ADLER NATURAL HAIR POWDER REVIEW

adler hair powder review besotted blogI have been wanting to reduce the amount of times I washed my hair each week as we (the blogosphere) have learned that too much washing is not good for the mane.  I have only been able to make it to every other day, which still seems excessive, but my hair looks dirty by the third day and that’s not pretty.  This gorgeous girl doesn’t wash her hair for a week at a time and it shows (in a good way) she has long, flowy locks that anyone would covet. I have read that a lot of people with these beautiful manes use dry shampoo.  I have tried it once, I bought a Sauve aerosol from the drug store but I didn’t like the smell and I was worried about chemicals so close to my scalp (and in turn my brain).  When I received a gift certificate to Kaufman Mercantile, I admittedly was drawn to the Adler Hair Powder because of it’s packaging, when I saw that it was what I thought ‘dry shampoo’ I was in.  So, my thoughts?  It doesn’t exactly look like I have clean hair, when you put it on (and only use a little) it immediately adheres to the oil in your roots (is that TMI?) and creates an almost clay/pomade like texture. It doesn’t feel clean, in fact it feels a little ‘producty’ which wasn’t what I was expecting from a natural product.  The upside was that I can get my roots to lift and appear like I have a lot of body/volume, which is near impossible with my super straight, heavy hair, body is not usually what I have.  You really need to go easy on this product, it reads to use a teaspoon, but I would even go lighter and build (that’s my philosophy with most cosmetics). If you have dark hair like I do, you are also going to want to rub in very well or else you will look like you have gray hair, which is a very specific look and not one I want to have at this juncture. So, this product is great to create root lifting volume, but I don’t like it for a shampoo substitute.   Don’t get me wrong, I will take volume at my roots whenever I can get it, but I won’t use this to combat the look of dirty locks, for now I will continue to wash my hair every other day until I get a better suggestion.  What about you?  Do you use dry hair shampoo?  If so, which brand do you like?  Have you tried the Adler hair powder and had a different experience? I would love to know!

28 thoughts on “ADLER NATURAL HAIR POWDER REVIEW

    1. Marci, I think I’ve had their hair spray at one point, spendy, definitely would have to wait for another Christmas or Birthday gift certificate;) Thank you!

    1. Oh, Simone the baby powder is so bad for my hair, it definitely gives me the look that I have gray hair or hair loss, lol! I do love Bumble & Bumble products their sea spray is one of my faves!

  1. Hi :)

    I have tried *many* a dry shampoo, and by far, these two are my favorites:

    ALL TIME FAVORITE: http://www.klorane.ca/en/hair/oily_prone_hair/ …You MUST get the one with the green cap, for oily scalps. The white cap one is good, but the GREEN CAP one is amazing. It suppresses oil on the scalp. If you put it on freshly washed scalp and rub, rub, rub…the next day and the day after, your hair is fresh. (Maybe add another spray, spray on the 2nd day…but your hair looks GREAT!) The only downside of the green cap Klorane is that it is not available in the US. You have to go to Canada or order it online from Ebay or w/e. Hopefully Klorane will catch on and start offering it on US shelves…

    The 2nd, also good, dry shampoo that IS available in the US: http://www.sephora.com/pronto-dry-shampoo-P254307?om_mmc=Googlepla,_requestid=42976,cm_mmc=us_search-_-GG-_-pla-_-,ci_src=17588969,ci_sku=914101 It’s very close to the Klorane in effectiveness and it’s non-aerosol, which is great for traveling, and also means it lasts longer and you don’t accidentally overdo it. The application is different; you uncap the bottle and squirt/pour a small mound of powder into your palm. Then, you rub both of your hands together, to get powder on your palms and fingertips, and rub, rub, rub into your scalp. It works like magic.

    Both are light and non-paste-y. You WILL get a ‘gray hair look’ if you don’t rub them in enough, but if your hair is oily, powder based dry-shampoos are the most effective and worth the extra (and easy) scalp massages. It literally takes a couple minutes to refresh your style, which will always be faster than a shower & style and so much better for your hair too.

