The Top 5 Best Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoo is a summer staple, a must-have if you travel, and a lifesaver in all the worst hair situations.
Ever since I wrote How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?, I’ve received tons of emails and some comments wanting dry shampoo recommendations. Over the past few months, I’ve been on a quest to test them all out, and have finally decided on my top 5 favorites.
What is dry shampoo?
For those of you who don’t know, dry shampoo is a powder, usually in a spray can, that absorbs oil in your hair and leaves a fresh scent. It gets rid of greasy “second day” hair, adds volume, and makes hair look and smell fresh and clean, minus the need for water.
Why use dry shampoo?
There are a so many reasons why dry shampoo is amazing. First of all, if you’re blonde, dry shampoo is the best for getting rid of greasy hair and even lightening up your roots! Second, it’s perfect if you have damaged hair that you don’t want to shampoo every day. Daily shampooing, blow drying, and styling can stress your hair even more, causing extra damage and breakage. By shampooing only 3-4 times a week and using dry shampoo in between washings, your hair will be less damaged and prone to breakage. Third, it’s perfect if you travel or just wake up late and need to get ready fast. A quick spray and your hair will be good to go, no shower necessary.
The Top 5 Dry Shampoos
Cheapest option: Batiste Dry Shampoo
Don’t let the low-budget packaging fool you – this stuff is as good now as it probably was in the 80’s when they designed the label. Batiste Dry Shampoo comes in a bunch of scents, but I only tried Original and “Blush”. Original smells clean, lemony, and a little bit chemically, but once it’s on your hair the scent disappears. Blush smells powdery and floral, but not too overpowering. At only $5.99/can at Sally’s, Batiste is a budget-friendly dry shampoo that works well.
You can buy Batiste Dry Shampoo for $5.99 at Sally Beauty Supply.
Best scent: Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo
I’m in LOVE with the lemony scent of this dry shampoo! It’s definitely pricey, at $11 for a tiny bottle, but pricey is what you have to expect with Oscar Blandi. As far as results go, this worked just as well as the cheaper brands at eliminating oil and leaving hair looking fresh. If you only plan to use dry shampoo once in a while and want to splurge on something that smells amazing, you have to try Oscar Blandi.
You can buy Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo for $11 at Sephora.com.
Most fun: Lush Candy Fluff powder
This product isn’t technically labeled as a dry shampoo, but it works well as one. Candy Fluff powder contains a mix of cornstarch, talc, and gold sparkles, and smells super sweet, kinda like red swedish fish. You can use it as a shimmer powder for your body, or in your hair as a dry shampoo. Since it’s not in a spray can, it can definitely be a little messy to apply.
You can buy Candy Fluff powder for $11.25 at Lush.
DIY version: Baby Powder
If you don’t want to shell out the money for a dry shampoo, and want to use something you might have around the house, you can use baby powder instead. Just sprinkle some baby powder on your roots, turn your head upside down, and brush it out, and your hair will look and smell nice and fresh. If you can’t stand the baby powder scent, you can always buy unscented powder which works just as well.
Best overall: Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo
Klorane Dry Shampoo was my favorite of all the ones I tried. It’s definitely pricey and hard to find in stores, but it’s worth it for the scent, the fact that it’s natural, and how well it works. It makes hair look clean and fresh, but doesn’t build up or make hair look dull the way other dry shampoos can. Klorane is also great because it’s natural and contains fewer toxic ingredients than other products on the market. It’s also perfect for darker hair, as it doesn’t leave any white residue. Highly recommended!
You can buy Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo for $18 at Sephora.com.
Your thoughts?
You’ve seen my favorite dry shampoos, now I want to hear your recommendations. Do you use dry shampoo? If so, let me know which dry shampoo is your favorite in the comments section!
Posted on on July 2, 2009 / Filed Under: Beauty & Hair / Tags: Beauty, Dry Shampoo, Hair, Hair Products, Product Review, Sally Beauty Supply, Sephora, Shampoo, Travel
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victoria
Cool idea! my hair gets greasy really easily so this sounds like a goood option for not washing it everyday like i normally do.
Little Red
Nice post! I’ve never tried a dry shampoo, but I’ve always wanted to get one for times when I might not have time to wash my hair. I know my hair always gets greasy if I don’t wash it every day. I’ve tried the baby powder before, but sadly, it didn’t work well for me. I’m definitely going to try some of the others!
Thanks!
Colleen
I use the Fredric Fekkai dry shampoo, it’s pretty new and I think only sold at Sephora. It was definitely pricey (around 20) for a medium sized bottle, but i like it a lot. It’s pretty much scent-less and is made of all natural products, which is really nice. Overall it works pretty well, I don’t know if I’d get it again though because it is a lot of money for not a whole lot of product. Thanks for these other suggestions!
Little Red
I also have to say, it’s great that you have actually tried these products. As opposed to just suggesting random things.
