What is the best dry shampoo?
What woman (and yeah, men too) haven’t gotten up in a panic because they overslept and don’t have time to shower and wash their hair? Or- let’s be real, you don’t wash your hair every day because you know that’s bad juju for your scalp. Especially for oily folicaled broads such as myself. So with that said, I have been a huge fan of dry shampoo since I found out it existed back in 2011 and I haven’t looked back since. I guess I blame my lack of knowledge on the fact that I only shopped drugstores for my hair products and makeup, I thought I was too poor to go to Sephora and the nearest Ulta was in the middle of nowhere. Plus a lot of times there is no problem with drugstore quality.
Back then my only real options were Tresemme (it smelled too perfumy but it worked) and Dove (my godsend), thankfully not too long after that more brands started popping up in CVS, Giant (grocery store popular in the North East), Target, and Walgreens. And now with Ulta and Sephora so close and also carrying affordable and then some higher end brands what is a person with oily roots to do?! The answer: Find someone else who has used so many types of dry shampoos that they now have preferences on dispensers to give you a rundown on what is worth it from drugstore to luxury.
So let’s get to it!
Bastiste (various): $4.99-$12.99
You want affordable and a million different scents to choose from along with having little baby travel sizes, then this might be the dry shampoo for you. You can find this sucker everywhere, from your local grocery stores to TJ Maxx and your classy Target, there is nowhere that won’t carry this affordable and multi-catering aerosol can.
Pros: The smells! Personally I like Fresh and Bare, it doesn’t have an overwhelming scent and it makes your hair actually smell clean. If you’re not a fan of perfumes on a day-to-day you can spray this in your hair and have the smell of pretty flowers following you around, or an oriental garden, or a sassy mom at her PTA. There are all sorts of options. Also after you have spent time curling or waving your hair perfectly a few spritz’s in your roots will add some body and help your style stay and not be weighed down by your natural oils throughout the day.
Cons: The white cast. Yes, they have dark colors for the dark haired beauties out there BUT they only come in the standard scent. You have black roots, well you get the dry shampoo for black hair and that’s it. No Bare for you! No Blush! No Original! Nope, you get this one scent and that’s it. Maybe not a huge con but it’s awfully inconvenient. Also it doesn’t make your hair feel clean. It feels like you have dry shampoo in it, it’s not gonna be exactly soft and have that clean feeling after you use it, even if you’re using it minimally.
Kristin Ess Fragrance Free Dry Shampoo: $12.99
Oh man, want to talk near perfection then look no further! While this is still relatively new on the market it is more than worth it. Non-aerosol, no fragrance, amazing pump, plus the packaging is simple and cute.
Pros: Preeeeeetty sure they are all up there, plus it doesn’t leave a white cast on my darker roots. Having no fragrance is really nice so it doesn’t clash with my perfume or I can run out without a garden following me at all. Your hair will also feel more clean than if you use aerosol can dry shampoo.
Cons: You have to use more than a few pumps, it’s almost like the powder is so fine it isn’t as effective as it should be. Also the pump- despite being amazing, leaks a bit. I think it’s due to the fineness of the powder, so I plan on taking another dry shampoo I love and putting it in there once it’s been used up to see if that is in fact the case.
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo: $22-$48
Anytime you watch an influencer this is that luxury brand they always use for their hair, and then they have the perfect undone waves and curls- looking like a bunch of goddesses. I wouldn’t even know about this brand if it wasn’t for an influencer I admire using it. The packaging is beautiful, the aerosol is more of a mist than a hairspray, it looks as boujee as it is hyped up to be.
Pros: It effing works. It can double as a texture adding spray, and it smells great while doing it. If a dry shampoo has to smell like something specific then this isn’t so bad, it has a luxurious and pleasant scent.
Cons: The. Price. Seriously, what the hell? This is some bull. It’s a dry shampoo, not a perfume off the shelves at Saks. Out of all the brands I have tried none have been as expensive as this one and I always have to justify it when it comes to restocking. It works well, it’s perfect for the days when you want to style your dirty hair, adding grip but still not acting crusty.
Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oatmilk: $12.99-$32
Talk about stumbling across a rare find, I would have never tried this if I hadn’t been browsing my local TJ Maxx for my usual giant bottle of Bastise (at half the cost). It’s light, the one I tried had no aerosol in it, and you squeezed the bottle to dispense it on your hair. This was a big contender because my cats were no longer fleeing the room when I was putting this powder into my hair. Now from what I have researched this is a more “luxury” brand than not, maybe middle of the high end echelon.
Pros: My hair feels CLEAN. As if I ran some actual shampoo and conditioner in my roots and could walk out the door without any fear of looking like a grease ball. When it comes to scent (clearly an important factor) it didn’t smell much like anything. Just, clean. I could apply this before or after I styled my hair and was happy and didn’t feel like I would have a residue while running my hands through my hair. Plus the bonus factor of being able to choose between the squeeze bottle or the can is nice.
Cons: The gotdang bottle. It’s a squeeze bottle, it’s flexible but you definitely don’t feel like you’re getting everything out of it. It’s incredibly inconvenient and if you don’t get the angle down just right then it either flys over your intended problem area or doesn’t even come out. A bit of a struggle to say the least.
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal+Biotin Dry Shampoo: $24.99
As an avid fan of this brand I knew I had to try out the dry shampoo when they released it; I already adored their styling products and the godsend that was their hair mask, and the shampoos have become a staple in my shower and travel bag. This was a brand that I knew stood for clean products, and that didn’t have the weight of silicones to add a heavy and greasy look to my already fine hair. I was excited to use this product!
Pros: As I stated above it already had the clean properties I looked for in hair products and I wasn’t disappointed at all. No heavy or obtrusive scent to it at all, and if I added it to a style it had some great grip to it and I wasn’t afraid of my crown braids or fishtails coming loose unless I wanted them too.
Cons: Another case of THIS DAMN DISPENSER IS TRASH. Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have said trash, but I did notice after about three weeks of using this nothing was coming out of an already stiff squeeze bottle. This concerned me because I could feel the weight and I knew I had at least a month or two left in the bottle. After opening it up I discovered the tiny tube they were using to “puff” the powder out. When I say tiny I mean probably the narrowness of a toothpick. It was clogged. I emailed them and they thanked me and then apologized but stated it was a common issue. I couldn’t even get the damn thing unplugged. This left me opening the bottle and shaking some into my hand before trying to strategically pat it into the oily spots. Not the effortless method I typically enjoy with dry shampoos.
OGX Bodyfying and Bamboo Fiber Full Dry Shampoo: $5.99-$8.99
Now this one, this one I felt skeptical of using. It was foam, which is normally a dryer hair texture savior as far as dry shampoos go, but again I saw an influencer try it out and was shocked to see it took the grease away so naturally I had to get my hands on it. The branding matched the collection, it dispensed without any trouble or issues at all, it didn’t smell like much, and it wasn’t the most expensive thing in the world. Not everyday kind of use as far as the dry shampoos go but it was pulling its own weight.
Pros: This is the perfect shampoo for after you hit the gym and you’ve been sweating, the foam makes you feel like you're cleaning your roots and not just covering them up and although it takes about 30 seconds to see the result they are indeed there. It made running from the gym to grabbing dinner with friends super easy and you don’t have to risk stripping the oil out of your hair with an actual shampoo and water situation.
Cons: Because it is a foam it does require being pressurized, so thats not super travel friendly, and although it helps for after the gym more so than regular spray or straight powder ones do I wouldn’t particularly call it all powerful for day-to-day, as I would refresh the next morning with one of my usual dry shampoos and stash this one in my gym bag.
Conclusion?
If you’re on a budget give Bastiste a try, but if you want your hair to feel clean and have the oil be soaked up the winner is Klorane. I was ultimately most satisfied with how this left my hair feeling in addition to eliminating the oil. Anti-climatic but I feel you’ll get the best result for your dollar with this dry shampoo.
(Disclaimer: This article is simply an opinion, all the above dry shampoos are great it just depends on what you are looking for. Go out and try them all for yourselves.)