    Hope you like them both!
    :) Em

    ps. I have tried the Lulu Organics and also one natural one called Acure….I recommend both of these for hair that is only oily in the SLIGHTEST…both have moisturizers in them which are counterproductive for oily scalps and will produce the paste-like texture mentioned in the above post. They both create a cool ‘dirty look’ if that’s what you’re going for, but if you want a clean look…look elsewhere…to the two products above. ;)
    pps. I have also tried Psssst!, Kevin Murphy, Blow, TRESemmé, the non-aerosol Klorane (white cap), Bumble & Bumble, etc. I may have forgot some. I am a dry shampoo expert. hahaha

  2. Being a fellow brunette, I agree that dry shampoo is trickier but very cool once you get a good system down. I started with aerosol sprays because I thought it apply less powder, but the can would lose compression before I’d half used it & the application wasn’t that great. Next I tried Osis (sm red bottle), which applies like baby powder but I didn’t like it because it also had a styling componement that made my hair stiff. The one I’ve liked the best is the Oscar Blandi Pronto that has a pointed nozzle – it works really well for application & doesn’t do anything but soak up oil. The next problem is making sure it doesn’t show. The instructions always say to apply to the scalp but that makes it gunk up more for me & is harder to get the excess out. Here’s how I do it:
    1. don’t start directly near your part line, rather flip an inch or 2 of hair over the part (otherwise you have a lot of powder directly on the most visible part of the scalp)
    2. put the nozzle of the bottle about 1-2 inches away from the roots of the hair & apply a small quick line of powder from front to back. squeeze very gently – I barely have to apply pressure because gravity is helping. You should end up with a small amout of powder in a rough 2-3″ line.
    3. I put my fingers in that section of hair, just a little past the powder & give a couple of gentle shakes, which lets the powder start sifting down to the roots/scalp.
    4. I repeat this a few times with sections of my hair mostly on the top of my head & close to my face. I don’t do the back because I can’t see well enough to ensure that I get the excess out & the sides of my hair/head don’t get as greasy.
    5. Then I let it sit on my hair for a few minutes, soaking up the oil & sifting, while I brush my teeth, etc. TIP: don’t put on your top for the day before doing this if it’s a dark color.
    6. Normally I use a wide tooth brush for my thick, wavy hair but I got one with lots of bristles just for dry shampoo. I start brushing my hair from the scalp, flipping it over the way I did to apply the shampoo. Every couple of strokes, I stop & look at my brush.
    7. Depending on how much dry shampoo I used, I use a dry or slightly damp wash rag & quickly rub it over the ends of the bristles on the brush. This keeps you from brushing the powder back into the hair.
    8. I repeat the cycle of flip hair, brush stroke, wipe on rag several times – brushing my hair in all directions, like forward towards my face to pick up excess powder from all angles. If you get the rag or brush very damp, it will defeat the purpose as it will get the hair wet.
    9. That usually does it. If I check my hair and will use a dry rag at the roots to touch up any spots where I got too much powder on the scalp.
    Sorry that’s so long. But I’ve really loved having the dry shampoo & the process takes me about 5min in the mornings when I need it (which is only about once a week).

    1. My goodness Christy this is SO helpful! Thank you! I definitely only want something that soaks up the oil (gosh that sounds so yucky, doesn’t it?) For someone like myself that hasn’t had much experience with this I am so happy to have these detailed instructions!

  3. I’ve used the Oscar Blandi, baby powder (which is the same as the shampoo–besides the smell) in my opinion, but the most success I’ve had has been with plain old hairspray! I have red hair, so the powders makes my hair look dull and flat-toned, but not hair spray. I can get away with 3 days tops without shampooing, but it just starts to itch after that and I cave. Good news is hairspray is cheap. I don’t apply any on the first day, an average spray at the top of my head and hair–not necessarily at the roots(after hair is styled) on day 2, and on day 3 (I usually wear my hair up) I spray again. I’ve noticed the slight stiffness of the hairspray keeps your hair from moving around and spreading the oils around, and it also helps reduce the need of running fingers through it, which is the worst for spreading the oils! I use medium-hold mostly. Good luck!