Zakkiyya
Wow Ive never heard of a dry shampoo but now that I did I think I’m definitely going try it some time,probably when I go on holiday like a road trip or even those days when I feel lazy or sick.This is a great article.
Trisha
I make my own dry shampoo by combining cornstarch and corn meal (in about a 2:3 ratio). Then you throw in a tablespoon or so of baking powder to combat odor, shake and use. Perhaps a commercial dry shampoo works better, but for the cost, you can’t beat this combo. I’ve been thinking of scenting it with a drop of perfume but have yet to try it.
myvogue
Great post! I’ve never heard of a “dry shampoo”, but I will definitely try it asap. My hair is with oily roots and dry ends and I found this great London shampoo – Charles Worthington in the ULTA stores. It was perfect for my hair and I was only washing it twice a week. But I can’t find it anywhere :( and I started washing it again almost every day. But thanks for the ideas for dry shampoos.
tanya
I think the idea of dry shampoo is really great (and I would love to be able to go longer between shampoos–my hair can get greasy quickly!) but, despite reading the directions over and over and doing my best, it’s not really doing anything for me–and with some of the more expensive products, I feel like I’ve used a lot of it for a result that lasts about 10 minutes, then goes back to greasy. How exactly are you supposed to use it for optimal results? I feel like I’m doing it all wrong!
Olga
I use Klorane once in a while. I got one can at drugstore.com. It is definitely expensive but smells much better than the cheaper alternatives. Psssst is my cheapie dry shampoo.
ashley
I’ve never heard of dry shampoo until i saw one of your older posts the other day.. I am interested!! I can’t wait to try it especially since i’ll be travelling in august! Thanks!
Rebecca
Thank you! I’ve had very thin hair ever since a perm damaged it a few years back, so it gets greasy in probably about 12 hours. Ever since I heard of dry shampoo I’ve wanted to try it but haven’t been sure which will be best and not waste my money. So again, thank you so much! :)
Natalie
Ever since she was on that reality show clutching her can of it, dry shampoo will always make me think of Heidi Montag (Pratt?)! haha
My roots have gotten oilier since I’ve chopped my hair off, though I doubt the two could be related. I definitely want to give dry shampoo a try.
Thanks for trying all of these out!
Amanda Gray
I wish I had known about all these 2 weeks ago when I left the country and was in a limited shower area. My girlfriend and I got this liquid shampoo that you don’t need water for at Sally’s and supposedly NASA uses it but we weren’t very impressed. It dried up the oil but hair still felt dirty after it dried. I’ll have to try some of these out next time. Thanks =)
Katie
Great recs, but Zephyr — how do you use dry shampoo/which should you choose if you have curly hair? Since most are thick enough that you kind of have to brush it out, that makes it a no-go for most curly girls. (You can’t brush curly hair when it’s dry, unless you want a fab frizz fro to last the rest of the day; brushing just the roots is a recipe for a bird’s nest at ear level.)
Did any of your research turn anything up about that?
Christine
Can dry shampoo be used on African American hair???
Lauren
i have never trid dry shampoo but this definatly makes me want to. I love all the fashion advice but it is nice to see some of the beauty aspect as well. Keep up the GREAT wrk!
<3
Jojo
I’ve always wanted to try it, but I never knew what brand would be worth my money! Thanks for the tips!
Ally
Hmmm. I guess the word shampoo is throwing me off on this one. Does it damage hair like a regular shampoo does over time? I haven’t used regular shampoo in years because it damages my curls.
lara
I have to say I really like Rockaholic dry shampoo called Dirty Secret it smells great and works really well.
Ariana
Talc is a carcinogen. A carcinogen means that it causes cancer. Google it…
Kaleigh
Is dry shampoo only for blondes? Or all hair colours? My problem is greasy roots but at the beginning of your post you said that it is good for blondes with greasy roots….not brunettes? maybe i need to re-read, it is late lol
Ava
I have dark hair, and I use baby powder. The white powder is not visible. Just remember to apply it to the roots and rub it in more if you see it. I love the baby powder trick! Absolutely amazing and cheap.
Caroline
I tried a spray-on dry shampoo before but it didn’t work too well. I might try out the brands you suggested. But…I feel like nothing beats the clean feeling after a good shampoo :)
Noel
I’ve always wanted to try dry shampoo — when I was little, I was too lazy to shower, Thank goodness I’ve outgrown that stage ;).
erin
bastiste i use it always wouldnt change, its a goood un :)
Nicole
Batiste is a real life saver for those ’second day’ hair troubles. In the UK it’s only about £1.99 which is really great! The only down side to it, is that it can run out very quickly (depending how often and how much you use it)… But it is definitely worth buying, and I reccommend not wasting your money on all the more expensive ones, when you can still have great looking hair with Batiste spray!
