Best Dry Shampoos
When you want to freshen your hair between wash days, here are the dry shampoo products that gave our evaluators' hair the most life after a few sprinkles
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This is what my days as a person with greasy hair look like. Day 1 after hair wash: Hair decent, maybe even amazing. Day 2: Acceptable. Day 3: My bangs are in clumps, my scalp is oily, and my hair feels less like hair and more like a carrier of grease.
But First, What Are Dry Shampoos, Exactly?
Dry shampoos are products designed to absorb the extra oil on your scalp by using ingredients like starch, says Angela Kim, DO, MpH, a board-certified dermatologist and a member of the Skin of Color Society. They can help soak up excess oil and give your hair volume.
They work differently than regular shampoo and shouldn’t be a substitute for washing your hair. While shampooing in the shower encases the dirt, oil buildup, and odor on your scalp, which then gets washed away, dry shampoo can absorb the oil, but it stays on your scalp, Kim says.
It’s therefore worth noting that you shouldn’t use dry shampoo too frequently; otherwise, you risk making your scalp itchy and a breeding environment for yeast, bacteria, or fungus to grow. As a product, it should be used for a maximum of two days in a row, Kim says.
Meet Our Evaluators
With those care instructions in mind, I assembled a panel of evaluators of different hair types, including me, to try out six dry shampoos. Here are our evaluators:
• Ginger Cowles, CR’s managing editor of new audiences, is a Black woman with long, fine, dark brown hair that falls to her mid-back. She typically washes, blow-dries, and flat-irons her hair once a week and uses dry shampoo primarily on her bangs in between washes. Sometimes, she shampoos just her bangs and the face-framing layers in between the bigger weekly washes.
• Pang-Chieh Ho (that’s me!) is an East Asian woman with short, straight, thick, black hair. My hair, as previously established, is on the greasier side, and I wash it once every three days. Usually, my bangs are where my hair feels the most oily a few days after a shower.
• Elizabeth Lucy, CR’s senior major gifts officer, is an Ashkenazi Jewish woman with wavy auburn hair with blond highlights growing out. She typically washes her hair two to three times a week with shampoo and air dries it after applying curl cream and combing with a wide-tooth comb. She works out once to twice a day and uses dry shampoo to give a feeling of freshness between workouts and washes.
• Theresa McDermott, a CR business analyst, is a white woman with fine, straight, dark blond hair that has highlights. She typically washes her hair every other day. Because her hair is already on the dry side, McDermott says she uses dry shampoo to delay washing it and drying it out further.
• Subha Ramkumar is a former CR innovation lab project manager who has long, thick, wavy black hair that is slightly dry. She washes her hair twice a week and usually uses a dry shampoo after she goes to the gym to get rid of any greasiness.
For our evaluation, we didn’t include aerosol dry shampoos because they might emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contain benzene, a known human carcinogen, according to Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at CR.
In a study published by the independent laboratory Valisure, high levels of benzene were detected in the aerosol dry shampoos sampled. In light of the results of the study, Valisure also submitted a citizen petition in 2022 to the Food and Drug Administration to revise industry regulations and recall dry shampoo products with levels of benzene that surpass 2ppm.
It should be noted though that dry shampoos in general often contain fragrances, preservatives, and surfactants that can cause allergic reactions, including contact dermatitis. The inhalation of dry shampoo powder can also lead to lung irritation for people who are susceptible, Hansen says.
In our evaluation, we tried non-aerosol dry shampoos from Acure, Briogeo, Bumble and Bumble, Handmade Heroes, Klorane, and Oribe. My evaluators and I used them on our hair over a month and assessed them on how well they absorbed the grease in our hair, how easy they were to use, how seamlessly the dry shampoo powder blended into our hair, and whether they caused any after effects such as itchiness. Countless dry shampoo sessions later, these are the ones we recommend.
The Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Biotin Dry Shampoo is a nearly perfect product. It absorbs grease well and blends easily with different hair colors. It’s also pretty comfortable on your scalp. Any dryness the evaluators felt was slight and didn’t cause any noticeable discomfort. The scent of the product is light and not too overpowering, according to most evaluators.
Its strong absorption power and minimal aftereffects edged the other products out. “It effectively absorbs oil, adds a moderate amount of [hair] volume, and the effects last for about two days,” Ramkumar says. “Overall, it seems like a reliable option without causing significant discomfort.”
It’s comfortable and effective, Lucy says. Outside of the evaluation, she would use the product again.
