What They Say: "Refresh, revive, and recharge hair and scalp without water. Pronto is perfect for use between washings, in a rush, or as a midday hair pick-me-up. This dry shampoo increases volume and removes dirt and build up in your root area in seconds.

Natural rice, oat, and tapioca starches cleanse hair by absorbing excess oil, product, and grease and increase hair volume at the roots without weighing hair down. Triclosan and tea tree oil help treat the scalp and reduce the occurrence of dandruff, while the invigorating lemon verbena fragrance leaves hair smelling and feeling fresh.

Key Ingredients:
- Natural Rice, Oat and tapioca starches cleanse hair
- Triclosan and tea tree Oil help nourish scalp
- Lemon verbena fragrance provide fresh and clean scent to eliminate odor"

Jen's Experience: Hair powder, or dry shampoos are an excellent way to extend a blowout for another day, and for me, they're essential at this point in the summer, when my bangs want to look greasy when I just step outside of the house. This one from Oscar Blandi is fabulous: it quickly brings my hair back to looking clean without looking dull. The white powder blends in easily with my blonde hair, although I'm not sure how well it would work on darker hair. My only complaint is that it doesn't last throughout the day; I need a touch-up after about 8 hours. Still, I think this would be a great addition to your hair arsensal, and maybe a little back-up for your gym bag.

Retail Price: $19.00 (OscarBlandi.com)

Rating:

What They Say: "Bb.Session Stylist Laurent Philippon made the tradition modern by creating these aerosol styling powders to his specifications in five shades. They add sexy va-va volume, extend the life of a blow-dry by absorbing excess oil and provide a dry texture that keeps pins and clips from slipping (so styles stay put). The shades enhance or shift hair color - these fantastic (and fun) forms of temporary color can be used to blend away roots between color appointments."

Jen's Experience: This was supposed to be a triple review...and then it was going to be a double review...and then in the end, it was all me. It turns out that with this Bumble and Bumble hair powder you've really got to buy the product that blends in with your natural hair color. For me, blondish blended in so well that I could barely tell where I'd sprayed it, but for Toya and Melissa, their color choices didn't work out as well. With darker hair, discrepancies in the color are more obvious. What's worse is that the dark powders also dust the scalp. It definitely seems to be a problem. Elle magazine's coverage of the hair powder trend recommends using the white powder, even on darker hair, and while DeLush hasn't tried that out, you may want to leave that option in mind if you've got darker hair.

Once I spray the blondish powder on my hair, I can pretty much make my hair do whatever I want, whether its 100 degrees with 90% humidity outside or if it's pouring down rain. I know that's a major claim, but my hair doesn't do a thing in either of those conditions, the style just falls out and whithers into a pile of shiny, but very flat hair. Since I started using this product, I put waves in my hair in the AM that are still working for me at night. The powder texturizes my hair, which helps it to hold the curl, plus it absorbs grease and prevents the humidity in the air from making it into my hair.

I can't say enough good things about this product. It's really changed the way I style my hair every day. But I do have one very serious complaint: the mess. Since this powder is dispensed through an aerosol container, it goes everywhere. The bathroom floor, where it turns into blondish mud. Ditto for the bathroom sink and tub. Inside the medicine cabinet and drawers. It made it into the next room over and coated all the horizontal surfaces. Is it worth it? Maybe, but I've started spraying it on outside -- at least while the temperatures are still pleasant outside. Because it's so hard to aim directly for your hair without making a mess, I certainly wouldn't recommend spraying it on while wearing your outfit for the day.

If you can handle the fallout from the spray can, this is definitely the powder that I would get if that's something you're thinking of shopping for. (Of course, the Aveda powder even works well in addition to this product to add more volume at the roots.) The real bonus is that you can keep layering it on for 2 or 3 days straight to get great volume without constantly having to wash and blow dry.

This is one of the most exciting products I've tested in a long time. I love innovative products that really improve the way my beauty routine works, and this is definitely one of those products.

Retail Price: $41.95 (Visit Bumble and Bumble for salon locations)

Rating: (only because of the mess factor)

What They Say: "Our innovative formula transforms in your hands—from a powder to a light, absorbent lotion—then makes magic in your hair, increasing its diameter and creating an abundance of texture and volume."

• instantly thickens hair by 17%
  
• relies on natural bulking agents acacia gum and kaolin clay
  
• creates matte texture
  
• great for creating a gritty, “second-day hair” look
  

Jen's Experience: I'd been hearing the buzz on hair powder, so when I had my hair done at an Aveda salon, I was happy to heed my stylist's recommendation for the hair powder. This is definitely a strange hair product for the uninitiated, and I'm glad she was able to demonstrate it for me. The container seems very small, but what's surprising is how light it is when you pick it up. Turning it over dumps out what looks like a greenish-blue powder, and when I use it, I shake it prodigiously directly over my roots, including my bangs. Once you start working it, it turns into more of a styling cream (see, strange!) that can really help you to do amazing things with you hair. I tease my hair at the roots after applying it to give lasting volume. On my bangs, I use the powder to help train them to do the side-swept look. This is not a hair powder that can be used to texturize the hair like the Bumble and Bumble spray hair powder, but as a root volumizer, it really works as advertised! I was a little timid about using this product at first, but now I use it regularly to help create body in the high humidity of summer.

One thing to note about this product: it does tend to make my bangs a little greasy if I overuse it, but I have never had a problem using it with abandon on the rest of my hair.

Retail Price: $22.00 (Aveda)

Rating: