Not a tip for greasy hair, but another use for baby powder: keeping away the sweat and funk if you're wearing shoes and no socks. Whenever I wear flats, I sprinkle powder inside them a few times throughout the day. Kind of amazing how well it works.

attentionpandas

Gold bond on the balls, nuff said

DimitroffVodka

Powder in your stretchy pants (as Nacho Libre would call them) before running.

Scott D. Feldstein

I thought people used corn starch for this. That is, people that have hair.

bentcorner

i grew my hair from 1980 until 2004, it was down to my waist. all the rude people thought it was their right to touch it. but after all those years of sleeping on it and getting it caught in everything i shaved it all off. 36" of hair! my freshly shaved head feels clean. the searing sting of an alcohol splash after wards is addicting.

0zSpitt

So, how about a time comparison between powdering your wig and washing it? All in the name of efficiency hacking. We need before and after photos as well!

kvenlander

um no...i'd rather wash my hair. in fact, i find this tip very gross.

bubuli

My mom used to use that Psssst stuff in a can between washings (which sorta smells like aerosol baby powder, come to think). The baby powder trick works, too, especially if you blow it with the dryer set on cool as you brush.

abhowell

A nice dry shampoo spray (I like the one by Algemarin) of course works better than baby powder, but whatever kind of "powder-wash" you prefer, always: first cover your shoulders with a towel to protect your clothes, then apply powder to your head - a little bit more on your roots and scalp than the rest of your hair. Let it sit for a minute or so, and then take the towel and rub in the powder, like you're drying your hair with the towel. Shake out the excess powder, and voila! Un-greasy hair for at least the next 2-3 hours. You'll still look like you spent time in a dusty attic tho, no matter what kind of powder you use. Better than the "unwashed" look!

dancingruru

I have locs so that ain't gonna work! Just wash rinse towel dry & run out the door......

rawbzilla

um, i'd rather be late for office than be on time with unwashed hair. gross!

JadeEmperor

Maybe you guys have a really nice boss or something but I'd rather die than call in late.

rdm

@bubuli: i'm sorry your hair is so perfect. i'm very envious.

for me, washing my hair too many times ends up in it looking greasy/weird a few hours after the shower, and washing it again ends up with the same effect *again*. this is why i'm best friends with dry shampoo. it's not like i'm going days without washing my hair. it just so happens that it likes to do that when i wash my hair a couple times a day (like during the summer), and dry shampoo is one of the best ways i've found to manage my hair when it does that.

So I guess I'm gross for trying to save you guys from seeing oily shampooed-a-couple-hours-ago hair.

crazylady

I now use a sunscreen (Ombrelle Extreme 30) with Mexoryl and Parsol 1789, which protect against the especially nasty UVA rays for close to five hours, instead of just twenty minutes with the usual sunscreen. The problem is that with those two ingredients, you look like you've smeared baby oil all over your face. So i apply the sunscreen, wait a few minutes and then rub baby powder between my hands, then pat it on my face. The super sheen disappears!

Half off all shafts!

@bubuli:
Totally agree.

RonnyNussbaum

...I perfected the art of speed washing my hair..and it is short enough to dry by the time I get to work.

Ajh

Baby powder is magical. I also use it to remove sand from my hands at the beach. Rub a bit of it in your hands and all the sand will wipe right off. It works really well.

AvgJoe

"Woke up at a frat house"? Really? Lifehacker's usually a lot better about not stereotyping.

AlexJAnder

@0zSpitt: Yes--there's a recent NYT article about short hair for hot weather. My rule: if I have noticable bed head in the morning, it's too short, and it's time for a buzz--not bald, mind you, but enough to put the spf 50 on the noggin.

DangerousLiberal

@rawbzilla: Me too, but I use baby powder often to get stray hairs back in line; it's really good stuff to have when starting out.

Siraf

Get a 4 ounce bottle, add a couple drops of shampoo and fill with water. I usually put my hair in a ponytail and pour the mix on the part, rub dryish with a towel and smooth it out with a comb. When it dries it looks clean.

mlhoward516

Usually the fix for this with girls (or guys) with long hair is to put it up in a pony tail. But even then, when I get into situations like these, I don't think I'd put baby powder in my hair. I'm thinking that the time it'd take to put the powder in would probably be equal to the time needed to take a quick shower. And if you get it on your clothes too, it may end up looking like dandruff. (Eww.)

chareverie

I've heard that if you stop washing your hair completely, your scalp almost completely stops producing oil, which means your hair never gets greasy. But you have to go thru about a month with hideous hair in the beginning.