If there’s one ding against it, it’s the bottle design. Not everyone was a fan. “The squeezing mechanism is not ideal,” Cowles says. To use the product, you need to shake the bottle, twist it open, and then squeeze it, a process that can inadvertently lead to dry shampoo powder escaping if you forget to close the bottle completely in between shakes.
My issue with the bottle was that the amount of powder it dispensed each time was small compared with some of the others, so I had to keep on shaking the bottle and squeezing it to get enough powder for my hair.
That said, some might prefer it this way. For Lucy, the fine dispersals of powder worked better with her hair, which is curly and can’t be brushed out without ruining her hairstyle. Products that disperse too much powder can get caked to her hair and require her to use a hairbrush for it to blend.
Briogeo is a Black female-owned business, and the Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Biotin Dry Shampoo is vegan, according to the manufacturer.
The Acure Dry Shampoo was great at absorbing oil for several evaluators. “I really liked this one. It absorbed oil in my bangs quickly and brought life back to them without me having to do a full wash,” Cowles says.
“This was great at absorbing the oily bits of my hair. A little went a long way,” says Theresa McDermott, whose hair is straight, fine, and dry. “I did find by afternoon I needed to touch it up, and would have [to do so] the next morning too if I had skipped another shampoo day.”
Not everyone found it to be as effective, though. For me and Ramkumar, the dry shampoo didn’t feel as absorbent as some of the other products, and its effects lasted only for a short time.
One of the best things about it is that it doesn’t cause itchiness. “I often feel itchy from dry shampoo if I don’t wash it out at the end of the first day, but I didn’t experience any itchiness with this product,” McDermott says.
For Lucy, her hair did not get too dry and she felt that this was the most comfortable of all the products.
Its ability to blend with different hair colors was mixed. Some evaluators felt that the dry shampoo blended quickly and easily, while others, such as me, thought that it took a while. I initially used a brush but then had to use my fingers to blend it into my hair.
The powder also leaves a residue. “When I’d scratch my head, some powder would get under my nails,” Lucy says. And McDermott mentioned that the dry shampoo left a residue on the fabric bed of her hairbrush.
It has a pretty light scent. The cap on the top of the bottle has multiple holes, which you can adjust in size to control the amount of powder coming through. The product is vegan, according to the manufacturer.
The majority of evaluators found the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk to be very effective in absorbing oil. When I used it on my hair, the difference was immediately apparent: It gave my hair some volume and made it noticeably less greasy. Its effect lasts around a day, longer than Acure Dry Shampoo.
It blends fine with darker hair, but for our evaluators with lighter-colored hair, the powder changed their hair color slightly.
Its drying aftereffect is a bit stronger than the Briogeo and Acure dry shampoos. “My scalp did feel dry and a bit caked with [the] product after using,” Lucy says. In my evaluation, I felt a slight itchiness on my scalp after I applied the product.
You need to shake and squeeze out the dry shampoo from the bottle, which is similar to the Briogeo dry shampoo. Many evaluators pointed out that the shampoo powder tends to escape from the nozzle after you shake the bottle. Its scent isn’t overwhelming and smells like baby powder.
The performance of this product split evaluators. Some felt that the dry shampoo absorbed oil well, while others thought it was lacking. “[It] gives a very temporary effect of oil absorption. I feel like I need to reapply multiple times a day,” Cowles says.
Its ability to blend in with people’s hair also varied. While Cowles and I felt that it blended well with our darker hair, the dry shampoo left a powdery cast on our lighter-haired evaluators. However for most people, it didn’t cause too much itchiness or dryness on the scalp.
The Oribe Serene Scalp Oil Control Dry Shampoo Powder is easy to use. The dispenser has only one small hole, which makes it easier to control the quantity of the powder when you’re applying it to your scalp.
Its flowery scent earned it a lot of admirers. “I am a big fan of Oribe products, and the signature scent is subtle but there as you apply. I love the smell. It does not linger after application,” Lucy says.
Anecdotally, McDermott mentions that she liked the smell so much that she used it to remove the skunk smell on her dog after he was lightly sprayed. (Yes, it worked.)
The design of the container is sleek and elegant. While other products we evaluated came in plastic containers, this one was encased in a thin, lavender metal tube, which made it feel more luxurious. “I absolutely love the beautiful packaging. If I wanted to give someone a collection of prestige hair products, I would include it,” Cowles says.
But at $46, it’s the most expensive of the products we tried. Is it worth that price? Maybe not. “I would buy it only as a gift of high-end hair products,” Cowles says. While she enjoyed the product, she didn’t see any additional bells and whistles that would incentivize her to pay almost $50 for a dry shampoo.
