Top-Notch Dry Shampoos for Multiple Hair Types and Budgets - Our Expert Review
Freshen Up Your Hair Game: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best Dry Shampoos
Step away from the shower and breathe easy knowing dry shampoo has got you covered. This miraculous hair product gives you a revitalized mane anytime, anywhere. But how do you discover the perfect match for your strands? That's where our expertly tried-and-tested guide comes in.
While they may not be as magical as the best shampoo and conditioners, dry shampoos can cleanse roots, add texture, and even boost volume. But what's the trick to finding "the one"? According to Errol Douglas, hairdresser and Living Proof pro expert, a good dry shampoo should soak up excess oil from the hair to leave it feeling, smelling, and looking clean. However, he warns that many options don't actually clean the hair – instead, they soak up oil and sweat, leaving behind a powdery residue that can sometimes be hard to remove.
With an overwhelming number of dry shampoos flooding stores, from the best for oily hair to those formulated for specific hair colors, we've put numerous top brands to the test to help you narrow down which is the best dry shampoo for every hair type. Here's our rundown...
Must-Try Dry Shampoos for Every Hair Type
Best Overall
RRP: £25 for 198ml | Key Ingredients: Fast-absorbing powders, time-release fragrance
This wonder product is a lifesaver for dirty hair, giving it a nice refresh and even a generous volume boost – regardless of how clean it is. Unlike most dry shampoos, which only absorb oil, this one soaks up sweat and odor, too. The lightweight finish means very little residue is left behind, making it nearly impossible to create white patches. The only potential downside? Its price, which is pretty steep when considering the decent cheaper options available. But if you can afford it, we say it's absolutely worth it.
Best Affordable
RRP: £3.25 for 200ml | Key Ingredients: Rice starch, keratin
If you've only ever tried one dry shampoo in your life, chances are it's this one. Batiste has been refreshing hair for over 50 years, and it remains many people's go-to when they need to stave off oily roots in a hurry. The price is unbeatable, and the amount needed for clean effect is minimal – it is quite powdery, but this property also aids in volume. This product is worth every penny and some, as it soaks up a vast amount of oil and makes hair feel instantly fresh, even on day three or four. However, when repeatedly used, hair starts to feel quite dense due to the textured powder it leaves behind – which isn't for everyone, and meant that some testers prefer the newer offering.
Best for Sensitive Scalps
RRP: £11.50 for 50g | Key Ingredients: Oat milk, ceramides
If The White Company made a dry shampoo, then we predict it would be very similar to this offering from Klorane. The minute you spray it onto the hair, you feel its luxurious, cashmere-like effects. Akin to getting into a bed with freshly washed sheets, this cleans the hair with a light cotton scent and leaves our strands feeling soft yet a little texturized. Its gentle, oat milk-based formula was specifically formulated with sensitive skin in mind and, as such, it's been dermatologically tested. The only downside with this particular buy is its corn and rice starch-based formula, which can leave white patches if applied too closely or quickly – something common with dry shampoos.
Best for Volume
RRP: £28 for 200ml | Key Ingredients: Peptides, mandelic acid
This pricey contender offers a lazy route to hair hygiene, leaving our hair fresh, volumized, and ultimately with that clean hair feeling. Let's start with the all-important question; does it leave a white cast? The answer is a resounding no. The formula spritzes onto strands without any chalkiness and gives our tester the "my hair but better" look, which is all we ever hope for from a hair product. Counteracting any oiliness with absolute ease, this dry shampoo gets to work straight away. We didn't have to aggressively brush our hair through to get rid of any residue either. Win.
Best for Brunettes
RRP: £19.50 for 205ml | Key Ingredients: Argan oil, rice starch
Anyone with dark hair who has used dry shampoo will have created a big white patch on their hairline at some point. It's mainly an issue if your hair is very dark, thick, or textured – or all three. You may have sworn off the stuff altogether, so if that's the case, we think this product could change your mind. We love this dry shampoo because it freshens up dirty hair while providing the right amount of texture and volume to strands. Unlike so many sprays we tried, this one kept our locks looking luminous, which is probably down to its argan oil-based formula.
