11 Best Dry Shampoos for All Types of Hair (2025)
Honorable mentions
Photography: Kat Merck
R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo for $37: I loved the landscape label on this generously sized aerosol spray, but not the overpowering scent or lack of effectiveness.
Divi Dry Shampoo for $28: This brand is best known for its viral scalp serum, but it also makes many other hair products, including a starch-based dry shampoo. I liked that Divi’s formula was free of benzene and propellants like butane, but it left a heavy white residue that turned into a flaky mess during mixing.
Davines This is an invisible dry shampoo for $40: Several people I know swear by this vanilla and grapefruit scented dry shampoo. I loved the scent, but didn’t find it very effective in my testing, especially for the price.
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo for $52: I’m a big fan of the heat protectant spray from Oribe’s Gold Lust line, but this powder-based spray was so thick it looked like I just finished plastering a house.
IGK Premium Charcoal Detox for $34: One of my testers raved about this formula, but me and another tester thought this spray containing charcoal and white tea left too much of a white cast for dark hair that’s hard to blend. The tinted version made our list, however.
IGK Direct Flight Style Preserved Matcha for $34: I really like the artistic packaging of this aerosol line, but the oil absorbency didn’t last a full day and none of my testers (including myself) cared for the scent.
R+Co Bleu Retroactive Dry Shampoo for $52: This spray in a sleek aluminum bottle stayed clear and added shine, but my hair felt greasy again toward the end of the day.
FoxyBae Brunette Breeze Dry Shampoo for $12: As someone with dark hair, I’m always on the lookout for great tinted dry shampoos. I liked the lightness of this generously sized rice starch spray, but despite the “brown” claim, it seemed almost transparent and didn’t absorb oils particularly well.
Hairitage Lazy Day Dry Shampoo for $9: This is a fine starch-based drugstore dry shampoo that stays white and lasts 24 hours.
R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist for $32: This is a unique liquid spray idea with suspended starches, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on my second day hair, let alone third day hair. However, a few other testers loved it, so your mileage may vary.
Chi Vibes Wake + Fake for $20: This powder-based aerosol spray was alarmingly thick and chalky, and any attempt to mix it left my hair full of flakes.
R+Co Vapor Lotion to Dry Shampoo Powder for $42: I was excited about this unique cream lotion, but had trouble blending it into my dark hair. When I finally did it, it left a weird residue that made my hair look dirtier.
Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo for $29: I loved the fun bottle of this talc-free spray formula, but I had trouble blending it into my dark hair. Tiny flakes were visible when I finally did it.
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Original Dry Shampoo for $9: This basic drugstore spray remained way too thick, even for third day hair.
Sutra Heat Guard Dry Shampoo for $28: I loved that this dry shampoo doubled as a heat protectant, but it was too thick and difficult to blend.
Batiste dry shampoo for $8: I actually like Batiste for their range of formulas and fragrances, but Suave does a comparable job for less.
Dove Care Between Washes Dry Shampoo for $8: Another drugstore mainstay, this aerosol spray has proven difficult to mix.
IGK Jet Lag Lightweight Dry Shampoo for $34: The scent was somewhat overpowering and just didn’t work for me or my testers.
Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo for $30: I’m a big fan of Drybar, but this lightweight spray didn’t absorb oil at all for me.
R+Co Skyline Dry Shampoo for $34: It was a close runner-up for best powder, but the pump applicator made too much mess and it wasn’t as absorbent as the other formulas.
Dry Shampoo Alternatives
Photography: Kat Merck
Voloom Volumizing Iron for $150: Although it looks intimidating, this heat tool, which looks like a cross between a waffle iron and a flat iron, is one of the best chemical-free ways to restore volume to second- or third-day hair, especially shorter hairstyles. Lift the top layer of your hair and use it for a second on the hair underneath; it crimps a sort of teased stubble that adds instant volume.
Oribe Oil Control Serene Scalp Shampoo for $52: Perhaps the easiest way to avoid the need for dry shampoo is to start by reducing oil production. This shampoo is specially designed with sea algae and a prebiotic to extend the time between washes. Even though I felt like it only gave me an extra day, it’s still a viable option for those looking to avoid dry shampoo altogether. Oribe also makes Serene Scalp Dry Shampoo ($46), but its mediocre effectiveness didn’t justify the price.
Amika Rising Star Volumizing Finishing Spray for $30: If you wear your hair down and your style flattens out after a day or two, but you don’t like the residue left behind by dry shampoo, this lightweight spray may be worth a try. It won’t last all day, but I was impressed with the increase in volume it gave my two hairs a day, and the effect lasted for a few hours.
I have been using dry shampoo for over 20 years. For this guide, I tested more than 25 popular and widely available formulas on my thick, long, heat-straightened dark hair repeatedly over the course of nearly four months. I’ve used them like any dry shampoo during my daily life: post-workout, during busy work weeks, while traveling. I also sought advice from friends and family with different hair types and textures when I needed a second or third opinion. I focused on efficiency (did my hair still look clean at the end of the day?); ease of application; the presence of heaviness, stickiness or residue; value; how quickly and well a dry shampoo mixed; and whether the scent was light or overpowering.
Tips for using dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is a great tool for extending your hard-earned style and will help minimize damage to your hair by reducing how often you need to heat your style. However, dry shampoo can only go so far.
“Dry shampoo frees and cleanses hair of natural oils, but it won’t remove tons of product,” notes celebrity hairstylist Garren, co-founder of hair product company R+Co. “It is best used on second or third day hair.” In other words, don’t skip showering for a week and expect dry shampoo to work wonders. Dry shampoo should also not be used for more than two days in a row, as using it too frequently can cause buildup and scalp irritation.
Applying dry shampoo in the evening is another tactic recommended by many experts, as it can absorb oils while you sleep. This is a particularly good option for dry shampoos that tend to stay thick. Garrren also suggests running a hair dryer on cool after applying dry shampoo: “If your hair is too colored or brittle and you have a lot of hairspray or product in it, if you apply dry shampoo and don’t blow it out with cold air, it can stay on the surface of the hair,” he said. “This can make the hair stiff. It will not damage the hair, but will make it dry or stiff.”
What’s actually in this thing?
There are countless dry shampoos claiming to revolutionize the dry shampoo experience, but most work in much the same way: absorbent starches, a carrier, fragrance, and, in the case of aerosol dry shampoos, a propellant. In the past, many dry shampoos contained talc as an absorbent agent, which was often contaminated with asbestos. Some dry shampoos may still list it as an ingredient, but none of the ones we recommend do.
Some companies add other natural, absorbent minerals in addition to starch, such as kaolin clay, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, charcoal powder, or even volcanic ash. I’ve also tried more unusual formulas such as a paste, liquid spray, and lotion, although I didn’t find the latter two particularly effective for my hair. For each dry shampoo we recommend, I’ve tried to debunk the marketing claims by listing the key functional ingredients that help it absorb oil.
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