13 Best Dry Shampoos That Win Between Washes (2024)

• Best for oily hair: Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle
• Best for curly hair: Unwash Curls Dry Cleanser
• Best for dark hair: Batiste Dry Shampoo Dark Hair
• Best for fine hair: Dove Volume and Fullness Dry Shampoo
• Best for color-treated hair: Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Color Care Dry Shampoo
• Best dry shampoo with UV protection: Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder Très Invisible Dry Shampoo
• Best unscented dry shampoo: TRESemmé Dry Shampoo, Unscented
• Best budget dry shampoo:
• Best foaming dry shampoo: Batiste Waterless Cleansing Foam
• Best for dry hair: OUAI Super Dry Shampoo
• Best dry shampoo powder: Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo
• Best volumizing dry shampoo: Drybar Detox Gentle Sensitive Scalp Dry Shampoo
• Best gentle dry shampoo: Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoos use starch or alcohol to absorb oil, sweat, and grime from your hair. They’re a fantastic tool for freshening hair between washes, giving your locks a fresh look after workouts, or livening up your strands for a date after a long day.

While you don’t necessarily want to use a dry shampoo every day, it can make an amazing addition to your hair care toolbox.

The 15 dry shampoos on this list are favorites among customers who rely on dry shampoo to give their hair a fresh feel and appearance.

Read on to learn more about dry shampoo and to get our picks for the best products. You’ll also find tips on choosing the right dry shampoo for your needs.

Dry shampoo works to absorb the dirt, oil, and grease on your hair and scalp — without the need to shower or use any water. Most dry shampoo products on the market use an alcohol- or starch-based formula to accomplish this goal.

Just keep in mind that when you use dry shampoo, you’re only masking the oils in your hair, not getting rid of them. In other words, dry shampoo doesn’t cleanse your hair or scalp, so it doesn’t replace a regular shampoo and conditioner routine.

Dry shampoo can also clog your hair follicles, so you may want to use it sparingly.

Many hair and skin care brands emphasize “clean” ingredients, which might lead you to wonder exactly what “clean” means.

It can mean a lot of things, actually. When it comes to skin and personal care products, “clean” doesn’t have a standard definition.

One brand might use the term to mean their product contains no sulfates, triclosan, parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrance. Another brand might also include formaldehyde, petrolatum, and aluminum in their “no” list.

On this list, clean means the dry shampoo doesn’t contain:

• parabens
• phthalates
• sulfates
• triclosan
• silicones
• formaldehyde or formaldehyde releasers

We looked at product reviews and ingredient lists to narrow down the best dry shampoos on the market.

In creating our top picks, we considered:

• Customer reviews: Does the product have mostly positive feedback from customers?
• Ingredients: We aimed to include a range of products with clean ingredients. We expand on what this means below.
• Price: Our picks hit a range of prices, so you have options regardless of your budget.

Pricing guide

Dry shampoos don’t have to be expensive to be effective. But you’ll find some variation in cost among brands and product types.

Your favorite product may fall at the higher or lower end of the scale, based on differences in product scent, ease of use, ingredients, or brand name.

We broke down the prices according to this scale:

• $ = under $9
• $$ = $9-$16
• $$$ = over $16

Best for oily hair

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: oat milk, nettle extract, corn starch, rice starch
• Best for: normal to oily hair
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: vegan
• Cons: contains synthetic fragrance, may leave residue

If you have oily hair, your roots might appear drenched within just a few hours of washing, making it tough to go more than a day between washes. This is especially true for fine or thin oily hair.

The Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle — a vegan dry shampoo — works to absorb excess oil at the root, without making your hair feel tacky.

Reviewers love the shine this dry shampoo gives their hair, and many people also appreciate the lack of flowery scent. Some people say it gives their hair a fresh feel and newly washed appearance for up to 2 days.

A few people mention the shampoo leaves a white residue behind.

Best for curly hair

Unwash Curls Dry Cleanser

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: vitamin E, panthenol
• Best for: thick hair, curls
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: boosts volume, reduces frizz
• Cons: contains synthetic fragrance, may leave residue

Unwash Curls Dry Cleanser is designed to freshen and preserve curly and wavy hair. The light formulation aims to pump up volume and help reduce frizz without adding weight that might pull down or flatten your curls.

While this dry shampoo may work well for loose or tight curls if you have thick hair, you might find this product a little heavy for thinner curly or wavy hair.

Reviewers mostly praise this product, giving it an average of 4.3 stars on Amazon. That said, people offer mixed feedback about the residue. Some people say it leaves no residue, while others mention a very noticeable white residue.

Brushing the product thoroughly into your hair can help prevent residue, but even a faint residue may stand out if you have dark hair.

People also have mixed feelings about the scent. Some love it, others don’t like it at all.

Best for dark hair

Batiste Dry Shampoo Dark Hair

• Price: $
• Key ingredients: rice starch
• Best for: darker hair
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: vegan, cruelty-free, no residue, can conceal thinning hair
• Cons: may stain sheets or towels, contains fragrance

Most dry shampoos spray on white or gray, requiring copious amounts of brushing if you have dark hair. But this option from Batiste is specifically formulated for darker hair, even color-treated hair, in shades ranging from mahogany to chocolate brown to blackest black.