Has anyone actually done this? Was it worth it?

martinpolley

damping a brush with wintergreen alcohol and cologne, then brushing your hair and scalp thoroughly with it - is quite refreshing and adds a nice gleam

Public Relations

I'm glad I use Dial. I wish you people would too instead of using mouthwash, baby powder, and olive oil to 'clean' yourselves.

mrknowitall

@martinpolley: Why don't you ask any friends who wear dreadlocks about this? That's the principle of it.

ICEBreaker

Oh I thought this was one of those hilarious Urawaza tips from Lisa Katayama.

For guys, a quick shower with head wash only takes 5 minutes inclusive if a quick dry. I doubt this baby powder method takes less than 2 minutes and what a mess it would make!

For girls, there are plenty of hair care products specifically to get the tangles out in the morning and coat the strains with silky smoothness.

So while I appreciate this tip, I think there are more practical alternatives.

ICEBreaker

@ICEBreaker: Seriously, how long does it take to sprinkle some baby powder on a brush, 10 seconds? That's the added extra time to your morning routine (assuming you'll be brushing your hair anyway), as opposed to washing and drying your hair, which has to take at least 15 minutes in total (more if you're actually going to take a full shower). If you've got a buzz cut, obviously you are not going to be affected by greasy bed head and this whole issue does not apply.

abhowell

@abhowell: um, why not just wake up 15 minutes earlier than usual? Seriously.

"No, it's not dandruff! it's just baby powder, I swear!"

bubuli

That's a dude in the picture, right?

shefarted

I spent a winter in Guatemala, and in one house I stayed in the *outdoor* shower's heating element didn't work. Showering for more than 20 seconds wasn't an option. Needless to say, the baby powder trick is all the kept my hair from clumping into a mass of grossness. It really works.

parvax

If you've got long hair, wash it. Otherwise you just look like a filthy hippie.
Baby powder's not fooling anyone. You'll just be the one with the greasy hair that smells like baby ass.

RayDelMundo

@JadeEmperor: Seriously. I don't leave the house without showering, even if I'm going to the gym.

berribrand

@RayDelMundo: Hah, brilliant comment!

rscotta

The best trick :

I once, in a Halloween party, tried to make some kind of weird hair effect with vaseline (Ok, ok, I was young and ignorant and, yes, it was very uncomfortable). Anyways, I came back home with one only idea: wash that mess. The thing is, nothing was working and I tried any kind of shampoo, soap even ajax. It was awful.

My mother then gave me an ol' trick: just wash your hair only with... egg-white. Then let it dry up and finally brush it down. Everything will fall as dust and your hair will be A1.

It works, a great trick, a bit disgusting but your hair will love it.

My 2¢

NicleT

Thanks Lifehacker now were going to see greasy people, smelling like baby powder and looking like they have a dandruff problem.

A better life hack is watching hair while bending over the side of the tub, better still if you have a wand style shower head.

Maybe this hack would be useful camping if water was scarce and if the baby powder is unscented.

@DimitroffVodka
best comment on this thread

Costermonger

My life is always perfect and I never run late for anything and my hygiene is flawless and I always have enough time for everything I need to do, and all of you other people are gross.

humperdinck

Serious suggestion, heard many years ago: Grind up some cat litter (the basic stuff, not scented or anything), then use it as a dry shampoo.

Never tried that, but I know there are products out there. I remember when I worked at Superdrug many years ago they sold a Schwartzkopf spray product. Out of curiosity I tried it on my (short) hair in the warehouse. It worked, and didn't leave a powdery residue.

So it's not an unheard-of hippy thing. It has its place.

muteboy

"You're almost out the door on a no-shower, rush-rush morning" - Is it April already? Are you serious? Didn't someone say us English were unhygienic? Good grief.

zarathustra

My god, what a bunch of whiny 1st world babies... You don't need a freakn shower every day to live.

What if you travel to remote locations in your job? What if you're camping (dunking yourself is terrible for many alpine environments -plz don't do it)?

I have short hair, but I find vigorously rubbing my head with an old shirt will gather most of the oil out of my hair.

I will make an excellent homeless person someday.

l337_7r4d3r

I am surprised at all the "eewwww" comments. Do the naysayers wash their jeans after wearing them once? Your hair is a textile, and many excellent stylists will tell you that washing your hair every day is not good for it. Some ppl can get away with just rinsing on the off day (not using shampoo, which no matter what the label says can still strip your hair of essential components). I started using the baby powder trick after one of my friends told me about it. She's a 6ft tall blonde volleyball player - with hair past her shoulders and I am sure no one who sees her on "powder days" thinks she is disgusting. Bottom line: everyone's scalp/hair is different so do what works for you. (and makes you presentable, of course!)

practical