DIVA DOES THE DIRTY WORK // FEAT. BATISTE & CEDEL

Ah, where to begin with dry shampoo? That so-called 'miracle worker', 'shampoo in a can'... Admittedly, I'm kind of on the fence about it.
'What?!' you scream, 'Don't you understand the brilliance of such a product? It makes my dirty hair look clean, and my clean hair look dirty*!' Um, yeah, I hear ya. A gym bag essential, fo' sho'! But my major gripe with dry shampoo - aside from it being chock-full of chemicals and nasties (well, stuff that doesn't seem to be too chummy with my scalp), is that it makes my hair grosser than it was before. Sure, it takes some of that 'oil slick' look away, but feels pretty darn grotty. You know that feeling when you rake your fingers through your hair and it's all kind of stuck together in a greasy mess? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. (No? You lucky thing!) So I try not to use it too often.

L-R: Batiste Diva Dry Shampoo, Cedel Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair, Batiste Cherry mini**

Usually I wash my hair every second day, but I couldn't last night, so today I experienced the rare phenomenon known as Third Day Hair. And I had to admit that I was running out of ideas - I can usually only get away with wearing my hair down the day after washing it, and my hair is always up the day after! Today I settled for a kind of 'side-twist, bun thing'.

I've only ever tried the dry shampoo offerings from Batiste and Cedel - my very first dry shampoo purchase was a mini can of Batiste's Blush, which had quite an overpowering scent (which I overlooked due to its post-PE hair-freshening prowess) - and I can't say I've ever really been blown away. (I suppose this is the part where I say "Until now!" and streamers and confetti fall from the ceiling...) Though I guess Diva is as close as it gets.

The worst thing about having black hair is that the dreaded 'grey streaked'/'random grey patches' look is something I'm all too familiar with! Even Cedel's Dark Hair offering, I found, was more of an ashy grey-brown, which was perhaps subtler than good ol' white, but nonetheless noticeable in my hair. I suppose I should accept that it's a losing battle.
I realise that I've diverted from what I was originally intending to talk about (i.e. Batiste Diva and Cedel), so in an attempt to make things clear (to both myself and to you, dear reader), I'll list my thoughts in a different format:

The Product: Batiste Diva Dry Shampoo
What I liked: 
- The generous amount of product
- The affordable price
- The "heady, oriental" scent (though stronger than what I'm used to, it's more in line with my tastes, and doesn't linger for too long)
- Makes my hair feel 'fresher' (absorbs grease)
- Gives decent volume (not a lot, as my hair is quite heavy and straight-ish)
- Doesn't make my hair lank

What I didn't like:
- The white colour of the product (which means I have to make sure it's distributed properly)
- Makes my sensitive scalp a bit itchy (but a given with all dry shampoos, it seems)

The Product: Cedel Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair
What I liked:
- A good size for travel
- Makes my hair feel fresher

What I didn't like:
- THE POWDERY 'GRANDMA' SMELL (probably the biggest deal breaker for me - I just can't stand the smell of it!)
- Makes my hair lank and gross if I don't distribute it properly

Overall, Batiste Diva is a decent product that does the job, while I view Cedel as a product that would be my last resort, dry shampoo-wise. The scent of it is unbearable for me, which is partly the reason why, though it'd be nice if the colour was less of a strange ashy brown.

With Batiste, I applied a generous amount to my hair the night before (mainly sides and top of head), and awoke to find my hair less gross (with no whiteness in sight) and lightly scented. I've also heard recommendations to blast your hair with a hair dryer after massaging in dry shampoo for 'better results', though when I tried that a while ago with Cedel, it just made it 'set' - so about a million times harder to disperse those unsightly grey-brown streaks!

I think dry shampoo is one of those things that will take time to get the hang of, much like foundation application or winged eyeliner. For now, I take it as a product that comes in handy for those Third Hair Days, but not really a 'holy-grail' or 'can't live without'. I'm also interested in trying Klorane's and LUSH's versions...

Behold - side view of the 'side-twist-bun-thing'...

*For that 'sexy dishevelled bed-head look', of course!
** I only included this one because it's so cute and handbag-friendly :D

Do you use dry shampoo regularly?
Any recommendations? :)

REVIEW // CEDEL BLOW DRY FASTER

A revisit and more in-depth look at this 'wonder' product. I first mentioned this eye-catching little can of promise in my second Week in Review, noting its 'different' scent and seemingly improbable claim. I'd been wanting to try it for a looooooong time - ever since I spotted it in Priceline whilst on the hunt for dry shampoo, but could never justify buying it as I still had a barely-used heat protecting spray by Tresemme. The other day, however, I decided to bite the bullet, justifying it with some flimsy excuse or another.

I had my fingers crossed that it wouldn't have the same powdery grandma scent as Cedel's dry shampoo and to my great relief, it didn't! (After being burned once, I was certainly going to be more wary about future Cedel purchases!) It's difficult to describe the scent - not quite fragrant, not overly unpleasant (not as unpleasant as the dry shampoo, anyway). Plus it doesn't linger, so it's a safe bet that it won't overpower or compete with your fragrance.

I really liked that it was a heat protector and a kind of 'blow dry balm' in one, while also lessening drying time and detangling hair. It usually takes me a while to dry my hair and my arms are already aching by the time I'm half way. When I tested it on 90-95% dry hair, it became fully dry in about 5-7 mins, which is pretty good for my thick, coarse hair. I try to avoid heat styling as much as possible, as I'm paranoid about the damage and breakage that comes with frequent usage. Consequently, I never blow dry my hair until it's 'bone dry'.

I also liked the spray nozzle on this product - not overly highly pressurised, or concentrated; reminiscent of an aerosol deodorant without the 'oomph' - a light mist for even distribution. I found that three sprays (sides and back of head) were plenty. It left my somewhat-unruly and slightly-frizzy hair straight and sleek - I was even more impressed by the fact that I was able to achieve an almost salon-worthy blow dry using only my fingers as a comb.

Now I don't have "stereotypical Asian hair" - thick, poker straight, shiny, 'swooshy' strands. My mop is more of the thick, straight-ish, voluminised, fluffy bedhead-y faction. Think a slightly scruffier version of Alexa Chung's signature lob minus the panache. Occasionally I'll wake up with wonderfully straight hair that I won't have to style, but that's usually once in a blue moon, so you can imagine my amazement when I woke the next morning with straight, 'swooshy' hair. Not quite shampoo-commercial-worthy hair, but pretty good by my standards. My verdict? This one's a keeper!