The Best Dry Shampoos

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Classic Clean

This is the tried-and-true pick when it comes to user-friendliness and versatility. Beginners and hair experts will both find favor with this dry shampoo.

Best Overall

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Pros:
Batiste’s dry shampoo is vegan-friendly, which is always a plus. This formula works on a wide variety of hair types and colors. It effectively absorbs oils, allowing you to feel fresh on the days you skip the shampoo in the shower. The scent includes lavender and musk that aren’t heavy or overpowering. Not only does it work to remove dirt and grime from the hair, but it also gives some extra texture and body to avoid the dreaded flat second-day hair.

Cons:
It works better with lighter-toned hair. If you have dark hair, this may not be the best choice.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Divine Dark

To Blend Seamlessly with Your Hair

If you’ve ever struggled with white powder ruining your dry shampoo experience, this is a fantastic solution. It’s specifically formulated for the brunette and raven-haired amongst us.

Best for Brunettes

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Pros:
Divine Dark by Batiste includes each of the benefits you’ll get from their original dry shampoo: a fresh scent, powerful grease and grime absorption, and a great volume boost. Since it is a tinted formula, it doubles as a root touch-up or a quick fix for a few grays. The pigment gives extra dimension and depth of color to shades in the brunette to black range.

Cons:
The tint in this product isn’t for everybody. Some might prefer a formula that does not include extra color, as it can mask highlights and balayage. Also, it can rub off on your hands while you’re styling.

Hair Dance Volumizing Dry Shampoo

Everyone Under the Sun

Any hair shade can benefit from this multi-talented, translucent formula.

Best for All Hair Types

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Pros:
Many people are as interested in sustainability when selecting a new dry shampoo. Cruelty-free, vegan, and responsibly sourced, Hair Dance’s Volumizing Dry Shampoo ticks off all the boxes. It’s free of harmful chemicals, so you can feel comfortable using it frequently. The natural lavender scent lends a touch of freshness without drowning you in synthetic fragrances. Though the formula is slightly different from traditional dry shampoos, it still gives you cleaner, fuller hair.

Cons:
There is a bit of a learning curve for application, and dispensing the product may be tricky. It takes a little longer to massage throughout the hair and brush out than aerosol sprays.

Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo

Smells Like Heaven

This is the go-to choice for anyone looking for a product sans an overpowering fragrance.

Best Scent

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Pros:
We loved the fragrance of this dry shampoo, especially for removing unwanted smells from our hair at the end of a long day. Anyone who has lit up the grill right after a shower knows how frustrating it is to have their hair absorb smoky, greasy scents. Not Your Mother’s outshines all other dry shampoos if you want to restore your hair to its clean, freshly-washed state. The large bottle and drugstore price also offer you more bang for your buck.

Cons:
As far as absorbing oils goes, this does the trick — unless you have super-greasy hair. It should allow us to go an extra day without shampooing, but it probably won’t extend a wash or style beyond that.

Dove Refresh+Care Fresh & Floral

Pocket Bottle

This one features a highly effective formula that helps to enhance the shine and volume of hair, all in a teeny-tiny bottle.

Best Pocket-Sized

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Pros:
Here’s a dry shampoo product that can be used without the need for any water. This makes the product great for travel purposes, as well as for refreshing hair during the day, such as before a big meeting at work. The dry shampoo comes in a Fresh & Floral fragrance option, which will provide a pleasant smell as well. The pocket-sized bottle also easily fits into a handbag, making it easier to carry the dry shampoo wherever the user may need to go.

Cons:
The small size of the bottle may be convenient, but it does mean there will be a more frequent need for a replacement when the person wants to continue using the dry shampoo. There is also only a single fragrance option available.

What Really Matters?

Your Hair Color

Beautiful, but difficult — at least when shopping for a dry shampoo. Many of the universal formulas have a white, powdery formula that works great on blonde, silver, or lighter hair colors. But brunettes can find it challenging to select a product that doesn’t make it seem like they have a dandruff issue. Some brunettes find that products targeted for blondes are usable, but they take a lot of elbow grease to brush out thoroughly. Lighter-haired individuals might want to avoid products for brunettes as well. If they’re tinted sprays, you’ll get an unwanted dye job instead of a shampoo refresher. Not all tinted dry shampoos are ideal for darker hair, either. Any highlights will be drowned out. In that case, stick with translucent formulas. If you have an overall dark hair color, a product that is tinted for dark hair can work for you.

