The five best dry shampoos, ranked by a dry shampoo addict
By Kira MacLean
Whether you’re looking to spruce up your hair after a blowout or trying to combat 3-days worth of hot yoga-induced oily roots, lemme just say, guuuurl, I got you. My name’s Kira and I’ve been using dry shampoo on the daily for the past 4 years. This isn’t because I have ridiculously greasy locks or work out every day (although I definitely use dry shampoo to combat those situations), but rather because I’ve found dry shampoo to be an essential tool in my hair styling arsenal. I typically use dry shampoo after blow drying my hair to add a bit of extra volume, texture, and subtle fragrance, but have compiled a list of my favorite tried-and-tested dry shampoos to suit whatever hair needs you can come up with.
This is my go-to for any and all hair snafus. Whether I’m running out to drinks after a quick workout or trying to add a bit of volume to my next-day blowout, the Detox Dry Shampoo does the trick. While Dry Bar also has different shades for brunettes and blondes, which can lend extra coverage, I’ve found their regular dry shampoo offers the best of all worlds—no dark marks on my clothing or skin if I run my hands through my hair; a light, clean scent that kills any other odors (smoke, city ephemera, etc.); and a medium-weight powder that soaks up any and all oil while leaving your hair perfectly fresh.
Amika’s dry shampoo is my current favorite, the holy grail for women like me who blow dry their hair on the daily and need a little boost to keep their hair looking fly. (Disclaimer: I know you’re not supposed to dry your hair every day but as someone who is hair-obsessed I find myself feeling a million times better when I blow out my hair~) I spray this dry shampoo at my roots and it does exactly what it says—I get a little perk up that results in touchably soft, lightly volumized tresses. I’ve also gotten the most compliments on Perk Up’s sea buckthorn scent, which smells lightly citrusy and woody and altogether ah-mazing.
Not Your Mother’s does a lot of things right, and their dry shampoo is no exception. This was the OG dry shampoo for me, purchased at a time when I needed a quick, cheap, reliable solution for day-to-day grime. Clean Freak relies on a heavier powder to do the heavy lifting, and truly lives up to its name as a shampoo by cleaning your hair without having to take a shower. This dry shampoo is always my recommendation for those who rely on dry shampoo to absorb a good amount of oil or those who seldomly use dry shampoo and want an inexpensive option to have on hand. Either way you’re golden, girlie!
While I don’t fall into the category of fine hair by any means, I’ve had many a girlfriend ask me to help them pick out a dry shampoo to boost their limp locks. Klorane’s Oat Milk formula is the overwhelming crowd favorite for my fine-haired friends, who credit the combination of rice and corn starches to adding much needed volume and oil absorption without weighing their strands down. While this dry shampoo doesn’t quite have the clean scent of the others, some actually prefer the light, oaty fragrance as it doesn’t compete with other perfumes.
Living Proof prides themselves on their commitment to using science to create better products, and seem to extend that same commitment to you, meaning that you may have to experiment to get that perfect hair day they tout. Their formulation boasts a unique patented molecule that absorbs oil while smoothing your hair, ultimately adding polish and strength to tired tresses. While this sounds awesome in theory, and will absolutely transform a legitimately greasy mane into a date-worthy blowout, it only works if you have a lot of oil, especially beyond your roots. Because my own hair rarely gets to this point, it ended up weighing down my clean-ish hair, leaving it flatter than when I started. However, I’d recommend this to gals with noticeably oily strands, as I think this dry shampoo can change your life.
I hope you enjoyed this dry shampoo run-down! Let me know it this info has helped all of you boss babes out there trying to find the right dry shampoo to look fly on the go!