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I don't wash my hair very often — just once, maybe twice per week. And, no, I'm not walking around with slick, smelly strands. Dry shampoo is my savior, affording me more time between wash days in effort to save my long, thick strands from the damage that comes with excess heat styling. Limiting washes also happens to save me precious time, so it's a win-win.
While dry shampoo isn't actually shampoo, it is a convenient way to freshen up your hair without a full wash. That's because it's an absorbent hair product—typically a spray or powder—made up of starch or alcohol components that soak up excess oil, grease, dirt, and sweat produced from the hair follicles called sebum, celebrity hairstylist Kieron Fowles tells WH. It can also help take care of any smells associated with all of this gunk, plus add volume in limp second-day hair.
Best Dry Shampoos
What To Consider
Type
These days, dry shampoo comes in various forms, the most common being sprays and powders. "I personally prefer a spray because it comes out like a powder, but is easier to manage," says Kate Johnson, a professional hair and makeup artist and co-founder of Glossed Finishing Studio in Chicago. "With the straight powder application, you have to be more intentional about how you put it on and ensure it’s evenly distributed, otherwise it can be very clumpy and harder to get out without looking like you have residue in your hair," she says.
Ingredients
Rice starch and charcoal are common ingredients in dry shampoo because they absorb oil from the hair shaft much like a bowl of rice does for a wet phone, says Johnson. Other common ingredients to look for include tapioca starch, kaolin clay, and even arrowroot powder.
On the flip side, it's wise to steer clear of ingredients like talc and benzene, both of which are known carcinogens. Butane, isobutane, propane, and alcohol denat should also be avoided, says Johnson, noting these can all cause major skin irritation.
How we chose
I've been using dry shampoo for years, but when my favorite was discontinued a few years ago, it sent me on a journey to find a new go-to. I’ve tried a number of brands, but Amika's Perk Up is my favorite for ease of application, efficacy, and scent. It does look pretty white on my dark hair at first, but I like to apply it before I go to bed. When I wake up, it's 100% absorbed!
Of course, different hair types warrant different products, so I tapped Women’s Health beauty staffers Danielle Jackson and Sabrina Talbert for their favorite dry shampoos, plus consulted two hairstylists and poured over my decade's worth of testing notes to narrow down the best options to suit a range of needs and preferences.
Ahead, shop our five best dry shampoos to use between washes.
Pros
Great scent- Sprays very evenly with great coverage
Cons
- Takes a while to fully absorb
Our beauty editors agree: this dry shampoo applies like a dream, revives limp oil-laden strands, and smells incredible. Even though it's not an aerosol spray, editors found that the product dispenses powerfully, and provides full coverage in seconds. I found that it applies as a white coat, but after a few minutes, it seamlessly blends into my dark brown strands.
The formula is powered by rice starch, which sucks up excess oil and adds volume without drying strands. It also contains hydrating sea buckthorn berry, an antioxidant with vitamin C, vitamin A, and fatty acid omega-7, to keep hair looking vibrant and shiny. Even with all of these nourishing ingredients, it doesn't feel like I'm wearing a bunch of hair product. "This dry shampoo has it all," says Johnson. "It’s talc free and can be used on various hair types without leaving a huge residue."
Read more: Best Natural Hair Dyes
| Type | Spray |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Rice starch, sea buckthorn |
Pros
- Long-lasting
- Fragrance-free
Cons
- Goes on a bit wet
You can snag salon-quality dry shampoo at a drugstore price, thanks to Nexxus. While suitable for all hair types, we think this pick is especially great for those with sensitive skin, since it's entirely fragrance-free. It still gets the job done, though, thanks to tapioca starch, which lifts oil without any powdery residue.
It does go on a little bit wetter than some other dry shampoos we tried, but dries down quickly and is easy to brush through strands to remove any notice of product. It's nice and long-lasting, too—I found this dry shampoo works its magic for up to two days.
| Type | Spray |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Tapioca starch |
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Best for Dark Hair
Beautybio Healthy Scalp Dry Shampoo
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Pros
- Clear and lightweight formula
- Can help hair appear thicker
Cons
- Takes a while to soak in
Because this dry shampoo is entirely clear and also lightweight, it's one of the best options for those with dark hair. That's because it has a seemingly invisible formula, and does the best job of blending into my chocolate strands compared to other dry shampoos I've tested. I was also super impressed with how well it made my greasy strands look like freshly-washed strands.
