Sick of shampooing and blow-drying? Consider this hair craze

Monday, February 12, 2018
Sick of shampooing and blow-drying? Consider this hair craze
Sick of shampooing and blow-drying? Consider this hair craze

A recent survey of 2,000 women from the beauty retailer Look Fantastic says that we average six days a year styling our hair. That's a lot of wasted time.

But now you can spend a fraction of that washing and drying. Brooke Dobbins is a busy working professional who hates blow-drying her hair.

"I live by dry shampoo, but it will only get you so far," says Dobbins.

With the Houston humidity and her frequent workouts, she's lucky if she can make it two days without shampooing and drying her hair.

"I'm really looking for a timesaver," explains Dobbins.

So, she visited Advanced Dermatology's Dr. Sherry Ingraham for a popular new treatment.

"This is actually a patient-driven phenomenon," says Ingraham.

That's right. Patients came to dermatologists with this idea.

"The new trend is called 'Blotox,' which is a cute name for Botox injections in the scalp," Ingraham explains. "In 2004, Botox was FDA-approved for hyperhidrosis in the axillary, so we started treating the armpits with it. Now, we use it off-label for other areas."

Ingraham says an oily, sweaty scalp really depends on our biological makeup.

"Just like Botox relaxes your muscles, it blocks your sweat glands from releasing sweat," she adds.

Ingraham injected Botox into Dobbins' scalp to reduce the sweat secretion.

"I tell patients don't shampoo your hair the same day, but really, it's the only limitation," says Ingraham.

Dobbins washed her hair the next day, and then, we asked her to see how long she could go without washing her hair and journal it with photos.

"I went a total of six days, very shockingly, surprisingly, including two really sweaty workouts. Really no product at all, and I was really impressed with the results," said Dobbins.

"Blotox" lasts for six to nine months and ranges from $500 to $1500, depending on how much Botox is necessary. Ingraham recommends going to a board-certified physician for a treatment like this.