Bald fashion statement! How dry shampoo could make you lose your hair

IT is the ultimate quick fix for style-conscious women to refresh dirty hair when there’s simply no time for a leisurely wash and blow-dry, never mind a visit to a salon.

So it is no surprise that dry shampoo has become a staple for one in four British women – who between them are the world’s biggest consumers of the product.

But a reliance on the powder spray to perk up lank hair could come at a cost for the millions who swear by its benefits.

Hairdressers and scalp experts are warning that over-use of dry shampoo can cause unpleasant side effects, including itchy, flaky scalps, pimples – and even bald patches.

The problem is that dry shampoo does not actually clean the hair; it simply deposits a substance – be it as talcum powder, corn starch or rice starch – on the scalp to absorb excess oil.

The concept follows the Victorian-era practice of sprinkling arrowroot powder on the hair to absorb grease.

One expert Iain Sallis, a trichologist at the Farjo Hair Institute in Manchester, likened the say the powder works to ‘dust baths animals take’.

Hairdresser Lee Stafford, whose celebrity clients include Billie Piper and model Agyness Deyn, warned that the product is not designed to be used regularly.

He said: ‘It contains an oil-absorbing substance to soak up the grease, but if it’s used constantly it’s going to dry out the hair and the scalp and make it flaky. If it’s left on the hair too long it can also clog up the pores, leading to spots and sore patches.’

This is what Kerry Kilmister found to her cost when she began using dry shampoo regularly after she found herself with little time for grooming following the birth of her third child, Poppy, now five months.

Like many mothers, Kerry, 34, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, needed a quick fix – and saw a daily dose of dry shampoo as an ideal way of keeping her hair looking good.

‘After a few weeks, though, I noticed my scalp was getting itchy and sore. I started getting bad dandruff, and then I developed little sore patches on my head, which would catch on my hairbrush and bleed,’ she told the Daily Mail.

She said she did not even consider that it might be the dry shampoo causing the problems until a hairdresser told her she was probably using too much.

Kerry says has now stopped using dry shampoo entirely, and the side effects have cleared up.
Jonathan Long, co-founder of top London hair salon Lockonego, whose clients include Sienna Miller and Pippa Middleton, agrees.

He told the Mail: ‘If you applied excessive amounts of make-up to your face without washing it, your skin would become congested and irritated. It’s exactly the same for your scalp.’

Another regular user to have suffered side-effects from dry shampoo was Kym Fryer, a 35-year-old teacher from Leeds.

She says she developed dermatitis – and the reaction was so severe even she started getting bald patches.

Kim said that she originally thought the red, scaly rash around her hairline was caused by stress until her mum saw a bald patch at the back of her head

It was her hairdresser who noticed the symptoms and told her to stop stop using the dry shampoo. 'I’ve never used it since and thankfully, my hair’s grown back,’ she said.

It is thought the hair loss could be the result of shedding a large amount of hair in one go rather than incrementally, as those who wash their hair regularly will do.

Mr Sallis recommends using dry shampoo once a week at most. A sentiment backed up by Mr Long, who also suggested it can be used for styling clean hair.

‘It’s great if you’re trying to style your hair and it keeps falling out of the style,’ he said.

Picture courtesy of Rex Features