The Ultimate Dry Shampoo Guide 2.0

You’ve got a few options when it comes time to wash your hair.

1.) Wash it. But what fun is that? It takes long, drying is an ordeal, styling can be an even bigger ordeal – ain’t nobody got time.

2.) Cover it. Hats, headbands – heck, a sock bun will do the trick. Anything to disguise the fact that it’s been a hot sec since last wash day. 😉

3.) Dry shampoo it. BINGO, BABY. Dry shampoo is my holy grail of haircare. And you can bet I’ll try every last bottle in search of the holy grail of holy grails.

I did a dry shampoo guide two years ago, but it’s about time for a refresher on hair refreshers! A big FAQ I get from you guys is about dry shampoos, how to go longer between washes, how to handle dirty hair, yadda yadda yadda.

THE ULTIMATE DRY SHAMPOO GUIDE

P.S. I lovelovelove when you guys reach out to me – keep it comin’!

When I was younger playing sports, I’d wash my hair every day. I kinda had to (or so I thought), because I’d be a sweaty mess after a game and it would be actually repulsive to not do something about it. Now, I can typically get away with washing my hair twice a week max. And mind you…I have oily skin + an oily scalp, so this is a FEAT. I definitely went through a period of “training” my hair, but I think most of the battle is in figuring out what works best for your head, and planning + styling + shampooing (or dry shampooing) accordingly.

SO.

Guess we’re callin’ this the Ultimate Dry Shampoo Guide 2.0. 😉 The first time around, I featured 9 dry shampoo options, many of which were drugstore. This time, not as many are drugstore, simply because I tried to choose different dry shampoos from before, and ones that are more reflective of my current favorites + stash situation.

MY FAVORITE DRY SHAMPOOS

– This is hands down, le numero uno. It actually CLEANS hair, which is what makes it so unique in dry shampoo world. It’s got this patented healthy hair molecule that works to eliminate oil, sweat – even odor. So it’s really friggin’ cool. It also smells amazeballs. Truly amazeballs. This is my #1 recommendation (the rest aren’t *necessarily in any sorta order, except for number 2…)
– Aveda’s dry shampoo has been a favorite of mine for YEARS – it even made the 2016 list! 😉 I lovelovelove this one because it’s not an aerosol can – it’s a loose powder. Now, lemme tell ya straight up: it takes practice. Or at least it did for me, since I got one and had no clue how to work the applicator – ha! But essentially, you’re holding the tub at an angle, and squeezing it to puff out product. The loose powder really works to soak up any excess oil, and feels more pure (pun intended? ha!) than aerosol can counterparts. HIGHLY recommend this one, especially for use before bed!
– No sulfates, phthalates, parabens, talc, or aluminum. I’m not 100% convinced of how effective it is on my hair, but it’s decent for now – not my favorite, but not against it. On the fence right now. Check back soon for any updates – ha!
– Morroccanoil makes a brunette dry shampoo, bless up. I cannot believe it took the beauty industry as long as it did to make brunette dry shampoo. Didn’t that take too long?? It dumbfounds me, just like it dumbfounds me how long it took many makeup brands to expand their lines of face makeup to include skin colors reflective of actual people – but that’s another story. Ha! This isn’t my *favorite* brunette dry shampoo, simply because it doesn’t actually go on as dark as you’d think it would – but it still does the trick.
– PM makes so many of my favorite hair products, so I’m so glad they ventured into dry shampoo this year, too! Invisiblewear is formulated with velvet flower to soften hair as it cleans, which is pretty stinkin’ cool if ya ask me.
– Smells AMAZING. OGX is one of my all-time fave haircare brands; their dry oil mists are my JAM for some extra smoothing + hydration sans any additional greasiness or oiliness. They’re serious godsends. Because of that, I had high hopes for their dry shampoo – and I was not disappointed. I reaaaaaally dig this one, and it’s only $8.99 – which is awesome compared to a few of the more expensive Sephora-only competitors.
– L’Oreal’s entire Clay line is a super interesting concept, I think. Basically, it was designed + formulated for girls with oilier hair slash scalps (hollah!). It’s made with 3 refined clays, where are supposed to act similarly to clay face masks and such in that they’re just super detoxifying + purifying. I’m not totally convinced on how effective it was (I used the entire bottle already, but it seems like it went really fast? Ha!).
– It’s always seemed like everyone and their mom loveloveloves Batiste…am I wrong there??? TBH, I never saw the big deal. It seems a little flaky to me – which I’m not a fan of – and the brunette version always leaves my hands looking like I’m a cast member of Annie. This time around I picked up the “exotic & tropical” version (because they only have about 52, so if ya like options, this brand is for you). There’s just a bit too much flake + fall out for my liking, and it doesn’t brush out the easiest, either. I’d say pass.
– Formulated with oat milk to soothe your hair + scalp, and corn and rice starches to cleanse. Paraben and sulfate free, vegan, hypoallergenic, free of sodium chloride and colorants, etc. Also used to add texture! And was apparently a 4x Allure Best of Beauty award winner, so hollah.
– Drybar also makes both a blonde + brunette dry shampoo, which I fully appreciate. Also formulated sans sulfates, parabens, etc – and Drybar is also cruelty free!
– This was a new find for me after seeing it recommended in quite a few places by quite a few of my favorite beauty bloggers. First off, it literally applies true to its name: invisible. I’ve tried some truly “invisible” dry shampoo products in the past, but they didn’t really do much of anything. Not this one! This one seems to legit ~work~, just sans the white residue (OR brown residue). It has UV filters in it, too, to protect hair from the sun. Also smells amazing. Since this one is newer to me, I’ll continue testing for the next two weeks – but so far, so impressed.
– This stuff blew. my. mind. in Sephora. Dry shampoo FOAM?! But guys…I think I lovelovelove it. First off, it smells incredible. Of course, that’s no real reason to buy hair products, but if you say you haven’t bought hair products for the smell you’re lying. 😉 I wasn’t sure how the heck this would work, but I just followed the instructions on the bottle and applied similar to a mouse; pump out a dollop of foam, and apply to roots. I massaged it in so that it was entirely absorbed – and I think it really worked. I was confused at first since foam is obviously more wet than a powder, so I wasn’t sure how it would look when applied to greasy hair that can tend to look wetter anyways. But my hair looked AND felt clean. I’ll be using this stuff consistently for the next 2-ish weeks to really see what results, because so far, I’m almost too impressed for it to be real. Ha!