Grease Lightening (Batiste Dry Shampoo)

Member Name: skidd

Product:	Batiste Dry Shampoo
Date:	05/03/08 (328 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick and easy way to refresh and revitalise greasy hair

Disadvantages: Not as effective as the wet variety

My greasy hair has always been one of the banes of my life. School photos show my moon face looking miserable under its curtain of sebum laden tresses looking for all the world as if I was trying to imitate my Dad's Brylcream look. I was told it was a condition which, like acne, would improve post adolescence. Nearly half a century later I am still waiting! The common belief then was that frequent washing would over-stimulate sebaceous glands and exacerbate the problem. Happily most experts now agree that this is not the case. In any case, in the 60's daily hair washing was not the norm so I never put the theory to the test! I just suffered!

In my teens, a hairdresser introduced me to the talcum powder trick which helped make the problem more manageable. This involved shaking on the powder over your scalp and brushing through. It certainly helped but it was a messy business with the talc flying all over the surrounding area and it was well nigh impossible to achieve an even distribution. Hair might look better but it was difficult to brush out and I found it often left me with an itchy scalp. Worse still, as the choice of "flavours" in our house was limited to my Mum's taste, I was often concerned that I might be offending nostrils in the vicinity by assailing them with the scent of Yardley's Freesia or some similar sickly floral fragrance.

It was not until I was in my early twenties that I discovered Batiste Dry Shampoo and it quickly became an indispensable item in my quick fix cosmetic collection. I now wash my hair most days but on those occasions when I am running late, feeling under par or just plain lazy, a quick five minutes with that familiar peppermint green aerosol can will refresh and revitalise my lank and oily locks. The procedure is simple: shake the can, spray lightly onto the hair from about 12 inch distance and keep shaking and spraying until even coverage is achieved. After a fingertip massage through the hair and a few moments " standing time", a quick brush out (preferably using a natural bristle brush) and you're ready to go!

The spray has hardly changed in all the years I have been using it. Ownership was transferred in recent years when the Middlesex based firm, Fine Fragrances and Cosmetics Limited, acquired it from Schwarzkopf but the formula appears to be the same as it was in the seventies. The liquid spray still dries quickly into a very fine white powder and the delicate scent, which I can only describe as slightly sweet with a suggestion of citrus, has remained unaltered over the decades. The can may have gone over to metric content measurement at some point but is about the same size I have always known ( which is strange because you find most things seem to get smaller over the years !).

There are various warnings concerning use. Some are those you would expect such as not using near naked flames because of extreme flammability, not spraying in the eyes and not applying to broken skin. However one I did not expect is that the product is not suitable for "intimate hygiene use" so I am always very careful where I spray it! I have quickly checked some of the ingredients in the past just because I have a sensitive, eczema prone skin. The list includes rice starch, alcohol, fragrance, limonene and linalool. The last two ingredients are actually citrus peel extracts and have provoked some controversy over safety but it seems, whilst they are deadly to insects being common ingredients in insecticides, they are of low toxicity to mammals. There is some evidence they can irritate skin, eyes and mucous membranes but they are widely used as solvents, fragrances and flavours in cosmetics and beverages so, as I have probably come into contact with these and even ingested them on many occasions, I am not over concerned by their presence Furthermore, I am reassured by the fact I have never suffered any adverse skin reaction.

Batiste has been my "trusted companion" for so many years now and rescued me on so many occasions I will continue to buy it as long as it is available. Of course it will never replace a really good wet lather. It refreshes it for a couple of days maximum and I have to admit that, although it leaves the hair looking fuller, cleaner and smelling more pleasant with the style in tact, it does have it's limitations. Post treatment hair is less flexible and has a matt finish as opposed to the gloss which is so much more desirable! In addition, I am told that it is more successful with blonde hair than darker tones because it is difficult to brush away the evidence completely and some white residue may still be apparent. Obviously this would be less noticeable amidst blonde tones.

It may not be a miracle remedy but for me the end result of this speedy process is much more pleasing than the alternative of being seen sporting lank oily clumps or donning a coverall hat. It's only comes in one size (150mls) which I find gives a minimum of six treatments and is widely available from chemists and online suppliers for around £1.99. At that price, if you do suffer from overactive sebaceous glands, it has to be worth a try.

Summary: A good quick fix for grease laden locks