Have light brown or red hair? Try Batiste Dry Shampoo Brunette, which has a lighter tint.

Most reviewers love this product, saying it works as a dry shampoo and as a cover for thinning or bald spots on the scalp. Some reviewers who experienced hair loss due to COVID-19 say this dry shampoo helped as their hair grew back.

That said, many people say the added color can migrate to hands and towels, especially if it gets wet. If you tend to touch your hair a lot, this dry shampoo may not be the right pick for you.

Tip: Shake the bottle vigorously before using to avoid getting a white powder residue.

Best for fine hair

Dove Volume and Fullness Dry Shampoo

• Price: $
• Key ingredients: aluminum starch
• Best for: oily hair, fine hair
• Clean ingredients: no (contains cyclopentasiloxane, a silicone)
• Pros: adds volume, budget-friendly
• Cons: contains fragrance, leaves residue

If your hair is superfine or flat and you want a dry shampoo that adds volume, Dove Volume and Fullness Dry Shampoo may do the trick. A bonus: It’s safe for color-treated hair.

Best for color-treated hair

Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Color Care Dry Shampoo

• Price: $
• Key ingredients: aluminum starch, hydrolyzed keratin
• Best for: fine hair, oily hair
• Clean ingredients: no (contains cyclopentasiloxane)
• Pros: budget-friendly, sets quickly, absorbent
• Cons: doesn’t work well on textured hair, contains fragrance

If you dye your hair regularly, you might already know that over-shampooing can fade the color faster. Using a dry shampoo can help refresh your hair between washes without stripping color.

This budget-friendly dry shampoo from Suave Professionals helps add volume and shine without leaving your hair feeling wet, sticky, or crunchy. It also contains keratin to help revive color-treated hair.

Many reviewers praise this product, saying it works well to boost limp hair without any residue. Others dislike the strong scent. Some reviewers note this product doesn’t work well for textured hair.

When using this product, spray from a distance to avoid stiffening your hair.

Best dry shampoo with UV protection

Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder Très Invisible Dry Shampoo

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: rice starch, glycerin, French pink clay
• Best for: medium to thick oily hair
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: adds volume, provides UV protection, cruelty-free
• Cons: strong fragrance, may not work for fine hair

This dry shampoo from Bumble and Bumble is formulated for all hair types, though some people with fine hair say it doesn’t do much for them. It adds volume and softness to straight strands and curls, and you can use it on color-treated hair.

As a bonus, it also contains UV filters to help protect your hair if you spend a lot of time in the sun. However, these UV filters dn’t have an SPF rating.

The dry shampoo is designed to have an invisible finish with no white residue, and many reviewers confirm it doesn’t leave a white cast like other dry shampoos.

Some users recommend using this dry shampoo sparingly to prevent it from giving your hair a thick and tacky feeling, but others say they had to use quite a bit of product to notice results.

Sensitive to fragrance? You may want to skip this dry shampoo. While many reviewers found the scent pleasant and light, others say it’s too strong and lingers all day.

Best unscented dry shampoo

TRESemmé Dry Shampoo, Unscented

• Price: $$
• Key ingredients: aluminum starch, mineral clay
• Best for: oily hair
• Clean ingredients: no (contains cyclopentasiloxane)
• Pros: fast acting, lightweight
• Cons: may leave residue

Searching for a dry shampoo without a fragrance? This formula from TRESemmé offers one option to consider. It works to absorb oil and add some life back to thick, curly, and textured hair, without triggering fragrance allergies or sensitivities.

Many reviewers praise this dry shampoo, saying it does a great job adding volume that lasts all day and stretching out the time between washes. Some people say they didn’t notice much of a difference in their hair after using it, and others report that it leaves some residue.

Though this dry shampoo contains no fragrance, some people say it does have a faint smell that disappears quickly.

Best budget dry shampoo

OGX Refresh & Restore + Coconut Miracle Oil Dry Shampoo

• Price: $
• Key ingredients: aluminum starch, coconut oil, glycerin
• Best for: all hair types
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: cruelty-free, no residue
• Cons: may leave hair stiff or sticky

This dry shampoo features glycerin and coconut oil to help nourish and moisturize hair. It aims to quickly absorb oil without drying out your scalp in the process.

The shampoo also doesn’t leave much residue, according to reviewers, if you rub or brush it into your scalp after spraying it on. Plus, it falls on the low end of the price range, making it a great budget pick.

Many reviewers rave about this dry shampoo (and its scent), calling it their favorite product for no-wash days and saying they love its fragrance. People say it gives their hair a fresh appearance and adds shine.

This product does contain synthetic fragrance, which some people call a little too strong.

Best foaming dry shampoo

Batiste Waterless Cleansing Foam

• Price: $$
• Key ingredients: glycerin, coconut oil
• Best for: all hair types
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: lightweight volume, no residue
• Cons: leaves hair oily, contains fragrance

Not a fan of dry shampoo powder or spray? Why not give dry shampoo foam a whirl instead? This cleansing foam isn’t exactly dry, but it still works to give your hair a freshly washed appearance without the need to hit the shower — and it won’t leave your hair wet, either.

