I am a bit of a beauty fan and make an effort to read a lot of the health and beauty reviews. After noticing that this Batiste dry shampoo was quite a popular product and seeing the many reviews written on it I got that fluttering in my tummy and that fidget of the fingers. I had try it! So on my lunch break last week I walked all the way up the high street (a good 20 minute walk) and spent most of my lunch on the hunt for Batiste dry shampoo. Oh the relief when I saw it glistening on the shelf! So I grabbed a can and looked after it until the next morning. I woke up with excitement and thought yes… lets give this little star a try shall we…. But did it live up to my expectations… read on if you please!

Before seeing this on Dooyoo I had never heard of the brand Batiste. I assumed it would be a French cosmetics and beauty range. Wrong! The brand Batiste belongs to Fine Fragrances & Cosmetics LTD which is based in Sunbury on Thames. They have been operating since 1982 so they are a pretty new company. But they own a few other brands and sell the Batiste product in the UK and abroad. The company seems as though it has a lot more potential but at the moment it is new and still finding its feet in the beauty industry. So who knows what else is in store!

It advertises itself as being a unique dry hair shampoo; it works by using a light talcum powder style spray which soaks up the dirt and grease on the hair. This refreshes and revitalises dull lifeless hair between washes. The company states it is Quick and convenient to use and leaves hair feeling clean, fragrant and full of body with a tropical scent. If it works it will change my life! But does it…..

I have quite thin hair but I have lots of it! So my natural oils build up quickly and tend to stick to my roots, thus making my hair greasy very quickly. On average if I want to feel clean and fresh I have to wash my hair every day. If I don't wash my hair daily it is just about bearable but it becomes flat, dull and lifeless. I wanted this product to make me feel like it was clean and soft enough to have my hair down, instead of hiding the grease in a ponytail! I made a conscious effort to not wash my hair and I woke up in the morning with that horrible in between feel where my roots are greasy but the rest of my hair is still clean and fresh. It is these times when I don't want t wash my hair because I feel like it is damaging it. So I pulled out the can of Batiste and kept my toes crossed that it would do what it says on the tin. The instructions say to firstly shake the can vigorously, which always makes me look like a mad woman at 6.30 in the morning. Then you have to hold the can approximately 30cm away from the hair and spray lightly. I always find it hard to measure the distance away from my head that sometimes I feel like getting a ruler so I know if I am in the right area. But I gave it a go. The spray comes out quite fast and strong. Very similar to hairspray. It leaves a soft, very light powder on the hair, Which the instructions say you have to gently rub in with your fingers and then brush out with a natural bristled brush. Most beauty places advise you to use a natural bristled brush because it is friendlier on the hair and scalp plus it reduces the pressure you put on your hair which can make it weak and prone to split ends. I have reddish blonde hair which goes darker when it needs a wash so I was a little worried that this spray would make my hair look dull and white. But once I had given it a little rub, my hair looked refreshed and like it had just been washed. I was quite surprised, it had an instant effect on my hair. Then I had to brush it out. I felt quite sceptical and was tempted not to brush it out. I thought if I brushed it out, then my hair would go back to being greasy again! But no, I brushed it through with a small natural bristle brush which I got from the Body shop and brushing it spread the product around a bit to even out the colour on my hair. This was brilliant! I looked at one side of my hair and compared it with the other side. There was definitely a big improvement. My hair looked lighter and the grease had definitely been absorbed. The only downside for me was that I didn't FEEL like my hair was clean. I still felt like the grease was making my hair flat and when I touched my hair it still physically felt greasy. But to look at, it was perfect. I looked like I had just washed hair! Maybe because it was my first attempt I didn't apply as much as I need to in order to change the texture of my hair so it felt clean but it definitely made a difference on the eye.
The just washed look lasted on my hair for about 5 hours and then it slowly began to go back to its original state of looking like it needed a wash, in my opinion this is pretty good going. However I was still at work so I sprayed a bit more of Batiste on to my roots and this perked it up a bit until I got home. I didn't think that reapplication would be as effective but it worked exactly the same as the first time I had used it that day and lasted me for another few hours.
The product I have is the Tropical version, which gives your hair a nice fresh smell. 'Tropical' could cover all different types of scents but this one has a definite coconut and vanilla smell. I expected it to be more of a citrus scent, but still I love the smell. I found that after I had sprayed it the fragrance didn't linger on my hair and the smell faded very quickly. It was only on the instant spray that the fragrance really came to life. But then again I can not sniff the top of my head so I couldn't tell you if my hair hung on to the fragrance. The product itself is really easy and simple to use. It literally is spray and go, but remember to massage the spray in or you will be left with some dodgy white highlights!

The dry shampoo comes in an aerosol can and looks a bit like hairspray. It lives up to its Tropical title with bright Caribbean colours of yellow, green and orange with a palm-tree leaf design on the front and a green pull off lid. It did stand out on the shelf which made it easier for me to find as a first time buyer! I paid £2.20 for my 150ml can from the supermarket Sainsbury but I am aware you can get it cheaper in shops such as Boots and Superdrug's. I was on a mission to try out the product so was happy to pay a little extra for the one off. It is a reasonable price considering the great effect it has however I don't think the can will last me very long as I intend to use it in between washes on a regular basis. I can see this being a monthly expense in my beauty budget but if you think of the shampoo and conditioner you could save it probably weighs it all up. Also worth a mention for health and safety, like with most aerosol sprays and cans the product is extremely flammable so don't leave on your window which I have to remind myself not to do! As it is a spray make sure you don't miss your hair and hit your face… your eyes won't appreciate it!

The Batiste Dry shampoo range is also available in a pink canister named Blush, and a light green can which is the original version. I am planning to try out both in the near future.
I would also just like to enlighten you with something I learnt! I was puzzled as to why this is called Batiste as it seems to have no relevance to the product or the industry it's in. However….. It actually relates to the product very well! Batiste is the name of a soft, lightweight opaque fabric. It is thin and light but not completely transparent. This describes the look and feel of the spray completely. So this is the reason behind their title. I wonder how long it took them to come up with that??
**Conclusion**