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Skipping Wash Day? Your Scalp Needs These Dry Shampoos
We recommend holding the canister far away from your head while misting it through your strands, then letting it sit for about five minutes so the formula has a chance to soak up all of the gunk. After that, brush through your hair, and the dry shampoo will sweep away particles filled with sebum and sweat and leave behind clean, shiny strands. It might sound too good to be true, but experts say it’s not: “This is the most innovative formula I’ve seen because after it soaks up the grease and sweat, all of those now-bloated ingredients get brushed out—while a few weightless ones are left behind to smooth hair and eliminate odor,” cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer previously told Allure.
“I’ve tried dozens of dry shampoos, and Living Proof Perfect Hair Day is the one I always come back to. It actually makes my hair feel clean instead of just masking oil. My roots feel refreshed, my ends stay soft, and I can stretch a blowout for days. It’s the closest thing to hitting reset without hopping in the shower.”
- Key ingredients: hydrated silica, OFPMA, starch
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants award-winning sweat and odor control
- Shade options: 1
Best Loose Powder: Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: Crown Affair’s The Dry Shampoo is packaged in a refillable jar and comes with a kabuki brush, so it looks more like a setting powder that belongs in your makeup bag. The brush allows you to apply the Best of Beauty-winning powder to specific sections of hair, like your bangs or the part in your hair, which might show oiliness before the rest of your strands. Rice and tapioca starches are responsible for delivering that fresh, clean feel.
The only drawback to a loose powder in a jar like this? Dispensing the product can get a little messy. We recommend only twisting the sifter partway open—that way less powder can come through the holes.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“Dry shampoos are ‘nice-to-have’ products in my minimal hair-care routine. Often, they don’t do a damn thing, and I’d much rather just wash my hair—but life happens and on mornings after nights that ‘I swore I’d wash my hair,’ I’ll reach for this generously sized Crown Affair jar to freshen up my oily roots. I love the little brush that can be conveniently stored inside the jar—it’s so much easier to apply the product with that over using a spray that I mis-aim half the time. It also smells subtly fruity, a bonus, and doesn’t leave any white residue once I’ve fully blended it in.”
- Key ingredients: rice starch, tapioca starch, persimmon-derived tannic acid (a deodorizer), tsubaki seed oil
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants environmentally-friendly packaging and the option to apply it only to small sections of hair
- Shade options: 1
Best for Protective Styles: Taliah Waajid Protective Styles Dry Gel Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: Made specifically for protective styles like locs and braids, Taliah Waajid’s dry gel shampoo uses avocado, peppermint, and witch hazel to refresh the scalp while reducing irritation and stress on the hair follicles. Plus, it contains SciNatranol—a peptide fortifying complex made up of bamboo, basil, and biotin—which restores nutrients to your hair follicles and keeps moisture locked into your hair and scalp. Apply it to one section at a time and use a small, damp cloth to cleanse.
“I don’t always have time to wash my hair and sit under the dryer for hours, but buildup and scalp irritation can be a real nuisance. The Taliah Waajid Dry Gel Shampoo is a game changer—it cleanses without drenching my locs. I apply it in small sections, row by row, and use a damp cloth to gently scrub. It clears away product buildup, especially around the edges, and leaves my scalp feeling clean and soothed.”
- Key ingredients: avocado oil, peppermint oil, witch hazel extract, bamboo extract, basil extract, biotin
- Who it’s for: anyone in need of itch and sensitivity relief between wash days for their protective styles
- Shade options: N/A
Best Scent: Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: The cheery packaging on the Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo isn’t the only selling point. According to New York City- and Ohio-based hairstylist Mia Santiago, this dry shampoo is great to spritz on your roots before going to bed. “I personally use this one on myself,” she says. “It smells amazing, and the rice starch works its magic by absorbing all oils and creating volume overnight.”
This dry shampoo is powered by oil-absorbing and volumizing rice starch that’ll leave your roots looking refreshed. Plus, it’s spiked with sea buckthorn extract, which is known for its antioxidant-rich and moisturizing properties. If you have a sensitive scalp, you’ll be glad to know it’s free of talc, which can sometimes be irritating.
Tester feedback from senior director of audience engagement Lexi Herrick
“From the moment I tried Amika’s Perk Up Dry Shampoo, I knew it would enter my dry shampoo hall of fame. This dry shampoo is one of my most-used hair products. It’s incredibly dynamic, and not only absorbs oil but instantly adds texture and volume. It lifts from the root and gives my hair a total refresh. The scent is also lovely and light, a stark contrast from the very chemical, headache-inducing fragrance of most aerosol dry shampoos. Two thumbs up for Perk Up!”
