It’s been three days since your last shampoo, you’ve just drenched yourself at a bootcamp class, your hair is now a greasy mess and you’ve got 15 minutes to get to work. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Pile on one of these dry shampoos!
Whether you have colour treated hair and try to avoid washing too frequently, or you have ultra thick hair like me (which turns washing it into a whole production), sometimes dry shampoo can be your best friend. It adds volume to limp strands and can soak up all the sweat, dirt, and excess oil in a pinch. Not to mention, it can extend blowdrys and good hair days into good hair weeks—the true MVP.
The magic of dry shampoos lie in their ingredients: you want to look for oil-absorbing, mattifying materials like rice protein, bamboo silk, corn starch, and tapioca starch, says celebrity hairstylist Mia Santiago, whose clients include Dove Cameron, Martha Stewart, and Hugh Jackman. Beyond that, it’s best to pair your product with your hair type.
“Curly hair types want one that absorbs oil, but won’t cause buildup while darker hair requires a translucent powder that doesn’t leave a too-powdery finish,” Santiago says. “Personally, I switch things up: On oily days, I opt for a straight-up powder; on days where my hair is less greasy, I’ll go with an aerosol.”
Application is also key for a natural-looking finish. Make sure to spray or powder your scalp in sections, then massage the product in as if you were shampooing for real. If you still see any residue, follow up with a brush to distribute the shampoo throughout your strands.
From loose powders to aerosol sprays, drugstore brands to luxury, we’ve got you covered. Using Santiago’s product-picking wisdom, we selected some of the best dry shampoos available right now.
Our pick of the best dry shampoos on the market
Best For Blondes
Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones
If your hair is blonde, this dry shampoo will not only give you a super low-maintenance cleanse, but it’s also infused with violet pigments to help tone down brassiness.
The Cult Favourite
Klorane Dry Shampoo With Oat Milk
This plant-based product is the gold standard of formulas, truly making your scalp feel cleaner and refreshed, not just covered up. Hair can feel rigid after some sprays, but this one contains softening oat milk that adds extra volume and texture.
Best For Travel
R+Co Skyline Dry Shampoo
Never experience the pain of getting your bottle of dry shampoo confiscated by airport security again with this tiny wonder, which deposits the perfect amount of loose powder wherever you aim it. It contains diatomaceous earth, an absorbent mineral compound, jojoba seed oil for conditioning, and the antioxidant burdock root extract to target dandruff. Massage it in and you’ll be impressed with how much body you get.
The Updated Classic
Batiste 24h Active Dry Shampoo
It’s hard to beat this classic, no-frills, all-results dry shampoo—so go ahead and stock up. Their newest innovation provides all the perks of a regular dry shampoo, plus a long-lasting scent that reactivates when you sweat for up to 24 hours of freshness. Mist it in sections all around and brush through for second-day hair (or third) so it looks fresh and squeaky clean.
Best Clean Dry Shampoo
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PHD) Dry Shampoo
Don’t worry about parabens, silicones, or phthalates in this spray. Not only does it cover up oil, but actually cleans hair thanks to a proprietary molecule that targets powder in the hair and lifts it away. Plus, it neutralizes odor with time-released fragrance so your hair can not only feel fresher, but smell better the longer you wear it.
Best Vegan Dry Shampoo
Pureology Style + Protect Refresh & Go Dry Shampoo
A texturising dry shampoo spray that absorbs oil, dirt and buildup without drying out hair, Pureology’s Style + Protect Refresh & Go dry shampoo is incredible lightweight and stays in line with their 100% vegan promise.
Most Innovative Formula
Ouai Super Dry Shampoo
There’s something satisfying about foam and lather that you can’t get from a dry shampoo—until now. Celebrity hair stylist Jen Atkin created a shampoo that comes as a foam, works without water, and is invisible after it’s dried out. Ease in a bottle.
Best For Saving Blowouts
Bumble And Bumble Prêt-à-Powder
With a power combination of corn starch, tapioca starch, and oat kernel flour, you’ve got a dream team of grease-busting ingredients in every ounce of this hair stylist favourite. Sprinkle a bit of powder at your crown to liven up a day-old blowout or dust it onto a boar bristle brush to pump up your mids to ends—either way, your style will look newly done.
Most Lightweight Option
Tresemme Volumising Dry Shampoo
This chemist favourite sprays the finest mist of dry shampoo, so there’s no way to overdo it. Its formula, made with mineral clay, sucks up any stringiness on contact without adding weight.
Best Scalp-Balancing Option
Vegamour GRO Dry Shampoo
This plant-based dry shampoo contains phyto-active ingredients to balance the scalp, volumise and support the hair ecosystem. For the days when you don’t wash your hair, Vegamour’s unique formulation is talc-free with organic certified rice hulls, mung bean, red clover and kaolin clay to absorb oil and impurities.
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