Texture

Many complaints about dry shampoos stem from a lack of oil absorption. No one wants to bypass the real shampoo only to find that their dry shampoo didn’t cut it for sprucing up their hair. A frequent gripe is that particularly greasy hair isn’t helped enough by dry shampoo. One thing to consider is that fine, short, or thin hair is often oilier than thick, coarse hair. The reason? There’s less hair to soak up the oil your scalp produces. That oil production is actually normal and good for your hair, but the “yuck” factor is something everyone can understand. Some products are more heavy-duty when it comes to oil absorption. Keep an eye out for products that shine when it comes to getting rid of grease and dirt, especially if you struggle with excess oil. If you have less of an oil problem, you’ll probably find favor with dry shampoos that revive and add volume to hair. Curly-haired people should watch out for dry shampoos that are difficult to brush out. Anyone with curls knows excessive brushing is a quick way to end up with a frizzy mess on your head.

Scent

There are more options for scented dry shampoos than unscented ones. Like with regular shampoo, the fragrance is a plus for most and adds to the clean feeling we all seek. Luckily, many dry shampoos have only a subtle fragrance. But if you’re searching for something that’s less like perfume and more understated, the products with natural ingredients are the way to go. They have a fainter smell along the lines of your favorite essential oil–no generic powder scents. On the other hand, if you seek a dry shampoo that will take unwelcome smells out of your hair, natural fragrances might not do the job.

What’s in Right Now?

Travelers regularly turn to dry shampoo because showering is not an option. Maybe you’re on a multi-day hike or enduring a long layover before your flight home. There are a plethora of other reasons someone might want to use a dry shampoo to hold them over until a shower is available. But making a dry shampoo bottle small, portable, and easy to pack on a carry-on are all attractive features. User-friendliness is also a big factor; the quicker the product works, the better. Overall convenience is important to consider when choosing a dry shampoo. Eco-friendly options are also at the top of many shopping lists. As a result, several brands offer sustainable and responsibly sourced formulas. These products come with the added benefit of being gentle and mild. Natural products in the cosmetic aisle are rapidly gaining traction, including dry shampoos. The best part is that they eliminate harsh chemicals from the ingredients list without sacrificing effectiveness.

FAQs

Are aerosol sprays more effective?

Many popular brands come in an aerosol spray form. While it is true that application can be easier and more precise with a spray can, it doesn’t necessarily make it more effective. Other formulas, such as powders that you can sprinkle on your scalp, work just as well if you apply them evenly. So, aerosol sprays might be a faster way to use dry shampoo, but it doesn’t make them any better or worse than something in a shaker-style bottle.

How long does dry shampoo last?

A single application of dry shampoo can allow most people to skip at least one wash. How far it extends your style depends on several things: your hair type, how greasy your hair gets, and any physical activities that might cause more sweat or dirt accumulation in your hair. Dry shampoo is not meant to totally replace washing your hair, and it will cause buildup with prolonged use. But some lucky individuals might be able to use it in place of normal shampoo for a week or more.

Is dry shampoo safe for dyed hair?

Dry shampoo isn’t a detergent in the way normal shampoo is. It doesn’t strip grease and grime out of your hair as a traditional wash will. In general, it is gentler to use for cleaning dyed hair than washing in the shower. If your dye job tends to fade quickly, a dry shampoo is a smart way to give your color more longevity. Warm and hot water temperatures and sulfates in shampoos are the main culprits that will fade your dye – dry shampoo can allow you to wash less frequently.

Does dry shampoo work on textured hair?

Natural, textured hair can benefit from dry shampoos. Coarse and curly hair usually responds better to a dry shampoo than fine hair. It can eliminate bedhead, give you extra volume, and preserve your style for a few extra days. The only drawback is that formulas that dry to a white color can be difficult to completely brush or shake out. Unwanted residue, which is obvious in darker hair, is a problem. But there are plenty of good products that provide options for darker, textured, or curly hair.