VERY good dry shampoo. It worked really well for me!
Thanks so much for the warning;I was getting ready to try it.
It worked for me, but I prefer baby powder which is also cheaper. I have lighter colored hair, which could be why mine wasn’t “grey” looking. Baby powder is my savior/favorite.
I find that the one for curly hair which is in a mousse form that you take out using a towel works wonders for me (curly hair) and my roommate(straight hair)!
I think the key to using this is in the application. I’ve done it twice and the first time I felt like you, but I changed technique the 2nd time and it was much better. I also used it the 2nd time on flat-ironed hair (I use a flat-iron spray, which makes it silky and shiny), whereas the first time I tried it on naturally wavy, air-dried hair, where it dried it out more. It also seemed to work better 48 hours post-shampoo than 24 hours (e.g., your scalp has to be a little oily already). My hair is very thick and very wavy, and a little dry, and maybe 20% gray (the coarse, white, curly type of gray).
My tips:
1) Shake the can well before each spray.
2) Lift sections of hair up in turns.
3) Hold the spray can farther away from your head than you think you should. The can says 8-12 inches, so start there and move maybe 2-3 more inches out.
4) Spray a SHORT burst of product to your SCALP, not to the hair.
5) Do not repeat any areas–that will be too much product. To keep track of where you’ve sprayed, go bottom-to-top, right-to-left all the way around in an organized way.
6) Give it a good 5-10 minutes drying time, leaving it totally alone.
7) Before brushing it out, use your fingertips to spread it around on your scalp and through the underside of your hair.
8) Brush the underside of your hair thoroughly first, then smooth the top.
I didn’t find the product amazing, but it worked. It made my scalp and hair feel clean enough to get through an 8-hour workday, although by the end it started to itch a little. I think it’s the alcohol in the product. The smell was OK–acceptable, smells like a pleasant medicinal shampoo (I agree that it was much nicer at first and then a couple of hours later it smelled more chemical-y, but still not awful).
I would recommend using it for emergencies, like those days when you are running late, you don’t really want to go through the styling routine and your blowout still looks OK but you want your head to feel a little refreshed. Not to be relied on as a complete substitute for a real shampoo, but good in a pinch.
Urrgh, I just tried this stuff for the first time and it’s horrible! I usually buy Klorane, but it’s pretty expensive and the can is tiny.
Tresemmé fresh start made my hair worse than it was before, leaving it greasy at the roots and dry on the lengh with a weird “waxy/dry” feeling to it.
I’ll dump the tresemmé and go back to my first love. A little Klorane goes a long way!
Dry shampoo is convenient for people on the go. Choosing the right one is important because some dry shampoos contain harmful ingredients when inhaled. Make sure you check the ingredients label before buying.
AGREED. Terrible product, I also found that after using it and finding my hair greasier than before, that it was ridiculously hard to wash out. So not only did it look dirtier than it did before, but I wasn’t able to wash it out for days. Greasy hair for over a week…. did anyone else have this problem?
I have extremely thick and curly hair which I straighten.
I usually only wash my hair probably 2-3 times per week.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this product. I go through dry shampoo quickly and I can afford to with this product’s price. If for some reason I need to go an extra day without washing my this is my go to product.
I’ve tried Oscar Blandi’s and Ojon’s and this one is better than those.
It doesn’t leave white marks in my hair (my hair is colored like Emma Stone from Easy A) and it smells fresh. (not funky like Ojon’s and it doesn’t get stuck in the spray bottle either also like Ojon’s).
I actually love this stuff! I used it almost every day (until I got my keratin treatment- it breaks that down!!) But it actually worked for me- you just have to shake it up a TON, spray it at least 8 inches away, and wait for 15 minutes.
I had never used a dry shampoo before, but saw this for $4 and figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. I love it! I have thick long hair. My bangs get so oily only after a few hours after washing. This product worked great. I did shake the bottle as instructed during use. It also works great on my 9 year-old’s hair. She doesn’t do the best job washing her hair and has very thin fine hair. It makes her hair look almost clean. I love it!
i totally agree madam. I bought the Tresemme dry shampoo when I was on vacation in Florida, because I forgot my Psst! I was hoping it would give me an extra day of not disgusting hair without having to wash it too much, since I was in sun and dry air and all that business. I sprayed it on my hair that second day and was immediately disappointed. It was disgusting. It was just a greasy gray mess, and wouldn’t return to a normal state no matter what I tried. Ended up never using it again after that.
Hmm, I was fairly impressed with this dry shampoo, considering its price…I actually just bought it last week! I have relatively greasy and very dark brown hair. I did not have the greying problem…
I have also tried Ojon, I was not impressed with that (was not easy to brush out and kinda pricey) and I don’t like the klorane one either, it smells weird and its kinda expensive and my hair gets really frizzy with it. I’ve also tried the marc anthony 2nd day revatilzer, but that one makes my hair greasy.
I really like the batiste one, although its hard to find here, and I’ve never seen or heard of the psst one.
I LOVE the Treseme dry shampoo! I’m sad to see so many people don’t like it. I have super curly hair so when I straighten it I like it to last as long as possible. As long as I shake the can a lot before I use it, and spray 8 inches away it works wonders. Super greasy hair will look as if I just blow dried it. For everyone reading this, I say it’s only 4 bucks! Try it and see for yourself if you like it or not.