On Fridays, the range will feature beauty products for different needs or in different price points. So let’s talk about dry shampoo, because sometimes, you just need an extra 20-minutes in the morning.
The Strongest on the Market
IGK’s First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo ($27) can tackle even the oiliest scalp. It’s as close to an actual wash as you can get from a can. It lifts the roots, cleans the scalp, and eliminates odors. It’s the perfect third-day dry shampoo.
Best Clear Option
Drybar Detox Clear, Invisible Dry Shampoo ($23) is a good option for anyone who has trouble with their hair looking powdery after using dry shampoo. It goes on impossibly clear, works well, and doesn’t have the strong scent that the original Drybar shampoo does.
Best Drugstore Brand
Psssst was the brand that introduced me to the magic of dry shampoo. The brand has gone through some reformulations and package changes, and their Texture and Body Dry Shampoo ($7) is my favorite. You get good lift and cleansing without too much scalp dryness. If you struggle with scalp dryness, Psssst also makes a formula for that.
Best Dry Conditioner
If you have very dry hair, you may want to add a dry conditioner to your dry shampoo routine. Dry conditioners add luster and shine to dry locks, while refreshing your hair style. This Cake dry conditioner is a great option because it conditions without being sticky.
Best Brush for Dry Shampoo
This Conair Dry Shampoo Brush ($8) really gets to the root and spreads the dry shampoo around. I bought it on a whim, and was surprised how few powdery patches remains after using it. It also keeps the residue from building up on my regular paddle brush.
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Love the IGK Charcoal dry shampoo! It’s the only one that I found to actually work with my hair
I’ve never used dry shampoo… what’s your technique? Do you have to blowdry after application? Thanks!
One of my favorite tips for dry shampoo is to apply it (spray while holding 8-10 inches away from your scalp, usually — but read the directions on a particular bottle for how close to get) at night. Spray it near the hairline at the areas that are most oily, work it through with your fingers and/or a brush, then go to sleep. It helps cut down on powdery sections in the morning.
Does anyone else struggle with dry shampoo that looks great for about an hour or two, but then makes your hair even more greasy-looking than it originally was by early afternoon?
I love the dry shampoo paste by Badlands, but long-term it isn’t a great fix. It is a great texturizer though for clean hair.
Yep, I avoid dry shampoo at all costs. I hate how they make my hair feel after a few hours.
I tried to like dry shampoo, but gave up. It didn’t make my hair look any better, it actually changed the texture of my hair to straw like. It takes more to wash it out of my hair, which is very drying, essentially voiding the whole “no wash let your natural oils shine” thing. One time it took a week of daily wash to get my silky hair texture back.
I also don’t understand why we’re told to wash our faces each night, to get all the gunk and pollution off our skin, but it’s totally okay to not wash our hair for days? Doesn’t pollution and product also build up on hair? Our face skin has natural oil barrier that we wash off each night/morning, so I don’t understand why washing hair daily is frowned upon.
I have very fine, very straight hair that get’s greasy after a day. While I hate the fact that it comes as an aerosol, I LOVE the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle for oily hair. It’s amazing. You can’t feel it after you put it in, it’s not sticky or tacky, but it works incredibly well.
This is dry shampoo-adjacent, but I’ve always has trouble with sunburns in my part and I hate how normal sunscreen adds grease. I finally found and love Supergoop’s Poof Part Sunscreen Powder. For me, it saves my scalp from burning and also adds a little dry-shampoo effect of keeping my hair less greasy in the heat.
This is amazing. I had no idea this existed.
I’ve never seen a dry shampoo brush but that is an amazing idea! It is going on my shopping list!
O I work out intensively 4-5 days a week at a major HIIT chain. Suffice it to say, my (fine, thin, lots of it and straight) hair is soaking wet after these workouts. I have kids. I have a full time job. In DC, with Members and CEOs. Am I really just to rely on dry shampoo? I have not figured this one out — is there a secret handshake I am not yet aware of? Otherwise, am I committing a crime by washing my hair every day, sometimes 2x (though only with conditioner)? IS dry shampoo really that magic weapon?
If your hair is soaking wet, you’re probably stuck washing. I’ve never subscribed to the washing hair will kill it theory. You just have to condition well.
I agree that if you’re doing an intense workout, you’ve probably gotta wash (and I say this as someone with super thick, super long hair.) it’s a pain but in my experience even when really sweaty hair dries it smells. What helps me is letting my hair dry naturally (even sleeping on it overnight wet) and then I use a big barrel curling iron to look like I’ve blown it out/tamed it.
I pretty much wash my hair daily. Like I’ll maybe skip one day in an entire month. Between working out and being blonde it starts to not look great pretty quick. Maybe no one else can tell….but I can.
I have short hair so a morning wash is required to keep me from looking like a rooster. If I work out during the day, it’s a double wash day. If I work out in the evening I rinse with apple cider vinegar when I shower rather than washing since I’m just going to wash it in the morning anyways. I’ve never had an issue – my hair is super healthy and shiny. When it was ling I tried to wash every other day and use dry shampoo on the off days, but I hated how it felt.
Are any of these powders? I’ve been using Bumble and Bumble Pretty a Powder and it’s the best I’ve tried, so far.
Advocating for Kristin Ess Dry Shampoo, which you can find at Target. All of the products I have tried from that brand are awesome, but the Dry Shampoo is great. I love the IGK Charcoal and Living Proof’s, but the price tag is steep if you use dry shampoo as often as I do (it is nearly as consistent in my morning routine as my cup of coffee…) The scent is subtle but nice, as well.