  4. Corn starch is a natural dry shampoo. It absorbs the oil and helps provide texture and body. It is very lightweight also. You can’t even feel it in your hair once you rub it in. For those with dark hair, you can mix some cocoa powder with it to prevent it from looking like you have gray hair. This also provides a nice smell too. :)

    1. Interesting idea on the cocoa powder – may have to try that. :) I have wondered why the dry shampoo makers don’t offer different colors of the powders – it seems a logical product choice.

    2. Hi Leslie! I have read about the corn starch + cocoa but have not given it a try, it seems like it would be easy enough and I like your description. Best part is there’s no chemicals and it’s inexpensive, thank you!

  5. I’ve never used hair powder before, but I love that it gave you extra volume, I might try it just for that! I have tried spray-on dry shampoo and I have the same opinion about it that you do, so I’m an every-other-day hair washer also.

    1. Oh, yes, you can get lot’s of volume Laura but it will feel like there’s product in there but it won’t look like there’s product, it’s a give and take:)

  6. HI Tristan,
    I was also a dry shampoo fanatic! I went through ever brand available and never found one I liked, or found one I liked, but as a brunette also had the white old lady powder problem. My new solution, and I swear by it because it is organic, natural, completely safe.. COCOA POWDER! Yes, chocolate! I just dust it on with a kabuki brush and tousle it in and it blends and works better than any other hair powder I have tried. Just make sure it is pure cocoa, not the sweetened kind, and I choose organic, because that was what I was trying to get away from with the spray kind, all those chemicals!!! Hope you try it, I love it!!

    1. Jenn straight cocoa powder and no corn starch? This may be a dumb question but unsweetened is not sticky is it? I should probably delete that question. Do you have a certain brand you use? I would love to try this!

  7. I have used most of the products listed. My stylist knows that I’m always looking for something to add volume at the roots of my hair so she turned me on to this new product by Shu Uemura called Volume Maker. It’s now two days after my visit to the salon and Wow!! it not only adds volume but it also has the same properties as a dry shampoo, it absorbs oil. It’s fragrance free and comes in a pen-like applicator with a brush so you can apply it exactly where you want it. Also, it’s invisible on my dark brown hair!!! I know I sound a tad excited but I’ve tried so many different options and never ended up the the results that I wanted. It’s is pricey at $50 but you don’t us as much because the applicator allows you to put it right where you need it… in your hair and not all over you and the bathroom floor. One additional benefit is that this product is reactivated throughout the day when you “massage and lift” the areas where you applied it. Love, love, love this product!!!

  8. I’m trying hard but I’ve only made it to two days without washing. And even on the days I don’t wash it I use dry-shampoo which for me doesn’t count as ‘not washing’…. buuuuut I’ve been using a dutch brand organic dry shampoo which comes as a spray, much easier to apply than powder! With my ashy-ish dark blonde hair the white usually blends in well after I give it a few brush strokes. It keeps its volume for about 3 hours but returns quickly by giving it a quick brushstrokes. I’m eager to give a power dry-shampoo a chance as the spray doesn’t last long!

  9. What a great thread! I used to follow your former blog, and just returned to the blogosphere. Loving all your beauty posts! The Oscar Blandi is definitely legit. A friend let me use hers a few times and it’s great, but too pricey for my budget. The next best thing that I’ve found is Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo. Totally invisible on my dark brunette hair, has a no product look, and works like a charm. I just moved to Memphis from California, and let me tell you, it’s a life saver in this humidity!

    1. Thank you for your visit and the recommendation. Oscar Blandi is a little spendy for me but I do want to try it one day:)

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