It’s been a year since I decided to boycott bleach entirely. In these past 12 months, I’ve watched my parched, platinum, strawlike locks return to their natural shiny, dark-brown state. And overall it’s been a pretty rewarding journey — my hair feels much less weak and elastic, I’m no longer going through bottles of hair masks at an alarming rate, and I’m saving a ton of money. But there is one significant caveat: Lately, my hair has been intensely and relentlessly greasy. So much so that I’ll leave the house in the morning with clean, freshly washed hair, only to return later that afternoon with hair that looks like I’d been caught in the rain.
When I discovered Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, my hair-care routine improved dramatically. Its beauty-editor-beloved, lightweight, long-lasting formula allows me to mattify my hair without any of that horrible, sticky feeling. But here’s the issue: The dry shampoo isn’t all that cheap — it retails for about $28 — and at the rate I was using it, I was blowing through cans every three or four weeks. And more importantly, the dry shampoo was serving as a Band-Aid, but it wasn’t actually helping to remedy or control the root issue. My hair was producing too much oil.
After doing some research, I discovered that my hair’s recent increased greasiness was probably not just a result of laying off the bleach but perhaps due in part to London’s infamous hard-water problem. Hard water, as it turns out, contains minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sulfates, among others, which can come into contact with your hair care and create a greasy, unpleasant buildup.
According to folks on the r/HairCareScience sub-Reddit, the gold-star ingredient for fixing hard-water greasiness is apple-cider vinegar. Its acidity can help exfoliate the scalp and regulate sebum production. So when I saw that it was one of the primary ingredients in Ouai’s Detox Shampoo during a trip to my local Space NK, I was intrigued. But what really sold me was the formula’s use of metal-attracting chelating agents, which I discovered after a quick Google are compounds that bind themselves to the minerals (in this case, the ones in the hard water), making it easier for the shampoo to wash all that hard-water gunk out of your hair.
When I first used the Detox Shampoo in the shower, my hair felt cleaner than it ever has before — perhaps too clean, if I’m being honest. I was actually a bit worried that the product had totally stripped my hair. But it softened when I followed it up with a bit of my conditioner, and by the time I got out of the shower and my hair air dried, it looked soft, bouncy, and voluminous, almost as if I’d used my Dyson Airwrap. But what’s maybe the most game-changing aspect of the Detox Shampoo was how long it kept my hair looking clean — not only did it look matte when I came home in the evening, but the following morning I woke up and there wasn’t a damp, greasy patch in sight. It took a whole two days for me to reach for my Living Proof dry shampoo. This was shocking, seeing as I’m used to needing a spritz of the stuff only a few hours after washing my hair. And this wasn’t just a one-time thing — since I’ve started integrating the Detox Shampoo into my weekly hair-care routine, my hair’s general oiliness has reduced dramatically. Sure, it still gets a little shiny and oily after a few days or if I’ve been out and about on a hot, sweaty day, but my greasiness no longer feels like something I have to constantly tend to and be cognizant of.
Even if you’re not incredibly greasy, this shampoo works wonders for giving your hair a deeper cleanse. It gets any styling product out of your hair while adding a voluminous effect. But my favorite, non-utilitarian thing about the Detox Shampoo is without a doubt the smell — the product uses Ouai’s classic “Melrose Place” scent, which is a blend of figs and roses, and it makes my tiny little dingy shower feel a whole lot more spalike.
As for ongoing use, I learned that while the mattifying results of the Detox Shampoo are impressive, it’s not a product you can use daily — much like facial exfoliators, this shampoo actually works better when it’s employed sparingly. Overuse can strip or irritate your scalp, causing your hair to produce more oil and get even greasier. I wash my hair about three times a week, so I save my Detox Shampoo for Sundays and use a gentle, neutral cleansing shampoo from Rahua on the other two days. It took me a few months, but with the addition of Ouai’s shampoo, I feel like I’ve finally gotten my post-bleach-blonde hair-care routine fully fleshed out.
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