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Finish & refresh

Choose a finishing touch or a targeted refresh between washes.

24 guides · Free to read

Choose your starting point

Match the method to the part of your style you want to adjust: ends, flyaways, roots, curl groups or overall hold. Softening a fully dry gel cast differs from rewetting curls for a refresh; check the starting state before choosing.

Compare the methods

Explore the methods below. Open a guide for when to use it, what you’ll need and the full steps.

A woman lifts a dry section and aims an aerosol can at the exposed roots from a distance.
2–5 min hands-on

Apply and remove dry shampoo

Dry shampoo absorbs some oil from dry roots between washes. It comes in aerosol and powder forms and does not replace washing with shampoo and water.

A woman brings her own dry hair forward and smooths the ends between relaxed hands.
30–60 sec hands-on

Apply finishing serum or oil to ends

Ends finishing is a light application of leave-in serum or oil to the tips of dry hair for the finish the product is designed to provide.

An adult supports a side section above the coloring area while sliding a hair-chalk compact down its length.
3–8 min hands-on

Apply pressed hair chalk to a small section

Pressed hair chalk coats a small hair section with temporary pigment by sliding a cosmetic chalk compact along the length.

An adult uses both hands to distribute styling powder through short dry hair.
3–8 min hands-on

Apply styling powder with your hands

Styling powder can add grip to dry hair, helping lifted or separated pieces hold their shape.

An adult uses a mascara-shaped color brush on a supported dry side section.
3–8 min hands-on

Apply temporary hair color with a wand

A temporary hair-color wand coats selected strands with a mascara-shaped brush for targeted color that is removed by shampooing.

Pressing powder onto a small visible root section.
1–3 min hands-on

Apply temporary root powder

Temporary root powder is pressed onto dry roots with its supplied brush to change their visible color until washing.

An adult supports a side braid while guiding an open ring through a visible braid crossing.
2–5 min hands-on

Attach and remove a twist-open hair ring

A twist-open hair ring decorates a braid by passing through an existing crossing and closing without threading the braid’s end.

Guiding shorter crown hairs toward nearby lengths with a soft brush.
30 sec–2 min hands-on

Blend short hairs into a style

Short-hair blending guides reachable shorter hairs into the surrounding dry style with light product and a small brush or fingers.

Supporting a dry curl section while a wide-tooth comb opens the ends into a soft wave.
3–8 min hands-on

Brush out a curl set into soft waves

A curl-set brush-out separates fully cool curls with fingers, a wide-tooth comb or a soft brush to make a softer wave pattern.

Moving a small section aside while drawing a shallow zigzag part.
30 sec–2 min hands-on

Change or zigzag your part

Part changing moves the visible root line, while a zigzag part breaks that line into small alternating sections.

A woman checks her dry finished style with open hands while the hairspray can stands upright on a dresser.
15–30 sec hands-on

Finish a style with hairspray

A dry-hair finishing method that adds a light, label-directed hairspray finish after styling.

An adult supports a side-braid crossing while gently easing one outer loop outward.
2–5 min hands-on

Gently widen the loops of a braid

Braid pancaking gently spreads the outer edges of a finished plait so its loops look wider while the central crossings remain joined.

A woman gently guides a small group of gray hairs along her side part with relaxed fingertips.
15–60 sec hands-on

Guide wiry gray strands into your style

Gray-strand shaping uses damp fingertip direction and gentle release to settle selected wiry hairs into an existing style.

A woman lifts the roots of her dry coily hair with a short stroke of a hair pick.
1–5 min hands-on

Lift curls and coils with a hair pick

A hair pick lifts dry curls or coils near the roots to add fullness. Its widely spaced prongs stay near the base of the hair instead of combing through the ends.

Two facing flat palms lightly contact one mature loc at chest height, with its root left relaxed.
1–3 min hands-on

Lightly palm-roll a mature loc

Palm rolling turns a loc between two palms to smooth its outside and encourage a rounded shape.

Gliding a thin leave-in film over dry mids and ends with palms.
30 sec–2 min hands-on

Reduce static in dry weather

Static reduction uses less rubbing and a thin compatible conditioning film to reduce flyaway cling on dry hair.

One hand supports damp coil ends while the other smooths a thin film of leave-in down the lower lengths.
2–5 min hands-on

Refresh coily hair between washes

A light between-wash refresh dampens selected coil sections and adds leave-in only where wanted.

Woman cups the ends of her own lightly damp loose curls in both open hands during one gentle reshaping press.
2–5 min hands-on

Refresh waves and curls between washes

A curl refresh lightly dampens and reshapes loose waves, curls or coils between washes. It touches up flattened sections without repeating the whole styling routine.

An adult holds a small cosmetic-fiber sifter above existing dry hair at a reachable side part.
3–8 min hands-on

Shake cosmetic hair fibers onto dry hair

Cosmetic hair fibers are tiny colored fibers shaken onto existing dry hair to change the visible coverage until washing.

A woman uses her fingertips to work styling paste through a small area at the crown of her short hair.
1–3 min hands-on

Shape short hair with styling paste

Styling paste can help give short hair shape and definition, guiding individual pieces in a chosen direction.

A woman uses two fingertips to guide one small hairline flyaway toward her low ponytail.
30–60 sec hands-on

Smooth flyaways with a finishing product

A dry-hair finishing method that guides a few selected flyaways in the direction of the surrounding style.

Woman cups fully dry curl groups in both open, empty hands and gently lifts them toward her jaw.
1–3 min hands-on

Soften a dry gel cast

A gel cast is the firm film left around waves, curls or coils as styling gel dries. Softening it means gently pressing the fully dry hair in your hands to crack that stiff feel.

A woman supports her dry ends with one hand while smoothing cream down the lower lengths with the other.
30 sec–2 min hands-on

Soften dry lengths without water

Dry-length refreshing uses a small amount of dry-use conditioning cream on selected lengths between washes.

An adult aims a temporary color spray at a small hair length, with the supporting hand below the spray path.
3–8 min hands-on

Spray temporary color on a small hair section

Temporary color spraying coats a selected dry hair section with washout pigment from an aerosol, without mixing a developer.