Blame all my various experiences with island living, but when it comes to beach hair, I prefer the real deal. I like it rough. I’m talking about the wild, untamed, snarled and sun-bleached variety. The kind that looks more like sea kelp versus soft waves. When done right, the whole-couldn’t-be-bothered-to-brush look is the epitome of chic. Think French girl, rock star, model off-duty. And now, thanks to a little help from the Olsen Twins (AKA the patron saints of this particular style), you can get purposeful bedhead, too!
Their new Elizabeth and James Nirvana line of dry shampoos is available in two scents: White (a pretty floral musk with notes of peony and muguet) and Black (a zesty woodsy scent with violet and sandalwood notes). They’re $28 a pop, but worth every penny. Seriously, lazy-girl beauty doesn’t get much better than this. The packaging is totally minimalist and cool — a VAST improvement on those strange hair powders you were using before (you know, the ones that would embarrassingly explode all over the inside of your handbag). And the scent is JUST potent enough that you’ll be able safely smell your hair all day without completely gagging.
So, how do they actually work? As a person with a TON of hair and the hands-down laziest blow-dryer on the planet (I just feel like if I’m spending more than five minutes on the act I’m wasting precious moments of my life), I was excited to find out. After a week of using these dry shampoos, my life is changed — and they could not be easier to use. Here’s my genius new routine: I wash and style my hair into two wet braids the night before. In the morning, I undo the braids, flip my head, and shake it all out. Then, I give a good spritz with one of the two cans (seriously, they both smell so great, sometimes I layer). Disclaimer: you’re going to want to be a little cautious with the spraying. This stuff comes out quickly. The first time I looked like a powdered donut and it wasn’t very sexy. Then, I just rat my hair up so it’s big, glamorous and SUPER gnarly, teasing a little with a brush. Sometimes I run a flat iron over the ends just to give it that nice destroyed and mussy look. Sometimes I’ll finish with a few more sprays just because it smells so damn good. Also, it sorta frosts the blonder pieces of my hair into this white Queen of Narnia thing. Fun!
Last week, I got away without shampooing for three days and my hair still looked fantastic AND smelled divine. I’m hoping the Olsen twins will come out with a yummy-scented texturizing spray next so I can copy that whole fuzzy-hobo-sweater-head thing they’ve got going on. In the meantime, I’m curious to experiment with more matte, piece-y styles (deconstructed braids, ponytails, half-up buns).
Do you use dry shampoo? Tell us in the comment section below!
(Featured photo via Andrew H. Walker/Getty)
