Here’s the haircare fave I stocked up on at Superdrug while scouting British beauty finds during a recent trip to London.
One of the reasons I started this blog, years ago, was to evangelize for my favorite products so they would never, ever, ever be discontinued. Ever. Because we all know the pain of falling in love with a holy grail product only to watch it disappear from the shelves.
Clearly I fell down on the job when it came to the absolute greatest dry shampoo of all time, Drybar Detox Whipped Dry Shampoo Foam, because last year the haircare company quietly murdered my darling. (Turns out literally nobody but me liked it. Folks with dry scalps, I hope you didn’t sleep on this product, because now it’s gone baby gone.)
Detox Whipped been replaced by a clear dry shampoo spray, which is OK I GUESS, but it’s not my beloved dry shampoo mousse, which the managing partner of my local Drybar was kind enough to help me stock up on by selling me the remaining cans right off the bar at a steep discount.
Completely rational adult behavior, right?
Fortunately, it was shortly after I learned that my hoarded stock of this now-discontinued gem would be the end of the line that I left for a quick weekend in London, tagging along with my husband while he presented at a soccer analytics conference.
Bargain Hunting In The UK
Here’s my deal with shopping overseas: I don’t want to buy stuff I can get at home or that’s affordable to secure online. Luxury brands? Meh. Anything I want that they have over there, I can get back home. I save room in my luggage for things I can’t easily find elsewhere — and that means I always make some time for bargain shopping. You won’t find me browsing John Lewis or Selfridge’s when I’m in London; instead, I’ll be strolling the aisles at Sainsbury’s and Superdrug, looking for British beauty products I can’t get stateside.
Last time I went to the UK, I tried, fell in love with, and came home with an inappropriate amount of Superdrug’s store brand dry shampoo.
I love the Superdrug dry shampoo for three key reasons:
- Unlike most U.S. dry shampoos, it doesn’t leave behind a bunch of powder. I don’t know what it’s doing to fight grease, but it isn’t an aerosol blast of talcum.
- It comes in a bunch of different fragrances.
- It’s SO CHEAP. £1.99 per can or two for £3, which is around $3.87 at the current exchange rate.
Like Detox Whipped, this is a great dry shampoo for those of us who suffer from dry scalp, and it’s probably less great for heads that are more inclined toward oiliness.
There’s Always A Catch…
Here’s the bad news: You can’t get this dry shampoo in the United States. You can’t even get it shipped, as Superdrug only delivers to the U.K., Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Last time I stocked up on Superdrug dry shampoo, I hoarded my stash for as long as humanly possible. On this recent trip, I only brought home four cans, which at the time seemed sufficient but which now feels impossibly inadequate. (Bear in mind that I write this as a woman who has ten cans of discontinued Drybar dry shampoo mousse stashed away in a cabinet.)
There’s only one answer, obviously: start planning another trip overseas.
What are your British beauty faves? Or do you have another favorite hard-to-find product? Also, anyone got any hacks for getting aerosols shipped from Europe?
