Hair has always been a pain in the ass for me. When I was really little, it was very curly. When I hit adolescence, I just started buzzing it (like a 2 all the way around, as plain as it gets). I grew it out once when I was 17, into this really weird 'fro.

After a short while I switched to  high and tights that looked pretty bad on my egg-shaped head, to a nice short fade. It looked very good as long as I kept it 'fresh'... like a cut every week. My hair is dark and dense and so it grows in very quickly.

I decided to start growing out the top and back, I managed to achieve a pretty sweet mohawk, and later a fauxhawk. But the maintenance was a pain in the ass.

Now in addition to getting regular cuts for the sides, fight the hair on top to keep it straight and not curly or wavy.

My barber applied a hair relaxer.  It worked awesome- leaving my hair straight, shiny, and thinner. However, I basically had to learn to limit washing it, because every time I did, it would speed up the process of my hair going back to out-of-control nappy, curly, nasty.

So then THIS turned into avoiding washing the hair, and leaving in the product that I used for hold, and just putting more in every day.  I'd get nasty flaking from nasty old crusty old product, and eventually have to wash, making the hair blow up in curls again. Then I'd usually cut it, and wait for it to grow back out for a few weeks before relaxing again.

Recently the same barber who told me about the relaxing tricks told me to try dry shampoo.  I thought my pain in the ass hair wouldn't take to it.  But it did.  It really works to allow me to avoid washing my hair except about once a week but none of that flakiness. 

Have you tried dry shampoo?  Which brand do you find works best?