Like many other girls, washing my hair is a bit of a production — shampoo, conditioner, comb, brush, blow dry and, if I’m feeling up to it, a quick run-over with the flat iron. All said and done, my gorgeous mane can take up to an hour (!) to beautify, even with my relatively low maintenance hair. So, on many a day, my shower does not involve washing my hair — instead, it involves a rather cute bathing cap. But how to freshen up? My Rene Furterer Naturia dry shampoo does just the trick. In a convenient aerosol can, I just flip my hair upside down, spray away and brush. Next thing you know, it’s like I just went through the whole wash-brush-blow dry process, in a total of 30 seconds. Amazing. — $24 for 3.2 oz

While I know that my dry shampoo is a miracle worker, I read that baby powder does exactly the same thing — for a fraction of the cost. With this in mind, I bought a giant bottle of Johnson’s Baby Powder. On first use, I spent some time figuring out how to use it — just squeeze onto my scalp? Into my hands and then rub into the hair? I tried the squeezing method first, only to end up with about a half cup of baby powder on my sink and bathroom floor, and a head full of white hair, necessitating a shower. The hands-then-run method was no better, leaving me with white flecks and a rather gray looking head of hair. Baby powder made me look like an extra from Blow — not exactly the look I was going for. — $4.99 for 22 oz

The Verdict:  Definitely stick to dry shampoo, unless you want to be covered in white powder.

My freshman year, I lived in a very large triple with roommates who often disagreed on music. Though we could usually agree on something when we were getting ready for a night out, almost every other night we each had our own preferences. The perfect solution was, obviously, headphones. Headphones are a key survival item for a freshman year with a roommate (or two). The standard Apple headphones that accompany iPod purchases were my choice, but after a while they would hurt my ears, which are on the small side, and they didn’t fit perfectly — meaning when I would wear them on my way to class, or in the gym, they would fall out without fail. — $29; free with iPod or iPhone

My solution came in the form of an Amazon.com special. Etymotic in-ear headphones (I use the ER-4P) are a little pricey, but they double as earplugs (which is especially useful if your roommate and his or her significant other tend to get, um, frisky while you’re there). These handy buds come with three different sized rubber buds, so even the small eared among us can listen comfortably, whether stationary or on the go. At the gym, at my desk, walking across the Arts quad, these little munchkins brought my music listening to a new, much more pleasant level. — $170

The Verdict:  If your ears are small like mine, the pricey ones are worth it; otherwise, stick with the standard Apple earbuds.