Honorable Mentions
Photograph: Kat Merck
R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo for $37: I loved the landscape label on this generously sized aerosol spray but not the overpowering scent or lack of effectiveness.
Divi Dry Shampoo for $28: This brand is best known for its viral scalp serum, but it makes plenty of other hair products too, including a starch-based dry shampoo. I liked that Divi’s formula was free of benzene and propellants like butane, but it left a heavy white residue that turned into a mess of flakes during blending.
Davines This Is an Invisible Dry Shampoo for $40: Multiple people I know swear by this vanilla-and-grapefruit-scented dry shampoo. I loved the scent, but I didn’t find it to be all that effective in my tests, especially for the price.
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo for $26: I’m a huge fan of the heat protectant spray from Oribe’s Gold Lust line, but this powder-based spray went on so thick I looked like I had just finished plastering a house.
IGK First Class Charcoal Detox for $34: One of my testers raved about this formula, but both I and another tester thought this charcoal- and white tea-containing spray left too much of a white cast for dark hair that was difficult to blend. The tinted version did make our list, however.
IGK Direct Flight Style Preserving Matcha for $34: I really like the artsy packaging of this line of aerosols, but the oil-absorbing power didn’t last a whole day, and none of my testers (including myself) cared for the scent.
R+Co Bleu Retroactive Dry Shampoo for $52: This aerosol in a sleek aluminum bottle went on sheer and added shine, but my hair felt greasy again near the end of the day.
FoxyBae Brunette Breeze Dry Shampoo for $12: As someone with dark hair, I’m always on the lookout for excellent tinted dry shampoos. I appreciated the lightness of this generously sized, rice starch-based spray, but despite the “brunette” claim, it seemed to go on almost sheer and did not absorb oils particularly well.
Hairitage Lazy Day Dry Shampoo for $9: This is a fine, starch-based drugstore dry shampoo that goes on white and lasts 24 hours.
R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist for $32: This is a unique liquid spray idea with suspended starches, but it didn’t seem to have any effect on my day two hair, let alone day three. However, a couple of other testers loved it, so your mileage may vary.
Chi Vibes Wake + Fake for $20: This powder-based aerosol spray went on alarmingly thick and chalky, and any attempts to blend it in left my hair full of flakes.
R+Co Vapor Lotion to Powder Dry Shampoo for $42: I was excited about this unique cream lotion, but I struggled to blend it into my dark hair. When I finally did, it left a strange residue that made my hair feel dirtier.
Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo for $29: I loved the fun bottle of this talc-free aerosol formula, but I had trouble blending this into my dark hair. Tiny flakes were visible when I finally did.
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Original Dry Shampoo for $9: This drugstore aerosol staple went on far too thick, even for day three hair.
Sutra Heat Guard Dry Shampoo for $28: I loved that this dry shampoo doubled as a heat protectant, but it went on too thick and was too hard to blend in.
Batiste Dry Shampoo for $8: I actually like Batiste for its range of formulas and scents, but Suave does a comparable job for less.
Dove Care Between Washes Dry Shampoo for $8: Another drugstore stalwart, this aerosol spray proved difficult to blend.
IGK Jet Lag Weightless Dry Shampoo for $34: The scent was somewhat overwhelming, and it was just not effective for me or my testers.
Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo for $30: I’m a big Drybar fan, but this lightweight aerosol didn’t absorb oil at all for me.
R+Co Skyline Dry Shampoo for $34: This was a close runner-up for Best Powder, but the pump-action applicator made too much of a mess, and it wasn’t as absorbent as other formulas.
Alternatives to Dry Shampoo
Photograph: Kat Merck
Voloom Volumizing Iron for $150: Though it is intimidating-looking, this heat tool—which looks like a cross between a waffle iron and a flat iron—is one of the best chemical-free ways to add volume back into second- or third-day hair, especially shorter hairstyles. Lift the top layer of your hair up and use this for one second on the hair underneath; it crimps a sort of teased thatch that adds instant volume.
Oribe Oil Control Serene Scalp Shampoo for $52: Perhaps the easiest way to avoid the need for dry shampoo is to cut down on oil production in the first place. This shampoo is specifically designed with marine algae and a prebiotic to extend time between washes. While I felt like it only gave me an extra day, it’s still a viable option for those looking to avoid dry shampoo altogether. Oribe also makes a companion Serene Scalp Dry Shampoo ($46), but its so-so effectiveness didn’t justify the price.
Amika Rising Star Volumizing Finishing Spray for $30: If you wear your hair down and suffer from your style going flat after a day or two yet don’t like the residue left by dry shampoo, this lightweight spray may be worth a try. It won’t hold all day, but I was impressed with the increased volume it gave my day two hair, and the effect lasted a few hours.
I’ve been using dry shampoo for over 20 years. For this guide I tested more than 25 popular, widely available formulas on my thick, long, heat-straightened dark hair multiple times over the course of almost four months. I used them just as I would any dry shampoo in the course of my day-to-day life—after workouts, during busy work weeks, on trips. I also solicited the opinions of friends and family with different types and textures of hair when I needed a second—or third—opinion. I focused on effectiveness (did my hair still look clean at the end of the day?); ease of application; the presence of heaviness, stickiness, or residue; value; how quickly and well a dry shampoo blended in; and whether the scent was light or overwhelming.
Tips for Using Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a great tool to extend your hard-won hairstyle and will help minimize damage to your hair by lessening the frequency with which you’ll need to heat-style. However, dry shampoo can only go so far.
“Dry shampoo releases and cleanses the hair of natural oils, but it won’t remove tons of product,” notes celebrity hairstylist Garren, cofounder of hair product company R+Co. “It’s best used on second- or third-day hair.” In other words, don’t skip showering for a week and expect dry shampoo to work a miracle. Dry shampoo also shouldn’t be used more than a couple of days in a row, as using it too often can cause scalp buildup and irritation.
Applying dry shampoo at night is another tactic many experts recommend, as it can work to absorb oils while you sleep—this is an especially good option for dry shampoos that tend to go on thick. Garrren also suggests running a blow-dryer on cold after applying dry shampoo: “If your hair is overly colored or brittle, and you have a lot of hairspray or product in it, if you apply dry shampoo and don’t blow it through with cold air, it can sit on top of the surface of the hair,” he said. “This can cause hair to be stiff. It won’t damage hair, but will make it feel dry or stiff.”
What Actually IS in This Stuff?
There are countless dry shampoos claiming to revolutionize the dry shampoo experience, but most work much the same way: absorbent starches, a carrier agent, fragrance, and, in the case of aerosol dry shampoos, a propellant. In the old days many dry shampoos contained talc as the absorbing agent, which was often contaminated with asbestos. Some dry shampoos may still list it as an ingredient, but none of the ones we recommend do.
Some companies add other natural, absorbent minerals in addition to starch, such as kaolin clay, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, charcoal powder, or even volcanic ash. I also tried some more unusual formulas such as a paste, liquid spray, and lotion, though I didn’t find the latter two to be particularly effective for my hair. For each dry shampoo we recommend, I tried to help demystify the marketing claims by listing the main functional ingredients that help it absorb oil.
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