Bottle Toss: Why You Need to Make the Switch to Dry Shampoo *Paste*

Dry shampoo tub — (Image credit: Design by Katja Cho)

Last week, you couldn't pry a dry shampoo spray bottle from our cold, dead hands. But that's changed ever since we got wind of a new styling product in the second-day hair game: R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste. Yes, as in a thick, creamy stylizer in a jar.

A hybrid between dry shampoo and styling paste, Badlands works to cleanse the hair while adding mussed-up, '70s texture. For dirty or clean-as-a-whistle strands, the magic ingredient is volcanic ash, an age-old ingredient that draws out oil and naturally boosts roots thanks to its microscopic mix of glass, sand, and rock particles. And as for as hold is concerned, you can't beat the no-slip grip of a matte paste.

While you may fear the concentrated paste too goopy at first brush, it's actually formulated to turn to powder in a matter of seconds—all you have to do is rub a dime-sized amount between your fingers to warm it up.

For application, Howard McLaren—hairstylist and co-founder of R+Co—formulated the paste so that it could applied precisely, which isn't always the case for a liberally-spouting dry shampoo bottle. "You can use your fingers to place product exactly where you need," says McLaren.

Badlands also appeals to our two favorite senses: sight and smell. For the packaging adorned with desert imagery, R+Co design director Amanda Wall looked to iconic '70s film Badlands, set in the wilderness, for inspiration. "I wanted to keep with the desert vibe, to help emphasize the function of the product—a dry, gritty, sexy, cool texture," she explains. And the scent is just as intoxicating, with subtle fruity notes.

To demystify the dry shampoo paste process, see McLaren work his magic in GIFS, as well as divulge his expert tips for rock 'n' texture, below. You can watch his full video tutorial, here.

Shop It: R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste, $28; randco.com.

1. Powderize the Paste

Take a dime-sized amount of paste and rub it together with your fingertips until you get a smooth, powdery texture.

2. Work Through Your Strands

"For a sexy textured look, apply Badlands from the mid lengths to ends, and for volume without the '50s powdery feel, apply to the roots," McLaren advises. "If you want volume and texture, use both techniques."

3. Set the Texture with Heat

Use a blowdryer to push the product into the hair, allowing the heat to set the texture. Don't be afraid to play around with it, says McLaren.

4. Voilà!

You just stole sexy, second-day hair right from under Sienna Miller's nose.

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Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.