Beauty writer Chelsea Burns has oily-prone hair, and says that this formula does a bang-up job of removing buildup and making her hair appear shiny and vibrant. It even has a special FolliGRO Complex, a proprietary formula of hair-thickening vitamins that promote longer hair.
Though the spray is rather wet and takes a while to dry down (more than 10 minutes, according to Burns), this dry shampoo is still much faster than having to wash and blow dry. And if you need to speed things up, give your hair a quick shot with your blowdryer.
| Type | Spray |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Proprietary flash wash technology, loquat leaf, rosebay extract, larch tree |
Best for Fine Hair
Klorane Dry Shampoo Powder With Oat Milk
Pros
- Lightweight and residue-free
- Contains hydrating ingredients
Cons
- May not be strong enough for thick hair
This minimalist formula only has a handful of ingredients, and is super lightweight. In fact, Johnson says it's ideal for fine hair because it doesn't weigh down hair, and doesn't leave a sticky residue, unlike other dry shampoos we've tried. The tradeoff? "It may not be strong enough for thick hair," she says. The non-aerosol formula does, however, include oat milk, which Johnson says keeps the scalp and hair hydrated.
Fitness trainer Nikki Metzger says she relies on this dry shampoo after workouts when she doesn't have time—or doesn't want to—wash her hair. "I spritz this product all over when I'm like, 'I should have washed my hair, but now I don't have time,'" she says. "It leaves my hair feeling soft, clean, and bouncy."
| Type | Spray |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Rice starch, aluminum starch, organic harvested oat milk |
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Pros
- Great scent
- Contains hyaluronic acid for moisture
Cons
- Have to really massage it in, especially if you have dark hair
Your hair and scalp's needs change as they age. Enter, Brooke Shields—queen of good hair—with her new line of plant-based haircare products for women over forty. The non-aerosol dry shampoo in the line has quickly become an editor-favorite for its texture and volumizing properties. As we age, our head and strands need more moisture, but a lot of the products we've tested can leave mature hair feeling heavy. Not so with this dry shampoo. That's because it has a rice-based powder and hyaluronic acid, a foolproof combo to keep locks hydrated without buildup.
Women’s Health Executive Editor Abigail Cuffey tried this dry shampoo for a few weeks. Although she really had to massage it in, she was happy with the results. Cuffey says it left her hair bouncier and fuller-looking. She also raved about the scent: “The scent is really lovely and not overpowering at all,” says Cuffey, noting it made her hair smell exceptionally clean.
| Type | Spray |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Alfalfa extract, quinoa peptides, lactobacillus ferment, acai stem cells, rice powder, hyaluronic acid, mineral gemstones |
How To Apply Dry Shampoo
Though dry shampoo can provide a much-needed refresh, it can also cause build-up if you use too much. It can also cause hair to be more dry and brittle and even become more vulnerable to breakage, says Fowles, who recommends using dry shampoo only one or two days per week.
For the most natural-looking finish, follow these steps:
- Hold the bottle about six to ten inches away from your hair and apply the product in big sections in a sweeping motion to target oily areas at the root.
- Wait about 30 seconds, then massage the product in as if you were actually shampooing.
- If there's any remaining residue, follow up with a brush to more evenly distribute the shampoo throughout your hair.
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Meet Our Experts
- Kate Johnson, is a professional hair and makeup artist and co-founder of Glossed Finishing Studio in Chicago.
- Kieron Fowles is a celebrity hairstylist in the UK.
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Brigitt Earley
Contributing Writer
Brigitt is a writer, editor and craft stylist with nearly 15 years of experience. She specializes in lifestyle topics, including home, health, parenting, beauty, style, food, entertaining, travel and weddings. She has written for Glamour, People, Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, and more.
Expert consulted:Brian Underwood
Beauty Director
Brian Underwood is beauty director at Women’s Health, where he oversees content strategy for the brand across all platforms, including digital, print, and social. Underwood previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine. During his tenure leading beauty content for the Oprah brand at Hearst, stories Underwood commissioned were awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation Media Award and a Fragrance Award for Editorial Excellence (his second). He was the launch Beauty Director of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, and has held additional editorial positions at Fitness, Organic Style, Good Housekeeping, Life & Style Weekly, and Woman’s Day and has written for Self, Shape, Seventeen, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and many more. Underwood previously served on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and as partnerships director of the Trans Beauty Clinic, a New York-based charitable organization that provided beauty services and workshops to the city’s trans community.
