In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining fresh, vibrant hair every day can be a challenge. Dry shampoo is a revolutionary hair care product that offers a quick fix to reduce grease, dirt, and oil in your hair without the need for water or traditional shampoo, making it a must-have in any hair care routine. Perfect for those moments when traditional washing isn’t an option, dry shampoos from trusted brands like Klorane, OLAPLEX, Kenra Professional, Surface, and Moroccanoil provide a quick and effective way to absorb excess oils, add volume, and keep your hair looking clean and refreshed.
The benefits of using dry shampoo are numerous. One of the key advantages is its ability to save time, offering a quick and convenient way to refresh your hair without the need for a full wash. This is particularly beneficial for those with busy schedules or when traditional washing isn’t an option. For those with color-treated hair, dry shampoo plays a crucial role in preserving color vibrancy by minimizing wash-related fading.
Whether you have oily, dry, or color-treated hair, a range of dry shampoo products caters to every need. Clean dry shampoo options, made with botanically-based and natural ingredients, are perfect for those seeking a gentle, eco-friendly solution. Non-aerosol dry shampoos, like powder dry shampoos, are especially popular for their lightweight, easy-to-use formulations that deliver clean, fresh hair with added volume and texture.
Ready to find your perfect dry shampoo powder or spray? Filter options let you personalize your search by brand, hair concern, hair type, and key ingredients.
Why it's recommended: The widely available Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo (Unscented) has an elegant formula, providing reliable shine reduction at a budget price. Unlike nearly every aerosol formula tested, this dry shampoo combines highly absorbent rice starch with the nearly invisible mineral silica, usually found only in pricier formulas. The propulsive spray shoots out a near-transparent fine cone mist and sprays evenly at every angle, including upside down-ideal for getting at the nape. The result is hair that’s both visibly de-greased and refreshed yet not sticky or stiff.
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Key Ingredients and Benefits: The ingredients are minimal but effective. Many aerosol dry shampoos are loaded with dozens of ingredients, like propellants, thickeners, and fragrances. Not Your Mother’s has just eight, so you’re getting more of the oil absorbers that get the job done. The formula includes both rice starch and silica. By combining rice starch with silica (a mineral absorber that can be manufactured to be round), a dry shampoo can have a silkier feel on the hair shaft. Hair feels soft and flexible, not stiff or crunchy. This dry shampoo’s powerful aerosol blast leaves the slightest white cast, which readily brushes away on both light and dark hair (there’s a dark-tint formula, too). It soaks up the heavy grease weighing down roots, you do get a little lift.
Additional Advantages: It’s unscented, neutralizing stale smells. You can’t beat the price.
Potential Drawbacks: The scented versions don’t smell great. If you use the product more than once between washes, a little residue is inevitable, especially if you run your fingernails along your scalp. The particles and chemicals in aerosol products can irritate the lungs; this is of special concern to anyone with asthma or allergies. Not Your Mother’s shampoo contains isobutane and hydrofluorocarbon 152A, which might be irritating to lungs when inhaled in high concentrations. Those with respiratory concerns will want to use caution around any aerosols.
Why it's recommended: At less than a quarter of an ounce, a jar of I Dew Care Tap Secret Mattifying Dry Shampoo Powder effortlessly takes down oil and shine. Yet it’s barely bigger than a golf ball, so it’s perfect to throw in a gym bag, purse, or carry-on. With just a few gentle taps, the macaron-shaped cushion disperses controlled poufs of a microfine powder. This product is ideal for hitting small sections like a hairline or part, and it has the widest color range of any dry shampoos tried. People with sustainability concerns will also appreciate the non-aerosol, refillable package.
Key Ingredients and Benefits: The powder is supremely silky and fine, and a little goes a long way. The mineral blend-silica, mica, and kaolin-is notably fine and absorbent, and this dry shampoo is the only nearly starch-free formula tried. On the scalp, the fine powder soaks up even heavy, streaky grease.
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Additional Advantages: It’s relatively easy to apply, even when you’re on the go. It comes in a range of colors. The I Dew Care powder comes in five shades, more than any dry shampoo tried. It’s refillable.
Potential Drawbacks: Refills are currently about $12, only a few dollars less than the original product, so they don’t offer a significant savings. And they’re only available in translucent, not the colored versions. The precise applicator isn’t great for covering large areas, at least not quickly. Pigment from the tinted powders can transfer to the hairline and fingertips, but it doesn’t stain, and it brushes away readily.
Why it's recommended: Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo was the second-priciest dry shampoo tested, and at first glance, the big jar of loose powder looked messy. The twist-open canister, fluffy-yet-firm kabuki brush, very finely milled powder, and dreamy scent make it work exceptionally well. Crown Affair provided the most luxurious and pleasant dry shampoo experience of the bunch, elevating a somewhat drudgery-prone task to a pampering treat.
Key Ingredients and Benefits: It’s barely perceptible in the hair, yet it reduces shine and delivers lift. Similar to the Not Your Mother’s aerosol, the Crown Affair shampoo combines rice and silica silylate, a perfectly absorbent, unchalky duo, and even though it’s a creamy tan color in the jar, it disappears into the scalp. This dry shampoo doesn’t deliver sky-high volume, but it boosts roots without any unwanted weight or stickiness.
Additional Advantages: It feels more like you’re applying makeup than sopping up grease. The scent is transcendent. It’s also refillable.
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Potential Drawbacks: Getting the product out and onto the hair-uncap, twist, recap, shake, uncap, brush on-is a little involved; though some didn’t mind the ritual, others made note of this. Even though our testers raved about the coverage, if you have long or thick hair, a lot of grease, and not a lot of time, an aerosol product is more efficient.
Many conventional aerosol dry shampoo brands contain toxic ingredients that are known to cause or contribute to allergic reactions, fertility problems, cancer, and more. Safe, non-toxic dry shampoo brands are available that still get the job done!
As one former dry shampoo fanatic discovered in interviewing several dermatologists and hair experts, as dry shampoo absorbs oil, it can irritate the scalp and lead to inflammation of the hair follicles. To prevent hair loss from dry shampoo, experts recommend using dry shampoo only a few times per week, max.
The short answer is: yes! That being said, since everyone’s hair is very different, you might have to do some trial and error to find the brand that works best for you individually.
It’s best to use dry shampoo no more than 2-3 times in a row. This keeps your scalp clean and refreshed while avoiding product buildup.
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