Hella stinky…
To save a little time last week and because I didn’t want to deal with restyling my ‘do, I flat ironed my hair on Tuesday and then just let it do its thang.
I made it a few days, but as the week wore on, my hair took on the scent of greasy, day-old fries.
One would think that’s when I took a shower, but nope. 🙂 Instead, I busted out Oscar Blandi’s Pronto Dry Shampoo ($21)… all in the name of beauty science, of course.
Dry shampoos sprays are fine powder mists sprayed onto the roots. They revive and refresh by absorbing excess grease, lifting roots and erasing oily shine.
They’re not meant to take the place of real shampoos and washing, but they do come in handy when I’m crazy busy, extra *lazy*, tired, or if I just want a salon blow-out or flat ironed hairstyle to last a couple more days.
Pronto has been around for a while, but it’s new to me.
The spray comes in two sizes, a tiny 1.4-oz travel can ($11) and a larger 3.2-oz regular size ($21). The formula is free of parabens and sulfates, and according to the company wasn’t tested on animals, yea!
What I liked
Pronto is by far the best smelling dry shampoo I’ve ever tried. Most have a strong, lingering scent, but Pronto’s faint lemon verbena dissipates quickly. It’s a *good* lemon fragrance, too — like freshly baked lemon bars versus Pledge furniture cleaner.
And when it comes to root lifting, Pronto kicks other dry shampoos to the curb. Using it my hair looked dramatically fuller at the roots than it does when I use Rene Furterer’s Naturia, for example, or Ojon’s Rub-Out Dry Cleanser.
What I didn’t like
Residue, yuck! Although my roots looked high and full of volume, the white, powdery residue was hard to miss, totally standing out on my dark brown hair.
It took me 10 minutes to vigorously massage and brush to nix the white cast, and that kinda defeats the purpose of my trying to use the stuff to save time.
If you’re a blonde or have lighter brown hair than I do, the powdery residue may not be as obvious on you, but if your hair is really dark like mine, you might be better off with Naturia or Rub-Out.
Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray
Price: $21 for a 3.2-oz spray can
Use: To refresh hair by absorbing oil and lifting roots
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
You might like Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray if…
- …you have light-colored hair,
- …you like products with a subtle, lemony scent,
- …you don’t always have the time or inclination to shower every day.
Back to reality
I have the post-vacation blahs… I’ve only been home a week, but it feels long longer than that.
The gloomy Bay Area weather isn’t helping, either.
Which button turns on the sunshine?
Speaking of “reality,” did you catch the season finale of The Hills last night? It was Lauren Conrad’s last episode!
I’m kinda sad to see her go.
Good times…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
As I have faux red hair, notorious for losing its color very fast, I was advised to skip washing my hair every day. So I opted for dry shampoo. Oscar Blandi was my first shot at it, but I didn’t really like that it was so ‘thick’, if you will.
I really prefer Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo. It was a lot ‘thinner’ and didn’t leave a weird white film on my head, so I could at least pretend I really did wash my hair – despite it smelling strongly of JLO Glow perfume!!
Hi Lana,
Naturia rocks! How long does a bottle last for you? Mine’s goes for a really long time because I barely have to use any of it!
I use Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil for the same purpose! I can’t compare it to a product that is actually meant to be a dry shampoo, and it doesn’t have any scent, but if you already have it, it works pretty well. Especially to cover up a bit of the oilies. It really absorbs in quickly and disappears.
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Hi Amy,
That’s the first time I’ve heard of somebody using BE for that — interesting! Does it take a lot of work to get it into your roots?
I usually turn to baby powder when I’m going the same thing – though it takes a bit of work to make sure the stuff doesn’t look obvious (I have black hair too).
Hi Vanessa,
How do you apply it onto your hair? Do you just shade it directly onto your roots?
I switched to Pronto because Ojon smelled kinda grody to me, but I have never been completely satisfied with the residue up in my dark brown locks. Now I know I haven’t been doing something wrong and other people have this problem too. Thanks Karen! I’m going to buy some Naturia!
Hi Allie,
You’re welcome! I hope you like Naturia — I think it’s my fave out of the three!
The Hills is such a guilty pleasure of mine! I don’t like Kristin as Lauren’s replacement…I hope Lauren comes back to steal the spotlight from her soon!
Hi CC,
You and me both, girl. Every time Kristin says something I cringe. I don’t think I’ll be watching that show any more!
Have you heard of the dry shampoo by Big Sexy Hair? I think it’s a volumizing dry shampoo that doesn’t come out as a powder but rather as a spray in an aerosol like can. I’ve heard great things about it, but haven’t tried it myself. Maybe that could be the fix to the yucky residue you noticed with this stuff?
And of course I would love to see your take on it as well!
