Life

7 Tricks To Make Dirty Hair Look Clean When A Shower Just Isn’t In The Cards

by Samantha Darby

Raise your hand if you’ve ever skipped your morning shampoo? Almost everyone? That makes sense. It’s hard enough to whip that hair into a bun some days, let alone wash and condition it. But if you’re going to rock the unwashed look (and aren’t looking to bring back the ‘90s grunge era), you’re going to need some easy tricks to make dirty hair look clean.

Pick up any magazine and you’ll find that one of the most repeated hair care tips is not to wash your hair every day, even if your schedule includes a sweaty workout. Depending on the type of hair you have (and how you style it each day), you may need to go several days between shampoos. Unfortunately, stopping your current hair washing schedule can often lead to overproduction of oil in your roots giving you a greasy, Severus Snape do. But rocking unwashed hair doesn’t mean it has to look dirty. No matter what you have planned for the day, you can leave your house looking presentable and polished without ever touching your shampoo by following these seven easy tricks.

1Spray On Dry Shampoo

There’s a reason every beauty supply store has an entire section devoted to dry shampoo — the stuff is magic. Because dry shampoo soaks up the oil on your hair, but not your scalp, it’s a great way to give your unwashed hair some life for the day.

Batiste Clean and Classic Dry Shampoo, $8.55, Amazon

Klorane Dry Shampoo, $16.65, Amazon

2Blot With Rubbing Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol is a main ingredient in many hair styling products like hairspray and hair dye because of the chemical’s absorption properties. Since it’s good at drying hair, but not moisturizing, it can help rubbing alcohol can help control oily roots. Use a cotton ball soaked in the alcohol to blot away at your hair.

70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol, $5.39, Amazon

Swisspers Organic Cotton Balls, $5.54, Amazon

3Give Yourself A Deep Side Part

Not only is a deep side part flattering for any hair style, it can also give your dirty hair the illusion of being clean as it hides those oily top roots. Dirty hair can also hold the style better as it’s heavier than freshly washed hair.

Ace Tail Comb, $4.99, Amazon

4Add Some Accessories

Because your roots show the most oil in your hair, donning a cute turban or headscarf is a quick, easy way to make your hair look clean and styled.

Animal Print Hair Turban, $7.99, Amazon

5Squirt On Some Lemon Juice

A lemon rinse is already an easy DIY to help with oily hair, so it makes sense that using a little lemon juice on your roots can quickly dry out any excess oil, making your hair look clean and fresh again. (And smelling delightfully citrus.)

ReaLemon 100% Lemon Juice, $12.98, Amazon

6Give Yourself A Blowout

If you want to give your dirty hair a lift, try using your own blowdryer. By tipping your head upside down and blasting it with some heat, you can give yourself plenty of volume, despite the oily roots.

Remington Salon Collection Ceramic Hair Dryer, $35.90, Amazon

7Braid It

Some hairstyles work better with dirty hair and a braid is one of them. Plait those dirty tresses and marvel at how polished your unwashed hair looks.

Images: Pixabay; eleanorsbeautyedit, formanlauren, jacquemonae, bravekate1st, phim_eats, KayleyMelissa, cynthiaflick/Instagram