Dry shampoo is a warm weather staple, a must-have if you travel, and a lifesaver in all the worst hair situations.
Ever since I wrote How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?, I’ve received tons of emails and some comments wanting dry shampoo recommendations. Over the past few months, I’ve been on a quest to test them all out, and have finally decided on my top 5 favorite dry shampoos ever.
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What is dry shampoo?
For those of you who don’t know, dry shampoo is a powder, usually in a spray can, that absorbs oil in your hair and leaves a fresh scent. It gets rid of greasy “second day” hair, adds volume, and makes hair look and smell fresh and clean, minus the need for water.
Why use dry shampoo?
There are a so many reasons why dry shampoo is amazing.
First of all, if you’re blonde, it’s the best for getting rid of greasy hair and even lightening up your roots! (This is personally why I’m obsessed with it.)
Second, it’s perfect if you have damaged hair that you don’t want to shampoo every day. Daily shampooing, blow drying, and styling can stress your hair even more, causing extra damage and breakage. By shampooing only 3-4 times a week and using dry shampoo in between washings, your hair will be less damaged and prone to breakage.
Third, it’s perfect if you travel or just wake up late and need to get ready fast. A quick spray and your hair will be good to go, no shower necessary.
The Top 5 Best Dry Shampoos
Cheapest Option: Batiste Dry Shampoo
Don’t let the old school packaging fool you – this stuff is as good now as it probably was in the ’80s when they designed the label. Batiste Dry Shampoo comes in a bunch of scents, but I only tried Original and “Blush”. Original smells clean, lemony, and a little bit chemically, but once it’s on your hair the scent disappears. Blush smells powdery and floral, but not too overpowering. At only $5.99/can (and available to buy in bulk on Amazon!), Batiste is a budget-friendly dry shampoo that works well.
You can buy Batiste Dry Shampoo for $5.99 at Amazon.
Best scent: Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo
I’m in LOVE with the lemony scent of this product! It’s definitely pricey, at $11 for a tiny bottle, but pricey is what you have to expect with Oscar Blandi. As far as results go, this worked just as well as the cheaper brands at eliminating oil and leaving hair looking fresh. If you only plan to use dry shampoo once in a while and want to splurge on something that smells amazing, you have to try Oscar Blandi.
You can buy Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo for $11 at Amazon.
Most Stylish: VERB Dry Shampoo
If you want your vanity (or sink, or desk, or dresser, or wherever you keep your products) to look extra chic, just add a bottle of VERB Dry Shampoo. The packaging is so stylish and the pointed tip makes it easy to apply. As a bonus, this stuff works great, and doesn’t leave a whitish cast on hair if your strands are darker! Although it’s not really economical at $16/bottle, if you’ve got the funds, we highly recommend it.
You can buy VERB Dry Shampoo for $16 at Sephora
DIY version: Baby Powder
If you don’t want to shell out the money for any of the products above, and want to use something you might have around the house, you can use baby powder instead. Just sprinkle some baby powder on your roots, turn your head upside down, and brush it out, and your hair will look and smell nice and fresh. As a bonus, baby powder comes in huge containers that last FOREVER.
If you don’t want to smell like baby powder, I highly recommend the Calming Lavender scented powder available on Amazon which smells lovely and works just as well as regular.
You can buy Calming Lavender Scent baby powder for $9.99 on Amazon.
Best Overall: Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo
Klorane Dry Shampoo is my favorite of all the ones I’ve tried. It’s definitely pricey and can be hard to find in stores, but it’s worth it for the scent, the fact that it’s natural, and how well it works. It makes hair look clean and fresh, but doesn’t build up or make hair look dull the way other dry shampoos can. Klorane is also great because it’s natural and contains fewer toxic ingredients than other products on the market. It’s also perfect for darker hair, as it doesn’t leave any white residue. Highly recommended!
You can buy Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo for $20 on Amazon.
Related reading: The Best Drugstore Shampoos for Oily Hair
Your thoughts?
You’ve seen my favorite dry shampoos, now I want to hear your recommendations. Do you use dry shampoo? If so, let me know which one is your favorite in the comments section!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2009; it was completely revamped in 2017 to reflect our current favorite products.
I agree with the above poster: shampowder rocks. You can buy it at Target online. I used the dark hair color, not black, even though my hair is very dark asian sort of brown. (Bad memories of the very expensive can of Bumble and Bumble black spray powder that makes my hair look better, but feel ugh, horrible. ) I wash my hair and the next day it’s fine, it’s the third day I use the shampowder. Shampowder takes one minute to daub into your hair, fluff, brush and wow, you look cute again.
I am looking for dry shampoo as I will be having surgery in the near future and won’t be able to wash my hair for over a week.
I had dry shampoo many years ago in a spray can,it worked great.
All I can find here is a lotion type.This does not work,it goes in globs
Is the Batiste available in Halifax??
Thanking you in advance,
Del
Thanks for a great list. I love Batiste (bought it in Canada for $6.99). Have tried Ojon and had a terrible time. Greasy and the nozzle stuck on both cans. Maybe will try some others. I used it while in hospital and post-hospital at home. A lifesaver. Also great while vacationing in a hot climate so you won’t completely dry your hair out, especially when colored.
I have been having problems lately with residue left in my hair. My hairstylist suggested it was my water. So i am wondering what is the best DRY shampoo that wont leave a residue???? I am sick of my hair being clumpy and residue in my brushes/combs. I have dark hair so it looks like dandruff…. Please help!
I have tests done with several types of dry shampoo (I live in the Caribbean) and all the brands mentioned above worked very well.
The ladies we tested the products on were all satisfied with the products.
I have dark brown/black hair, so I use Cake powder, which is tinted brown, so very easy to blend. Absorbs oil and gives you a fresh clean scent.. like cake!! I live in Vancouver, Canada and I found it at The Bay. I believe they have different scents and shades to match you too!!
I use TIGI Rockaholic dry shampoo, and I have for over a year now. It is a great product! I have dark brown hair, and have tried a few other dry shampoos, including the at-home remedy baby powder. Baby powder works fine for my blonde sister, but make my roots look light brown and gray. In the summer, when my hair gets extremely dry, I use dry shampoo at least twice a week. It has saved my dry hair problem!
I have really curly hair, and im going to my 1st festival, does anyone know of a good dry shampoo for curly hair, thanks x
Wow i tried the baby powder and it really works. My roots were greesy and i just washed my hair last night and now my hair looks great!!!
does anybody know if the pricier brands last longer?
i bought Baptiste, and i have very thick hair, and i LOVED it,
however i only got about 5 uses out of it before the can was empty.
Oh man, Sally’s prices are jacked! haha. This article, which was only posted a couple months ago, says that the Batiste Dry Shampoo is $5.99, and I decided to check it out today. It was freakin’ $8.29 in store. and it’s $7.29 on sally’s website. Why the inconsistencies? I might return it. I bought the “blush” one and it smells kind of too powdery/perfumey for my taste.
That´s bad Emily, I was going to ask the same thing.
I use Faciano, it is very good and no powder residue, one bottle for more than many times to be empty.
Really useful post about dry shampoos..it will help people find their best shampoo..thanx
You are actually recommending baby powder for your hair? Is this a joke? I’ve tried that before, and as people know who wear wigs, baby powder takes the shine out of your hair and makes it very dull. Also, if you have dark hair, it gives it a grey dull tone. I personally have tried baby powder and would NEVER recommend it, unless you are going for dull grey looking hair. Then have at it!
I like the suave ones the best, they’re inexpensive and found at target!