Hi Hafsa,
I didn’t know they made one! Next time I’m at the beauty store I’ll see if I can track it down. Hopefully it’ll smell good.
I’ve seen this before and I’ve always been tempted to try it, but being kind of a dirty blonde, I’ve always just turned to baby powder. It’s not very glamorous, but at least you don’t have to worry about lemon pledge scents!
Hi Caitlin,
I’ve read that some people use baby powder. Corn starch is another option…
Love that you tried this! I’m a dry shampoo addict– especially when I’m on a deadline. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’m pretty sure Bumble & Bumble are the only people who do the *colored* dry shampoo sprays. You can get blonde, red, brown, and even black for about the same price as the full-size Oscar Blandi… I’m a total cheapskate, so my favorite will always be drugstore staple ‘Psssst!’. IMHO, it leaves less residue than Blandi, and while the smell’s nothing to write home about it fades faster and still gets the job done.
(BTW, the powder version of the Oscar Blandi is what I’ve used, and it has the same great scent and is fantasic for travel, but a total mess even with the ‘targeted’ nozzel.)
Hi Beth T,
I’ve heard about Pssst but never tried it. Smell is a big thing for me so if it’s stinky at all I won’t use it. But I do like how it’s much cheaper, sigh.
Whoo, a dry shampoo review!! Thanks so much Karen =D It seems like everyone always talks about these, but no one ever reviews them. I’ll definitely be looking into your other two suggestions, as I have dark hair as well ^^
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Hi Rae,
They’re very handy, especially when you’re in a rush. Definitely give Naturia a go!
I like this product, but in the plastic bottle form, not the spray can form. I tried the spray can, and I got the same problem with that weird residue. I actually like the plastic bottle form because the little nozzle helps you lightly dust your roots where you need. A couple of shakes of the bottle on my roots, rub it into my hair and I’m good to go (I too have dark brown hair). I don’t use it too often, but the tiny 1 oz. bottle has lasted me a while.
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Hi Nicole,
I tried the powder version but it ended up all over the place. I think I need to practice a little to get the application right. Do you use any other Oscar Blandi products?
Karen, I love this stuff. I started using it a couple of years ago before the spray formulation. I need to try the spray now, it’s got to be easier than the squeeze bottle. It smells heavenly!!!
Hi Cindyrela,
I tried the squeeze bottle and had trubs with the powder going all over the place… I think I’m too clumsy for it.
But yah, you’ll probably love this stuff! It’s very easy to use. 🙂
I love OB Pronto in the plastic bottle and find it very easy to use; and it smells great!!
Hi Sarah,
It seems like a lot of women are fans of that version of Pronto. Do you have any application tips?
Hi Karen,
It’s all in the technique. You don’t squeeze you shake, like a salt shaker (hehe or a Polaroid picture?) I used to squeeze but it would release too much, now I lightly shake and it does what it’s supposed to do. I haven’t tried any other Oscar Blandi products. This is the only one people talk about trying =)
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Hi Nicole,
Okay, I’ll give it another try with a lil’ shake. Hopefully that will solve my over-application woes. 🙂
Hi Karen,
Greasy, day-old fries! I’m still giggling over that. 🙂
I HATED this product so much. What a waste of $21. I bought it when my hair was longer because I color my hair so I wash it every third day. My hair usually doesn’t get oily but I wanted something on hand for emergencies (in case I accidentally sleep in and don’t have time to wash it) or to extend a hairdo if I went to the trouble of curling or flat-ironing it. I used it twice and the can was empty – and I only used a little bit (two short spritzes)! I bought it new in its box at Sephora.
But even if it had been a better value, it was a disaster! My roots literally looked like I dumped baby powder on my head. Gross. I had reddish, medium-brown hair at the time so maybe you have to be blond for it not to look like you doused your head in hairspray and then brushed it out.
When my nephew was a baby, he had surgery and my sister couldn’t bathe him for over a week. The hospital gave her this liquid, no-rinse shampoo to use on him, and pretty soon she and I were using it on our hair. I don’t know where to find this item (medical supply store?) or even what it was called, but it was wonderful. You would just put a few drops in your hands, rub your hands together and run them through your roots. It would dry fairly quickly and the oiliness was gone! No powder, no mess, and super quick. If I ever find out what it was, I’ll let you know.
I also didn’t like this too much due to the residue. I noticed that you tried Ojon’s too, did you notice the overpowering scent? Ick.
i tried the spray and it did that gross residue for me, too. but the powder version works WONDERFULLY. i have dark brown hair and it only takes about 15 seconds for me to blend it all in. and i have had the same little bottle for about 2 years! (and i use it quite a bit)
I totally just want to try this and see if it is a good product for my Mcgyver man pack that I keep stashed in the trunk. However, I have my doubts how it might work with my wave pomade. I may end up looking less unkept than planned.