Isa
I had never even thought about using dry shampoo but a couple of weeks ago when I complained to a co-worker that sometimes I feel like I can’t go on a last-minute date if I haven’t washed my hair (which is a long process by the time I blow-dry it), she suggested dry shampoos or using baby powder. I have yet to try the dry shampoos but have been using baby powder for in-between-shampoo touch ups. It works great! I have naturally curly hair which I blowdry straight and when my hair starts to feel not-so-fresh I apply the babypowder generously (all over, not just the roots and my hair is dark brown..). Then I blowdry it section by section to get rid of the powder and re-straighten it (takes 5 minutes vs. over an hour). Of course, it doesn’t quite feel the same as washing your hair but it definitely smells and feels fresh enough for any last-minute dates!
Tiffany
I read about dry shampoo in a magazine over the summer & couldn’t wait to try it. I purchased Batiste blush from Sally’s & fell in love immediately. The original scent smells too much like aerosol for me. The blush does have a floral smell that is a little strong (I don’t like perfume smells) but mostly wears off & it lasts well throughout the day. I have never tried using it 2 days in a row though. It is a fairly small can (in my opinion), goes quickly, & the price is more expensive than $5.99 when purchased in-store. Despite the negatives, I would definitely recommend it.
allieb
I use a product called Shampowder. It ROCKS! it is a light vanilla scent and cool applicator.
allieb
i forgot the website! http://www.shampowder.com or target.com
Emily
does anybody know if the pricier brands last longer?
i bought Baptiste, and i have very thick hair, and i LOVED it,
however i only got about 5 uses out of it before the can was empty.
Carol
That´s bad Emily, I was going to ask the same thing.
Jos
My favorite is the Salongrafix one. It comes in a couple different colors so if you have dark hair it won’t leave any residue. The can wasn’t gigantic but it did seem to last me a reasonable amount of time and I’m pretty sure it’s not more expensive than like $6 (bought it at Safeway).
Macey Jones
I was a big bumble powder user. I am from Laguan Beach California and my stylist recently recommended to me Lok Color Protection Dry Shampoo. the product is amazing. I have passed it on to 6 of my friends and counting. Also, when I did buy it on their site LoKcolor.com, they sent me a sample of their Heatshield product.
MJ
Macey Jones
Oh, and Emily, my Lok Dry shampoo’s last about 3 1/2 weeks.
MJ
kimmie
Oh man, Sally’s prices are jacked! haha. This article, which was only posted a couple months ago, says that the Batiste Dry Shampoo is $5.99, and I decided to check it out today. It was freakin’ $8.29 in store. and it’s $7.29 on sally’s website. Why the inconsistencies? I might return it. I bought the “blush” one and it smells kind of too powdery/perfumey for my taste.
kailey
dont waste your money ladies! we’re in a recession and i decided to give the baby powder a try. it works GREAT! i used the Johnson’s pure cornstarch with vitamin e and aloe. it has a light fragrance, yes baby powder-ish, but i’d rather smell like baby powder than stinky head! ewwwww….i have a VERY sensitive nose and i’ll smell my own head after just half a day. but after the baby powder, i smell the fresh scent instead. works great! i have dark brown black hair and had no probs with the white powder. i turned the top of the cap so that just the smallest amt of powder dispenses, and just tapped it to my scalp. then i massaged it through and combed my hair over the tub, gave it one last shake and done! no mess, and felt clean and ready for a new day. good luck!
Tavia
You have to shampoo only 3-4 times a week and using dry shampoo in between washings? I don’t think so. I wash my hair 2 times a week and it’s enough. Of if you wash your hair daily is damaged. I have very long hair and the whole process ( wash, dry, style) takes me 2 hours. Girls with long hair I think they know what I’m talking about, so I don’t think anyone will stay everyday to wash her hair, unless she doesn’t have smth else to do. I never used dry shampoo….so I can’t say if it’s ok or not. I like the idea but it’s ridiculous to say that it can be used 3-4 times a week + plus your regular hair wash.
India
I agree with the above poster: shampowder rocks. You can buy it at Target online. I used the dark hair color, not black, even though my hair is very dark asian sort of brown. (Bad memories of the very expensive can of Bumble and Bumble black spray powder that makes my hair look better, but feel ugh, horrible. ) I wash my hair and the next day it’s fine, it’s the third day I use the shampowder. Shampowder takes one minute to daub into your hair, fluff, brush and wow, you look cute again.
Carolina
I get easily tired of washing my hair everyday due to oiliness/greasiness. Now due to dry shampoo I know that I don’t have to wash my hair everyday. Thanks to that, I won’t have to wash my hair all the time! THANK YOU!
Randi
I found the product PSSSSST a couple of years ago and bought out my drugstores supply – i think it’s from the 50s or something. Anyway, Question…
I’ve got dark brown hair and I have to use a blow dryer to get rid of the color after I apply it — which defeats it to an extent. Does anyone know of a darker colored dry shampoo?
Ashley
Randi – I read somewhere that cocoa powder could be used as dry shampoo. I’m guessing that because it’s a powder, it will help absorb the oil, despite it being designed for chocolately goodness :D Plus, nice scent!