- Key ingredients: rice starch, sea buckthorn extract
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants a talc-free, grease-reducing dry shampoo
- Shade options: 1
Best Budget: Batiste Light Dry Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: The can may look like a throwback, but there’s nothing outdated about using the Batiste Light Dry Shampoo. The classic spray, which packs rice starch to absorb oil, is sheerer than other options to leave as little white residue behind as possible. Bonus: It comes in two scents—Mellow Melon and Zen Matcha—which are subtler than Batiste’s typical fragrances.
Batiste’s dry shampoos come in so many different variations, but for an intensive cleanse, we like to spritz the Dry Shampoo Overnight Deep Cleanse on our roots before hitting the pillow.
“I have professed my love for Batiste dry shampoo countless times, but even I understand that, for some, the highly effective aerosol-propelled powder can be a bit intense. If the OG dry shampoo leaves your hair feeling a little too gritty, you’ll likely love the new ‘light’ version. I find it to soak up oil just as well, but it doesn’t leave as much of a trace at the roots, and the scent is a bit lighter.” — content director Kara McGrath
- Key ingredients: rice starch
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants a truly reliable, classic dry shampoo
- Scent options: 2 (Mellow Melon and Zen Matcha)
More dry shampoos we love
Best for Volume: Olaplex No.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: You know a product is good when multiple Allure editors love it enough to give it a Best of Beauty Award. The Olaplex No. 4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo is one of our editors’ favorite dry shampoos because its transparent mist effortlessly blends into any hair color without leaving behind any residue. That’s all thanks to its innovative formula, which features a micro-fine starch that soaks up oil while rambutan seed extract supplies a touch of moisture that leaves strands feeling silky-smooth rather than crunchy.
Like all Olaplex products, the No.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo is also spiked with bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, the brand’s signature bond-repairing additive that strengthens hair and minimizes breakage.
Tester feedback from Trakoshis
“This formula leaves zero white residues on my hair, feels extremely lightweight with no chalkiness, and, most importantly, allows me to mask my oily scalp and keep my hair looking refreshed until my next wash day. Unlike other dry shampoos on the market, this one has no grittiness, so it’s easy to run a brush through my hair and style it immediately after use. Did I mention how good it smells, too? Similar to the rest of the Olaplex line, this dry shampoo has a subtle, fresh scent reminiscent of a lemon tree.” — Trakoshis
- Key ingredients: micro-fine starch, rambutan seed extract
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants a transparent, barely-there finish from their dry shampoo
- Shade options: 1
Best for Brunettes: Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Dark Tones
Moroccanoil
Dry Shampoo Dark Tones
Why it’s worth it: Anyone with a hair color that’s darker than blonde knows that, in terms of leaving a telltale white cast, some dry shampoos just don’t cut it. Enter: Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Dark Tones, a powder dry shampoo that’s tinted especially for brunettes. Each spritz instantly minimizes the look of greasy hair while its oil-absorbing formula leaves hair feeling just washed clean. Not a brunette? It also comes in a shade for light hair colors, which works for blondes and redheads.
- Key ingredients: argan oil, rice starch
- Who it’s for: any brunette who wants grease-free hair
- Shade options: 2
Best for Curly Hair: Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo
Not Your Mother’s
Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo is not only an A+ drugstore pick, but it’s also expert-approved. “This dry shampoo works with all hair types (especially curly hair) and textures,” Santiago says. She also likes that it’s an aerosol spray that doesn’t leave a white cast, which is a huge win in both her book and ours.
- Key ingredients: rice starch, barley starch
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants an effective dry shampoo at a budget-friendly price
- Shade options: 1
Best for Dry Hair: R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist
R+Co
Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist
Why it’s worth it: Santiago says that the R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist isn’t your average dry shampoo. “There’s definitely a unique spin on this one as it’s not powder or starch-based, but it’s a mist,” she says. Plus, it’s made of moisturizing glycerin, strengthening silica, and conditioning castor oil, so your hair is shiny and clean for days. Santiago recommends spritzing the hydrating formula onto your roots and giving it a quick blow-dry to create volume.
