After spraying on different dry shampoos over the years, I had almost given up on finding the right one — until I used Billie’s Floof.
All of the dry shampoos I tried before it had some sort of problem, whether it was leaving a chalky residue on my dark hair, not sufficiently ridding my hair of excess oil or just turning my hair dull and drab. So dry shampoo never became one of the steps in my hair care routine — it remained a last-minute option to turn to before leaving the house pre-pandemic or entering the first video call of the day more recently.
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While more salons had started to open up toward the end of 2020, I found myself reluctant to go into one, especially to cut off my hair. I trimmed it myself only once last year (a couple of months into working from home) and had decided to grow it out since the summer. Even though I liked to keep things pretty low-maintenance when it came to looking after my locks — usually washing my hair twice a week, only occasionally brushing through it and always using the popular Revlon One-Step to dry (and style) it — that growth meant a little more responsibility. So I went searching for a dry shampoo to use between washes in order to keep my blowout lasting longer and one that would keep up with my haircare philosophy of “less is best.”
That search turned up dry shampoos that either had mixed reviews, high price tags or were already in my mental “don’t ever buy again” list. But, the search eventually led me to Billie’s Floof Dry Shampoo. Billie is a direct-to-consumer beauty brand that launched in 2017. Billie’s current line of eight products includes Wonder Wipes (a pack of plant-based makeup removing wipes) and Razor Starter Kit, a subscription plan that can send refillable razor blades every month, and Floof. Like the other products in the brand’s line-up, Floof is vegan, sulfate-, paraben- and cruelty-free.
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Billie’s Floof Dry Shampoo
Floof comes in two different shades, one is for light hair and the other is for dark hair. I went with the latter. The shades of this dry shampoo share almost the exact same ingredients (Billie lists all of them online) — including rice starch, which can make hair look healthier, and baking soda, which the brand says helps with greasiness. The Floof for dark hair has extra iron oxides — which you can find in things like sunscreen and lip gloss — which add pigment to the product.
With all the virtual birthdays, holidays, catch-ups and work calls at the end of last year, I bought Floof in December with the hope that it would help me look put together even when I definitely wasn’t. And it’s been a part of my haircare routine ever since. In between washes during the week, I pepper it on when I feel like putting off shampooing and conditioning for another day. Floof leaves my hair feeling refreshed — with less oil and more fullness than I usually have after two or three days of not washing it.
Unlike a lot of dry shampoos I’ve sprayed in the past, Billie’s Floof isn’t a spray at all but a powder that you can sprinkle on top of your scalp. The dry shampoo for dark hair comes out in a cocoa color, making it much easier to massage through my mane. With other dry shampoos, I’ve had to forcefully blend in the product after a spritz to make sure I didn’t have white spots all over my hair (or on my clothes).
The bottle has little holes to dust Floof over the top of your head — sometimes, the product can take a couple of shakes to pour out but I’ve felt that does help me make sure a heap of powder doesn’t plop onto my roots. A little goes a long way and I usually just need one to three shakes to get my hair just right. The powder completely disappears without much hassle soon after.
What makes Floof different from other dry shampoos is that it’s supposed to be both a dry shampoo and a volumizer. While I’ve bought other dry shampoos that promise to be volumizing, very few of them actually are. Floof doesn’t exactly make my hair go poof volume-wise but it does give me enough height on top to hide any oily strands. I have a particularly oily scalp and this dry shampoo soaks up the oil much more than any other dry shampoo I’ve tried in recent memory.
It’s the only dry shampoo that has won a permanent place on my shelf.
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Other hair care products to consider
I usually save dry shampoo for days when I don’t have time to wash my hair. But before I shake on Billie’s Floof, there are certain products that I use to help me with the upkeep of my now-much-longer hair. I turn to these products every week to ensure I don’t wake up with tangled up tresses. These are my tried and true must-haves and I’ve included them below for anyone looking to add new products to their hair care routine.
OGX Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo & Conditioner
I’ve been a big fan of OGX’s line of shampoos and conditioners for years. You can find them in almost any drugstore, which was where I first came across the brand. What stood out to me about the brand was the sheer variety they offered — with ingredients like coconut milk, turmeric and tea tree oil. All of the hair care products explain what they are designed to do in the front, whether it’s to add moisture or help with damage. As someone who doesn’t like to spend too much time on my hair, those descriptions made it easy to pick one out.
But my favorite would have to be the brand’s Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco shampoo and conditioner. I buy the large set of shampoo and conditioner (each is about 25 fluid ounces) so that it can last me longer than just the standard 13 ounce bottle. The scent isn’t as overpowering as some of the others in OGX’s line, which I personally prefer — it doesn’t leave a lingering smell that conflicts with my perfume or deodorant. The combination leaves my hair feeling soft and looking shiny at my ends, which tend to be much more dryer than my roots. I don’t need much of either to wash my hair in the shower, just a quarter-sized dollop will do the trick.
OGX Protecting + Silk Blowout Quick Drying Thermal Spray
Since I blow dry my hair after every wash — I rarely air dry it — I’ve been using a heat protectant spray to make sure that my locks aren’t fried in the process. While buying a refill of OGX’s shampoo months ago, this spray appeared under the recommended products and I took a chance on it. I make sure to generously spritz this spray on right before blow drying. The spray helps me style my hair in place and gives my strands a little bit more of shine, despite the high heat. And it seems I’m not alone in holding this product in high regard — this spray has a 4.3-star average rating across more than 5,800 reviews.
Drybar Super Lemon Drop Brush
Now, I have a small confession to make: I didn’t brush my hair almost at all before the pandemic. Instead, I would comb my hair after conditioning and during blow-drying. In the mornings, I would just glide right through it with my fingers. A potentially bad hair day was always avoided with a ponytail in my book. But growing longer hair that could easily end up in knots meant I finally couldn’t brush off taking the time to actually brush. Compared with brands like Mason Pearson and Raincry that were repeatedly recommended on different “best of” lists, this Drybar is much more budget-friendly. This brush is designed to work with all hair types, from straight to tightly coiled. It does exactly what it’s supposed to with just a couple of strokes: detangling without dragging my hair.
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