I tried ‘hair wipes’ for my oily hair, here’s how they compare to dry shampoo

Grease be gone.

It’s what you’ve all been waiting for. After testing out a TikTok-viral exfoliator, light-reflecting foundation and compostable lipstick, I am back for another ill-equipped beauty review! But this time, we’re entering (daunting) new territory: haircare. Admittedly, hair is kind of my Achilles’ heel. I’m no makeup expert, but after all this time spent reading and writing about new products, I have a relatively good understanding of what works for my face and why.

But when it comes to my hair, I often just wash, brush, slather in some oil and hope for the best. It’s quite long, which means I probably should be putting in more effort. And to make matters worse, I recently got a professional to chop a fringe (I contemplated cutting it myself, which is hilarious), and they informed me it would require some upkeep to keep everything looking fresh.

We like nosy people. Don’t be shy, head to our Beauty section for more. 

I’ve always relied on dry shampoo to do the heavy lifting in my hair. Since getting this fringe, it has become a little trickier – on the third or fourth day between washes, I find there can sometimes be a build-up of product at the front of my scalp. While it’s better than an excess of oil, it’s not giving that freshened-up feeling. Ya know?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hair By Sam McKnight (@hairbysammcknight)

Hair by Sam McKnight’s Lazy Girl Cleansing Hair Cloth is – allegedly – a remedy to this, providing “a quick fix for hairlines, fringes and roots”. With the UK brand now stocked at Mecca, a sample of this wonder product landed on the Fashion Journal desk. As the FJ team member who easily uses the most dry shampoo (yes, I do keep a can in my work bag), I trialled the “instantly cleansing” wipes to see how they stack up against my favourite.

Before

I trialled the hair wipes before an event because I love living on the edge. While my hair wasn’t The Grudge level of greasy, it was feeling oily and flat. One of the big reasons I’m such a die-hard dry shampoo girl is because of its volumising properties. When you don’t style your hair often, it can be hard to achieve that ‘lifted’ freshness – and when my hair is limp, the fringe and layers are basically non-existent.

Now, the wipes. They come in a pack of 20 and are fragrance-free, biodegradable, vegan and suitable for all hair types. Made from tree pulp cellulose and infused with witch hazel, aloe leaf, velvet flower seed and honeysuckle flower, the wipes are designed to cleanse, nourish and keep your locks frizz-free. Using a video as guidance, I wiped them on my roots and hairline, concentrating on the front of my hair.

After

While this image is a little reminiscent of my MySpace era (I think I went a little hard on the fringe), the wipes did give me that fresh feeling without the product residue. I also gave my hair a finger comb, which for me is the ultimate test. If I can run my fingers through my fringe without it feeling limp or oily, we have success.

The wipes did as promised – gave an instant cleanse without stripping away nourishment. What I will say is you could use these in tandem with dry shampoo for the ultimate refresh. Being smaller and more spot-specific, the wipes would be hard to use all over your hair. My advice? Wipes in the front, dry shampoo in the back.

For more oily-hair remedies, head here.