Testing Dry Shampoo
I’ll start by saying that I’ve been pretty blessed with having nice hair. However, when I started working out everyday I quickly realized that I didn’t want to take the time to wash and dry my hair every. single. day. That’s when I really discovered dry shampoo. I had used it prior to that time, but not consistently. I have used A LOT of dry shampoo over the last few years.
I typically only wash my hair twice a week, sometimes three if I’m feeling ambitious. I’ve actually been trying to cut down on my dry shampoo usage as well, but you still need it every now and then, especially with bangs. If I pull my bangs back I can go a couple extra days without using dry shampoo at all. I always pull my bangs back when I’m working out, but even without working out, bangs are touching your face all day, and get oily a lot faster than the rest of your hair. Unless you want to wash your bangs only, dry shampoo comes in really handy for getting ready quickly after a gym session.
I have conveniently received many travel size dry shampoos in my monthly Sephora Play Boxes and monthly Birchboxes. That’s honestly the reason why I have so many “salon brands” on this list. Then I went to Target and raided the shampoo aisle for some “drug store” options. I’ve broken my testing up into salon and drug store brands, because although my favorite is ah-mazing, not everyone wants to spend over $20 on one bottle of dry shampoo.
Each product is linked below in its name!
“Salon” Dry Shampoo
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo $23
This is one of my all time favorite dry shampoos. I have purchased and repurchased more times than I can count. I don’t know what it is about it, but it’s just amazing. It does come out white, but quickly fades into dark hair, so you aren’t left with white splotches. It does a really great job absorbing oils. The scent is light and clean, but not overwhelming. I can use this for a few days in a row, without my hair seeming to be filled with dry shampoo. Although, you can tell that you have put this dry shampoo into your hair. My VOTE: YES! (obviously)
Alterna Cleanse Extend Translucent Dry Shampoo $22
This is another one of my all time favorites, and I’ve repurchased this many times. I buy the Mango scent and it smells amazing. I have this in my gym bag at all times. This one does not come out as a white powder, so it’s great for those of us that don’t have blonde hair. It quickly and easily absorbs into your hair, and doesn’t weigh it down, or make your hair feel gritty (if you use a lot of dry shampoo you know what I mean). IF the Living Proof dray shampoo didn’t exist, this would be my go to. I switch between these two quite a bit, because I love them both. MY VOTE: YES!
This is another of my favorites, but just below Living Proof and Alterna. I think it smells really nice, and it does a decent job of absorbing oils. It does leave a pretty white film on your hair when you first spray it, but it easy dissipates and you don’t notice it anymore. MY VOTE: YES!
Kloraine Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk $20
I think this one is perfectly fine. I have purchased travel size before, but never full size. If I have it lying around I will definitely use it, but it’s not my first choice if I have other options. It’s a really decent dry shampoo though! It comes out pretty white on the hair, but it absorbs well and they have a version for those of us with darker hair. MY VOTE: YES!
R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo $30
This is a run of the mill dry shampoo. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it. If you have it, I think it’s worth using, but I don’t see a reason to spend $30 on it. MY VOTE: Maybe
The smell of this one is light and it doesn’t bother me. It does however comes out of the can VERY white, so use it sparingly. It absorbs pretty decent, but you can definitely feel it in your hair if you run your fingers through it. In my opinion it’s not a use for 3 days in a row type of product, or you’re going to have a ton of it in your hair. My hair still felt pretty soft after using it though, which I prefer. I really do not like the residue it leaves on my hair though, if I run my hands through my hair, I feel like there is a powder film on my hands. MY VOTE: PASS (for the price there are better options)
I like this one a lot more than the Detox Dry Shampoo. You don’t have to ask me why, because I’m going to tell you. The smell is so much lighter and nicer in my opinion, and it doesn’t leave that weird chalky feeling on your hands if you run them through your hair. This is technically more of a volumizer and texturizer than just a dry shampoo. While it does absorb some oil, it’s not going to work the best on day 5. MY VOTE: Maybe
Verb Dry Shampoo (loose powder) $16
I think I really liked the idea of this. It’s a loose powder and not an aerosol can, so if you travel a lot you don’t have to worry about fitting it in your carry-on liquids bag. As an all over dry shampoo it’s decent, but it doesn’t work for bangs. You really need a product you can spray onto the top side and bottom side of your bangs to make them not look so oily. It’s a pretty decent price for a “salon” brand. MY VOTE: MAYBE IF you don’t have bangs- but be careful because you can accidentally dump out wayyy more than you need! I don’t love it but I don’t hate it.