- Key ingredients: castor oil, glycerin, micellar water, silica
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants a starch-free (and, therefore, crunch-free) dry shampoo finish, especially fine hair types
- Shade options: 1
Best for Oily Scalps: Oribe Serene Scalp Oil Control Dry Shampoo
Oribe
Serene Scalp Oil Control Dry Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: This Best of Beauty winner will sop up any dirt and oil wreaking havoc on your scalp and make your strands look better in the process. Oribe’s Serene Scalp Oil Control Dry Shampoo uses a blend of starches (corn, tapioca, and rice) along with kaolin clay to get that job done, plus rosebay extracts to regulate your scalp’s sebum production. Just shake the cylinder over your hair, and the loose powder will sprinkle out through a small hole in the top.
- Key ingredients: corn starch, tapioca starch, rice starch, kaolin clay, rosebay extracts
- Who it’s for: anyone who noticed oil and grime buildup on their scalp
- Shade options: 1
Best for Touch-Ups: I Dew Care Tap Secret Dry Shampoo Powder
I Dew Care
Tap Secret Dry Shampoo Powder
Why it’s worth it: You can bring the I Dew Care Tap Secret Mattifying Dry Shampoo Powder in your purse, travel cosmetic bag, or work tote to touch up greasy or flat hair on the go. The Best of Beauty winner comes in a tiny jar with a sponge attached to it that the powder flows through—all you need to do is tap the puff against your hair and it’ll dispense a cloud of oil-absorbing powder. Along with a translucent option, it comes in tinted shades designed for blonde, brown, medium brown, dark brown, and black hair colors.
- Key ingredients: black ginseng, biotin, betaine
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants an emergency dry shampoo to keep in every bag
- Shade options: 6
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dry shampoos good for your hair?
As with any product you put on your body, whether a dry shampoo is actually good for your hair depends on two factors: your specific hair type and concerns, and its ingredient list. New York City-based hairstylist Devin Toth says that most dry shampoos don’t actually clean your hair, but rather mask buildup; Living Proof’s dry shampoo is the exception to this, though, which is why it’s our top pick). “However, if used correctly, they can prolong the freshness of your hairstyle by reversing or minimizing the side effects of grease,” he says. Toth also adds that a dry shampoo creates a matte, airy texture at the roots of your hair, which really supports a bouncy hairstyle full of life and movement.
While every dry shampoo will take care of dirty, oily hair and let you go a day (or two) longer without washing your hair, some are formulated with styling ingredients that add volume, thickness, and texture. Some are also spiked with nourishing ingredients like conditioning glycerin and shine-enhancing antioxidants to target brittle texture, lackluster finishes, and itchiness.
How do you apply dry shampoo?
If you want a step-by-step guide on how to apply your dry shampoo, we have a full expert-approved tutorial on how to use dry shampoo correctly for you to check out. But, here’s the gist of everything you need to know from it:
Step 1: Prep your hair and the dry shampoo
Before you even touch your hair, Los Angeles-based hair stylist Chris Appleton previously told Allure that prepping the product itself is key to a residue-free look. “This will make sure the product’s formula is evenly distributed inside the bottle, making for even distribution on your scalp,” he said.
After your product is ready to go, grab a comb and part your hair into sections, starting with the oiliest ones first.
Step 2: Ready, set, spritz
News flash: you’re probably holding your dry shampoo bottle too close to your roots. Each product does have its own directions for use, but a rule of thumb is to spray the dry shampoo a full 12 inches away from your head, aiming for the roots as you spritz. “Keeping the proper distance between your hair and the aerosol bottle is so important,” Appleton said. Remember to only apply the dry shampoo onto oily areas to prevent product build-up and unnecessary waste.
Do you tend to brush your hair immediately after applying dry shampoo? Well, stop doing that. “It’s really crucial to let the dry shampoo sit for a few minutes so it can work its magic properly,” Appleton said. “After you’ve let it sit, you can massage it into your scalp with your hands to really activate the ingredients that soak up the oil.”
If you used too much product, no need to panic. Just simply run a brush or a comb through your hair from root to tip to disperse any build-up, et voilà.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
We always enlist a range of testers for any review, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind. When reviewing hair care products, we also take into account testers’ experience levels. For instance, an innovative new blow-dryer may feature industry-leading technology, but if the only people who find it intuitive to use are professional hairstylists, we have to consider this when determining whether it is worthy of a recommendation.
For our review of the best dry shampoos, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and experts for the piece — who all have different hair concerns and types, desired outcome (i.e., want a voluminous finish), and whether one product was tested across multiple hair types. Testers considered performance across three primary categories: efficacy, ease of use, value. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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