When someone tells me that they only wash their hair once every three or four days, I'm immediately skeptical. This isn't because I don't trust the person, but because I am a steadfast, committed everyday hair washer. I cannot imagine another way of life, and I don't want to. This is because on the off chance I do happen to be too busy to wash my hair (it happens), things are not so pretty. That's why dry shampoo is my best friend when I'm in a rush. I don't use it often, but when I'm in a hurry I'm always glad it's there to suck up all that moisture and save the day. However, I find the texture of dry shampoo to be completely horrible. Is there truly anything worse than running your hands through your hair only to feel the chalky, gritty nastiness of the shampoo's residue? In my opinion, no. There is not. So when I saw IGK was coming out with a charcoal dry shampoo blotting paper, I felt like someone up above was watching over me and understood.
Immediately having flashbacks to middle school when I all I carried around were those baby blue blotting papers everyone had, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a sample. Being able to cure my greasiest hair quickly, quietly, and discreetly, without leaving everyone around me in a gritty, dusty cloud of white dry shampoo? I'm in.
Swipe Up Charcoal Dry Shampoo Blotting Tissue, $18, Sephora
The "Fresh AF" charcoal dry shampoo blotting tissues come in a plastic bag of 15 individually wrapped sheets. They're smooth, sleek, and OK — they admittedly look just a teensy bit like super chic condoms. In any case, though, I'd much rather carry around one of these little packets than, say, an entire bottle of dry shampoo.
At $18 for 16 sheets, these aren't exactly cheap and come out to a little more than $1 for a single tissue. But depending on how often you use dry shampoo, these could be solid investment. The added benefit of being able to discreetly pack one or two in a bag is worth it, if you ask me. But all of this is a moot point unless they work. And the final verdict on these little things is pretty surprising.
The sheets, which are neat little squares feel like something in between tissue paper and a dryer sheet. I rubbed the sheet along the roots of my hair, targeting the same places I usually aim traditional dry shampoo at.
Disappointingly, there's no satisfying oil-blotting residue left on the sheet after you use it (see the before and after of my sheet below), but the sheets do make a difference in how your hair feels. And the best part is there is absolutely no residue of any kind. They're a game changer, and they make regular dry shampoo seem pretty much archaic.
The look of my hair remained more or less the same after the sheets, but my hair felt cleaner, which makes a huge difference. It also seemed to add a little more volume and body to my hair. And the convenience cannot be beat.
I'm imagining these little sheets in my everyday makeup bag, alongside my favorite lip balm and hand lotion. While these sheets are fairly new, some reviewers on Sephora seem to also be pretty big fans. One user writes, "Where have portable dry shampoos been all my life?? My new workout buddies all in a super cute portable zip bag??? YAS PLEASE."
Another person writers, "GENIUS!!! Absolutely amazing. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE."
As for me, I'll be sticking to my regular everyday hair-washing schedule for the foreseeable future. But for the times when that's not possible (after the gym, while traveling, or during super busy days), these little buddies are going to be my new beauty staples.