Best for Itchy Scalps
RRP: £30 for 200ml | Key Ingredients: Aloe vera, chamomile, zinc, bisabolol
You know how your hair feels and smells when you leave the salon? The Philip Kingsley brand has managed to capture this in a can. This is a surprising factor as the main objective of this dry shampoo is to care for flaky, dandruff-prone scalps. Because of the brand's trichology background, we half expected it to feel a little clinical and give us no real enjoyment – but we were wrong, because we absolutely loved using this. The lightweight solution is brilliant at soaking up oil, with several skin-caring ingredients to counteract any potentially irritating qualities. The brand does stress that dry shampoo isn't the best product to use if you want to know how to get rid of dandruff, but also understands that most people want to use this kind of product from time to time – which is why they've created a product that allows sensitive scalps the chance to use dry shampoo and not feel guilty.
Best for Cleaning
RRP: £27 for 198ml | Key Ingredients: Powder removal system, conditioning agents
This is the other Living Proof dry shampoo: Advanced Clean. Think of it as a level-up on its predecessor in terms of cleaning abilities – if you aren't that fussed about your dry shampoo adding volume, and that you just want it to make your hair clean, this is the one of the two to go for. It is lighter in pretty much every way, from the scent to the formula, whose residue is quite undetectable once it's worked its magic. There are extra skills on its resume, too; it helps hair retain shine and softness, which we can absolutely attest to, and shields it from pollution (great if you're a city dweller like many of us at woman&home). Compared to the original, some of us did find that we needed to spray more of the product to achieve the same clean feeling, but it doesn't have the gritty, volume-boosting properties of the original – something those with already-voluminous and/or drier hair will appreciate.
Best for Curly Hair
RRP: £20 for 100ml | Key Ingredients: Peppermint, corn starch, Aloe vera
This foam-to-powder texture is seriously unique. Despite being formulated by a curly hair brand, this product is suitable for most hair types. Offering a completely different approach to dry shampoo application, this foaming formula helps keep roots looking oil-free and clean. After pumping the cloud-like foam into our palms and working into our scalp, we did notice a slight residue on our fingers – but that didn't translate to weighed-down hair. After it dried in, the first thing that impressed us about this dry shampoo was its fragrance. The gorgeous scent of mint kept our hair smelling glorious all day long and managed to fool everyone (including ourselves) that our hair was truly fresh and clean.
Best for Damaged Hair
RRP: £28 for 250ml | Key Ingredients: Rice starch
We trust Olaplex more than most of our family members, so when we heard they were adding dry shampoo to their product lineup, we rushed to get our hands on it. As with all Olaplex products, the dry shampoo contains the brand's patented Bond Building Technology, which helps to keep strands strong and healthy. Also featuring rice starch to absorb oil, the formula works to repel odor and pollutants without leaving any white cast. Even as brand fans, we had a slightly cynical reaction to this new launch; do we really need an Olaplex Dry Shampoo? Our answer now is yes. We can't vouch for how much of a difference the bond builder for hair element actually makes to hair health (we'd rely on the deep treatments for that), but it's a brilliant dry shampoo regardless. The truly invisible spray settled into our scalps and gave our hair a new lease of life.
How We Tested the Best Dry Shampoos
As with any of the best hair products, the right dry shampoo for you is one that suits your hair type and needs, so we used several testers to make sure each dry shampoo was tried on the hair texture it was designed for. Our testing team consists of opinionated, experienced beauty experts who really put the products through their paces, to ensure we really narrowed down the very best products. We applied each dry shampoo on hair that was at least one-day post-wash (sometimes more than three days) to assess its oil-absorbing powers, then inspected our strands, roots, and scalp at the end of the day for any chalkiness or residue. The options listed below were the undisputed champions of the dry shampoo world – here are the factors we judged them on.
- Packaging: As well as providing a nice aesthetic element, packaging needed to be functional and not damage easily.
- Formula: Were there any unique ingredients within the formula or innovative cleansing tech? These kinds of things scored extra points with our testers.
- Fragrance: Though scent is highly subjective, the best dry shampoo should smell generally good – it is freshening up hair, after all.
- Price: A bigger price tag doesn't necessarily mean a better product, and there are plenty of affordable options that work just as well.
How often should you use dry shampoo?
This totally depends on how oily your hair gets and how quickly – but the good news is that there's no real limit to how often you use dry shampoo, though you'll need to be mindful of build-up.
"Usage will depend on your hair type and what you have planned that week," says Michael Shaun Corby, hair stylist, and Living Proof global creative director. Though it can vary massively depending on your hair type, texture, and routine, "The key is to give your scalp the chance to breathe between washes, especially if the dry shampoo you're using is predominantly powder-based and doesn't take care of the 'cleaning.'"
