Living Proof Perfect hair Day Dry Shampoo
Living Proof’s Dry Shampoo from their Perfect hair Day (PhD) line of products checked all of the boxes for me. This formula actually cleans hair in addition to soaking up excess oils. Full disclosure: I tried this product after a particularly hard SoulCycle class. Even after drying heavy amounts of sweat into my hair (no shame.), Living Proof’s dry shampoo left my hair feeling miraculously clean, with a bit of lightweight volume. After spraying into hair, leave the powder be for 30 seconds to activate the cleansing, and then massage and brush out. I was pleasantly surprised by the time-released clean scent, allowing its effects to hold up throughout the day and night. I’m sold.
DryBar Detox Dry Shampoo
Not being a huge fan of DryBar products, I was wary of DryBar’s Detox Dry Shampoo. However, I’ve read some good reviews of it, so I decided to give it a shot. At $13 for the travel size, I figured it would be a great addition to my gym bag or carry on. Warning: the aerosol spray is intense, so make sure you spray farther away from your hair or you will end up with that chalky look that takes a bit of work to brush out. While it gave my hair a bit of a dried out look, it definitely soaked up any oils and made my hair smell great. It also held my hair style all day. While I probably would not use this daily, I love the travel size to tote around for greasy hair emergencies.
Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle
The Klorane brand prides itself on creating products with safe plant-based ingredients, so I was excited to see if their dry shampoo stood up to the hype. The brand offers a few different dry shampoo options. I went with the Dry Shampoo with Nettle, an ingredient that is particularly great for soaking up oils. Right off the bat, I loved the subtle clean scent. It wasn’t perfume-y or overwhelming, and the spray wasn’t too intense either. I could tell it was a primarily natural formula in that its effects fell short of lasting throughout the day. However, if you need a small lift before a night out, this would be a great option. Klorane gave a subtle bit of life to my roots, and I never felt like I had tons of product in my hair which is a big plus for me.
ORIBE Dry Texturizing Spray
Okay, okay, so ORIBE’s Dry Texturizing Spray is not technically a “dry shampoo” in the traditional sense. This cult favorite is part texture spray, part holding spray, and part dry shampoo. The formula includes ingredients that act as tiny sponges for oil, giving it a dry shampoo effect. So while it does not actually “clean” hair, it makes it look FAB due to the other ingredients that give hair amazing texture and repair damaged strands. Also, the texture and volume holds throughout the day due to specially formulated polymers. Seriously, this spray does everything which is why it is on this list (semi-illegally). Want a perfectly undone model-off-duty texturized look? You need this product in your cosmetic bag. It’s worth the price tag, trust me.
Psssst! Instant Dry Shampoo
They say you never forget your first, and Psssst! Instant Dry Shampoo was my first ever dry shamps to buy from a drug store back in the day. It’s cheap and gets the job done. I actually have it with me now as I hike through Banff National Park in Canada. I haven’t washed my hair since Sunday. It’s now Wednesday, and I’ve completed three hikes (don’t judge). I hope that’s testimony enough to how good it is. It’s the perfect travel companion. All hail Pssst! It’s a godsend.
The Packing List: Dry Shampoo
Lastly, a quick pro tip, if you’re on the go and left your travel size spray bottle at home, don’t hesitate to use any form of powder to soak up oils. Seriously, baby powder and translucent face powder work well in a pinch! Just make sure to massage in any residue. As always, I love to hear what your go-to beauty brands are, so let me know if I need to test out your favorite dry shampoo. You can never have too much of a great thing!
Aveda sent me their powdered dry shampoo and while it takes some getting used to, and is ultimately too light colored for someone with darker hair like me — I’d recommend it for anyone who is blonde. It too smells great, soaks up oils well and doesn’t leave hair feeling too dry.
I’ve never tried Aveda – will put it on the list since I’m a blondie 🙂 xoxo
My go-to dry shampoo has been Tresemmé fresh start volumizing dry shampoo. For around $5 for a full size bottle, I’ve been super impressed with this product! It’s also available in a travel size, so I always have some packed in my bag. Works great to absorb oils, adds a fresh scent and bumps up a little volume for when my hair becomes greasy and flat.
Sold! Will have to try this in a travel size next. Thanks!
For drugstore brands I can’t live without my Dove Dry Shampoo – usually under $5 a bottle, and a great fresh scent.
I use a lot of Dove products – my favorite it their body wash so it doesn’t surprise me that their dry shampoo is awesome. Thanks!
You nailed it with the top two! I used to use the PhD by Living Proof and recommended it to several friends. Then, a friend recommended the Drybar Detox to me and I’ve found that it seems to be even more “heavy duty” and allows me to squeeze out an extra dirty hair day!
Yas! So happy you agree 🙂
You should definitely try INDIE Dry Shampoo – it’s cheap and works awesome. It’s not necessarily a truly “cleansing” dry shampoo but it gives my hair a ton of life, which it never has, even right after a wash. But I can’t wait to try some of these suggestions! My hair is super thin and I’m new with the “hair training” so I’m all about experimenting!
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Hey Lesley!! Your hair is so beautiful! Is your color natural or do you dye it? I am wondering whether I should stick with blonde foil highlights or go for all over color? How do you get your hair done if you dye it?
Yes I dye it 🙂 Girl I wish this was natural hehe. Honestly, I get foil highlights or balayage whenever I have time around the world. I don’t necessarily have one person I go to. Sometimes I do it in LA, sometimes in Arkansas, sometimes overseas. Glad you like it!
I absolutely love Moroccan Oil dry shampoo! The have it available for light or dark hair, too. It absorbs oil very well, smells great, isn’t heavy & leaves hair looking completely refreshed! My fav part is being able to run my fingers through my hair like it’s freshly washed!! The best! 🙂
My absolute go to for an oily mess is First Class from IGK. It is a heavy-duty charcoal dry shampoo that is absolutely amazing for someone with hair that tends to lean towards being more oily.