Powder Shampoo Is Here to Give All Your Bottled Versions a Run for Their Money
When I first heard of OWA Haircare’s Moondust Hair Wash, my first thought was, “Oh, duh.” The premise of a dehydrated shampoo powder that’s activated by water made so much sense, it was shocking to hear that this product is the first of its kind.
A typical bottle of shampoo is made up of approximately 80 percent water, which is problematic on a few fronts. Whether you order your shampoo online or purchase through a local retailer, that bottle often has to travel many hundreds of miles, with a carbon footprint directly associated with its weight. By removing the heaviest (and most universally accessible) component, Moondust drastically reduced its environmental impact.
And from a consumer experience standpoint, water-free shampoo just makes sense. Shampoo in powder form easily circumvents TSA restrictions, baggage weight concerns, or spills when traveling, and Hair Wash’s compact bottle means a way less cluttered shower — one bottle contains as many washes as 3.5 eight-ounce bottles of liquid shampoo.
Of course, for everything Hair Wash promises on paper, none of it would matter if the product itself didn’t live up to our (at this point, very high) expectations for shampoo. Fortunately, OWA’s debut product passed our tress test.
On first use, it was a bit counterintuitive to reach a powder in my shower routine where a gel or cream once was. The lightweight, salt shaker-like bottle seemed out of place on my hanging organizer, if only by scale — the minimalist packaging, on the other hand, fit right in.
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I unscrewed the narrow top and shook a few pinches of powder into my damp palm. The brand recommends “Sprinkl[ing] a thin layer of Hair Wash in a zig-zag pattern across one hand,” but my form was more Pollock-like and it worked just the same.
With my palms in prayer formation, I ran my hands under the falling water and rubbed together to ‘activate’ the formula. Very quickly, it turned into a creamy lather and I worked it through my roots from front to back. By the time it had transformed into a sudsy solution, I could no longer notice any discernible difference between using a powder versus liquid shampoo.
To my delight, my hair actually felt stronger after using Hair Wash, thanks to its salon-grade formula that’s sulfate-, paraben-, and silicone-free. Although I typically use conditioner, I chose to forego while testing the powder shampoo, and it turned out I didn’t even need the second step. After a gentle cleanse alone, by hair felt thicker, healthier, and shinier.
If conditioner is a deal-breaker, you’ll be interested to hear that OWA does in fact have a liquidless version in the works, to complement its groundbreaking powder shampoo.
Shop the revolutionary shampoo that’s great for travel, the environment and, of course, your hair for $29 per two-ounce bottle (equivalent to 3.5 eight-ounce liquid bottles) at Credo Beauty or Of a Kind.
Shop now: $29; credobeauty.com