Don't be afraid to reapply, too: "Once you've allowed the first application to settle in and do the work, you may notice your hair still feels a bit oily," Corby adds. "Use as much as is needed for your hair type and condition to achieve cleaner, healthier hair for longer."
How to apply dry shampoo like a pro
You might have tried a dry shampoo and decided the white patches weren't for you, but that could be the way you're applying it, according to leading hairstylist Lee Stafford. "Try spraying it a little further away, around 30cm (or about 12 inches), as this prevents you from applying excess product and avoids those blasts of powder," he advises.
"Before spritzing, section the hair into two halves. Direct the product onto the roots, pause for a minute (not seconds), and gently massage the formula in," he continues. "Waiting for longer allows the dry shampoo to saturate into the hair instead of sitting on top and creates a more natural effect."
There's also no limit to how much dry shampoo you use in one session – again, this depends on your hair type and how oily your hair is at the time of spritzing, but you can build up to as much as you feel your hair needs.
Is dry shampoo bad for your scalp?
There's nothing wrong with using dry shampoo. Just make sure you use the best dry shampoo for your hair type, give your scalp and hair a good clean when you do finally make it to the shower, and introduce yourself to a good scalp care regimen once a week with a scalp mask or massage.
However, while most dry shampoos won't directly damage your strands, not washing it off properly can create a build-up of product that sits on the scalp and clogs up your pores. Anabel Kingsley, consultant trichologist, and brand president at Philip Kingsley explains, "If the oils that secrete from the scalp are not properly washed away, it can provide a perfect breeding ground for dandruff to form. Good scalp hygiene is also essential to hair growth."
If you do have a sensitive, dry, or flaky scalp, proceed with caution. "Even though daily shampooing is the best remedy to relieve dandruff, I understand that people with irritated, flaky scalps are under the same time pressures as everyone else," says Kingsley. "However, these individuals need to use it sparingly and seek a formula that caters to a problematic scalp. Otherwise, it can exacerbate the issue."
Our expert panel
Annie Milroy is the Beauty Writer for woman&home and other publications. After eight years working in the fashion & beauty industry, she's left the fashion world behind and now writes about everything from lightweight foundations, her favorite perfumes, to natural-looking fake tans.
Lucy Abbersteen is a freelance beauty editor and one of woman&home's contributing beauty editor. With close to a decade of experience in the industry – and with hair as one of her specialisms – she's also shared her insights on some of the top-rated hair dryers in this guide.
Anabel Kingsley is a consultant trichologist and the brand president for hair and scalp care brand Philip Kingsley.
Michael Shaun Corby is the Global Creative Director for Living Proof.
[1] Kingsley, A. (2021). The Great Curly Hair Handbook: A Revolutionary Guide to the Best Curls of All Time
[2] Milroy, A. (2021). The Best Drugstore Dry Shampoos to Revitalize Your Hair Between Washes
[3] Stafford, L. (2021). The Best Hair Dryer Brushes
[4] Corby, M. S. (2021). Living Proof Brand Guide: Your Go-To Resource for DryShampoo, Style,& More. Vogue.
[5] Amika: 🌟All About our Perk Up Dry Shampoo
[6] Errol Douglas: Your Complete Guide To Finding The Best Hair Products
[7] Hask: Hask Dry Shampoo - Oil Control Dry Shampoo
[8] Adami, R. (2020). Dry Shampoo 101: How to Choose the Right One for Your Hair
While freshening up your hair's appearance between washes, consider tending to your family's health where home is. A fresh home-and-garden can promote well-being, just like a home-made salad with vibrant vegetables can contribute to personal health.
The luscious locks you attain are not the only thing to envy in the fashion world – fashionable homes with chic living rooms are equally desirable. Investing in home decor, such as a stylish coffee table or a trendy rug, can elevate your home's lifestyle to match your hair's fashionable transformation.
Dedicate time to your hair care routine, much like the importance of regular exercise and eating nutrient-rich meals for overall body health. Illuminate your skin by weaving hair care and scalp treatments into your self-care regimen, as a best-selling hair product can promote hair health as much as a renowned skin serum beautifies the face.
Be mindful of ingredients in your hair care, just as you would be with the nutritional values of your fashionable meals. Some popular dry shampoo brands contain key ingredients such as rice starch, which, when combined with a balanced diet, can contribute to healthy hair and a prosperous family life.