This one has a similar smell to other Ouai products, which I like. They don’t smell overpowering, but they have a fresh clean scent. This project is a literal foam, so you have to rub it through your hair instead of spraying it on. This isn’t really a problem, but it seemed like I had a harder time distributing it evenly throughout my hair. I also wasn’t really sure how much of this to use, and it simply wasn’t as easy to distribute as a spray version. MY VOTE: MAYBE
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo $44
I’m not even sure how they can call this dry shampoo. It did absolutely nothing for my hair. It didn’t even feel like I had put dry shampoo in my hair, and did nothing to help with oils. Considering it’s the most expensive one on this list I would never recommend buying. I received mine in my Birchbox, and after the first time receiving it I was incredibly disappointed when it showed up again. I would never pay $44 for this product, I wouldn’t even pay $5 for it. MY VOTE: HARD NO, save your money
Drugstore Dry Shampoo
Overall I feel like it’s pretty consistent that I have to use more product when I use the drug store versions than when I use the salon versions.
Dove Refresh + Care Detox & Purify Dry Shampoo $4.89
I was actually pleasantly surprised by this dry shampoo. I tried Dove hair care products a long time ago, and I felt like they really weighed my hair down. It’s never been my favorite, although I haven’t tried their hair care products in a long time. The scent is very faint and not overpowering at all. It actually worked pretty well at cleaning my hair too. Both is the Dove products were my favorite is the drug store products that I tried! MY VOTE: YES!
Dove Refresh + Care Volume & Fullness Dry Shampoo $3.99
Like the Detox & Purify Dry Shampoo above, I’ve been surprised by Dove dry shampoo, in a good way. This one has sort of a fruity smell, but it is in no way overpowering, so it’s not going to cause a headache later one in the day like some products. It works pretty well at actually cleaning my hair and I went almost an entire week using just this dry shampoo. I purchased the travel size product of this item because I travel a lot. It’s nice to know that the product is available in travel size options. MY VOTE: YES!
Batiste Instant Hair Refresh Dry Shampoo (Light & Breezy Fresh) $5.99
While this isn’t my favorite dry shampoo, it’s really pretty decent. I know, I know, people who love it…love it, but I’m not in love I’m more “in like” with it. I haven’t tried any additional scents, so I can’t compare if they work any differently than the Light & Breezy Fresh scent. I wouldn’t say that it is life changing or incredible at making your hair look and feel clean, it is decent for the price. MY VOTE: YES
Not your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo $4.69
This doesn’t have a super strong scent and it dissipates quickly, which I like. It doesn’t feel like it leaves a ton of residue in your hair, and it doesn’t leave a major white layer all over your hair. However, this also means that it doesn’t really feel like it does much. My hair doesn’t feel particularly clean after using this, as in it doesn’t feel like it soaks up much oil or dirt. MY VOTE: Sure
OGX refresh & restore + coconut miracle oil Dry Shampoo $6.99
I didn’t notice anything special about this product, but it wasn’t terrible either. It’s not memorable, meaning it’s just ok. If i had to choose I’d say go with one of the Dove products instead. MY VOTE: Pass
Herbal Essences bio:renew Revitalize Cucumber and Green Tea Dry Shampoo $5.29
I didn’t notice anything special about this product, but it wasn’t terrible either. If i had to choose I’d say go with one of the Dove products instead. MY VOTE: Pass
The WINNERS ARE!