The pro of this product is that it’s very effective at absorbing grease. When I tried it, the drying effect was immediate. I could feel the absorption of oil happening as I applied the powder to my roots and massaged it through my hair.
“This one [is] among the top performers in oil absorption. It also gives me the most volume. It seems to have more staying power than most of the other products,” Cowles says.
The cons are that it doesn’t blend well and can cause dryness and buildup. A few evaluators mentioned that it left a powdery cast on their hair. Its aftereffects were also unpleasant for some. “I felt immediately that my hair felt almost sticky from the dryness,” McDermott says.
“My hair didn’t get too dry, but [the] buildup [was] uncomfortable and unattractive,” Lucy says. “With the dulling color of my hair and the powder not working its way out, I’m not sure I’d use this. It’s not a good look and uncomfortable.”
The buildup isn’t a dealbreaker for everyone. “There’s product buildup, but it’s nothing that a clarifying shampoo doesn’t fix,” says Cowles, who uses this dry shampoo nearly every other day in her daily life.
Like the Oribe Serene Scalp Oil Control Dry Shampoo Powder, the Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder is dispensed from a single hole on the bottle cap. This can allow for more accurate placement of the powder, but for me, it takes some practice to ensure I don’t tip out too much dry shampoo powder onto my hair.
And now, finally, we get to Handmade Heroes Drop Dead Gorgeous Dry Shampoo. It did okay at absorbing grease but didn’t blend well with several evaluators’ hair.
In the evaluation, people with darker-colored hair used the Drop Dead Gorgeous Dry Shampoo product designed for people with medium to dark hair. Others with lighter hair used the product for light hair.
Regardless of which product was used, the results were subpar for many. Lucy, who has auburn hair with blond highlights, says it dulled her hair color and made her scalp look powdered. Ramkumar, whose hair is dark, says the dry shampoo made her hair look grayish and left a residue.
“Is it possible to hate a dry shampoo? I think so, and I hate this product. I used the formula for people with medium to dark hair, but this stuff took forever to blend and get rid of white streaks. Also, it left these huge patches of white powder on my scalp that I could not get rid of with a brush or comb,” Cowles says.
For several evaluators, this one caused discomfort and buildup. “After two days, I developed dry, flaky patches on my scalp that I could get rid of only by fully washing my hair,” Cowles says.
One of the problems with this one is that too much powder can come through when you’re applying it. Like the Acure Dry Shampoo, this product dispenses the powder through multiple holes on the top of the bottle. Unlike the Acure Dry Shampoo, though, the holes are bigger and not adjustable in size, which can lead to too much powder escaping.
Overall, this one was a hard pass for many evaluators. It doesn’t blend well and leaves a residue, according to Ramkumar. Lucy agrees. “All I got were the bad side effects—the dry scalp, the mess of powder all over my blouse, and dulled hair,” she says.
“I would never use it again. Zero out of 10 stars, would not recommend,” Cowles says.
What to Watch Out for When Using Dry Shampoos
Are there any side effects to using dry shampoo too much? In short, yes. If you’ve been relying heavily on dry shampoo to cut down on shower time, you could damage your follicles, which can affect your hair growth, says Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, MD, a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The side effects of not washing your hair enough include dandruff, clogged pores, breakouts and irritation on your scalp, and even hair loss over time, Houshmand says.
It’s therefore worth noting that you shouldn’t use dry shampoo too frequently; otherwise, you risk making your scalp itchy and a breeding environment for yeast, bacteria, or fungus to grow, Kim says.
How often you should use dry shampoo will depend on your scalp and hair type, Houshmand says. If you have an oily scalp and hair, you can perhaps use dry shampoo three times per week. But if you have drier hair, use once a week.
You should also use dry shampoo for a maximum of only two days in a row. “You want to keep a healthy environment for your scalp so that you can promote healthy hair growth,” Kim says.
When purchasing a dry shampoo, check its ingredients and avoid talc, which has been linked to cancers including ovarian cancer, Houshmand says. Ingredients such as rice, charcoal, and bamboo powders are what she prefers. None of the products we evaluated contain talc.
How We Evaluated Dry Shampoos
My evaluators and I tried these dry shampoos at home for a month and judged them based on these main criteria:
Absorption
We looked at how well they absorbed grease from our hair, how much volume they added, and how long the effects lasted.
Blend
After applying the products, we examined whether the dry shampoo powder blended seamlessly into our hair or left residue.
Ease of Use
We considered how easy it was to apply the product to our hair.
Aftereffects
Did the dry shampoo powder cause any dryness, itchiness, or buildup on the scalp?