Many reviewers prefer this product to traditional dry shampoo, saying their hair has never felt so refreshed without a wash. Others like the volume this foam provides.

People say this dry shampoo works well for curly and textured hair as well as fine hair. Some reviewers say it does not make much of a difference for very oily hair, though.

It may help to start with a small amount of foam and add more as needed. Some reviewers say using a lot at once leaves their hair feeling sticky.

Best for dry hair

OUAI Super Dry Shampoo

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: rice starch, volcanic minerals, rhodiola rosea extract
• Best for: all hair types
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: adds shine, super absorbent
• Cons: strong fragrance

OUAI Super Dry Shampoo is a sought-after hair care product for those who want to achieve a refreshed, voluminous look without washing their hair.

It helps to minimize the appearance of oily, limp hair and offers the convenience of quick touch-ups, making it a popular choice for people who are short on time or seeking to preserve their hairstyle.

OUAI Super Dry Shampoo has mixed reviews, with some users praising its effectiveness in giving volume to flat hair without leaving any residue, while others express dislike of its strong scent.

Some reviewers say that it can sometimes leave a noticeable white cast, particularly if applied too heavily. To avoid this, it’s recommended to spray the product sparingly and only on the roots.

Best dry shampoo powder

Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: cassava, cosmetic clay, organic star anise
• Best for: all hair types
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: adds volume, easy to use
• Cons: pricey

Dry shampoo powders are a great option for those with fine or thin hair who want to avoid the buildup that can come with spray or foam formulas.

Reviewers praise the ease of application and the ability of the powder to be evenly distributed throughout the hair without leaving behind a sticky or heavy residue.

This product is both effective and safe for those who prioritize natural ingredients in their hair care routine, as it’s free from sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrances.

We recommend starting with a small amount of powder and gradually adding more as needed.

Best volumizing dry shampoo

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: patchouli, lactic acid
• Best for: oily hair
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: fast acting, adds shine
• Cons: may leave residue, strong fragrance

Drybars’s Detox Dry Shampoo is a highly rated product that’s known for its ability to instantly revive and refresh hair without leaving behind any noticeable residue.

The majority of reviewers have given 5 stars to this dry shampoo, praising its ability to provide long-lasting volume and extend the time between washes.

Some reviewers complain about the scent, but there are a few different scent options to choose from.

Best gentle dry shampoo

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo

• Price: $$$
• Key ingredients: rice starch, sea buckthorn
• Best for: all hair types
• Clean ingredients: yes
• Pros: recyclable packaging, vegan, lightweight
• Cons: pricey

For those looking for a gentle dry shampoo that’s easy on the scalp and won’t disrupt the health of their hair, Amika’s Perk Up Dry Shampoo is definitely worth considering.

Reviewers rave about this dry shampoo’s gentle cleansing abilities, with many saying it’s the only dry shampoo that doesn’t cause itching or dryness on their scalp. It’s also praised for its ability to absorb oils, leaving hair feeling fresh and clean without any harsh ingredients.

However, some reviewers complain that they had to use a lot of product in order to see noticeable results.

While it’s safe for most people to use dry shampoo every now and then, frequent use may have some unwanted consequences for your hair, including:

• breakage
• clogged hair follicles
• dandruff
• folliculitis

Poor scalp health can also lead to hair breakage, so aim to cleanse your hair often and use a weekly clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup.

If you notice a sudden increase in dandruff, try pausing the dry shampoo for a bit to check whether it makes a difference.

When considering what dry shampoo to buy, keep these tips in mind:

• Be aware of flammable ingredients: Many dry shampoos use chemicals that are flammable when wet, such as propane and butane. Why? These chemicals act as a stable propellant in sprays. They evaporate quickly, but keeping your hair away from open flame — including candles and lighters — is always a good idea.
• Buy for your hair type: Most dry shampoos leave some white residue, though most of this residue typically disappears after you thoroughly brush the product into your hair. Still, this white cast can show up pretty clearly on darker hair. To avoid a visible residue, you may want to opt for products designed for dark hair.
• Read labels: If you’re allergic to certain ingredients, always check the label of any dry shampoo you buy. Product labels will also have more information about clean, fair trade, and organic ingredients, and you can also find out whether the brand is cruelty-free.
• Test an area: If you have sensitive skin or a scalp condition, such as scalp psoriasis, do a patch test or talk with your dermatologist before using any new products, including dry shampoo.
• Check the use date: Check the product’s expiration date to make sure you’re not buying something that may be past its prime. Expired products may not work as intended.

To use dry shampoo, follow these steps:

1. Shake the bottle well.
2. Section your hair and hold the bottle about 10 inches away from your scalp.
3. Spray the dry shampoo directly onto your roots. Focus on the areas that tend to get oily, such as your crown and temples.
4. Gently massage the product into the scalp using your fingertips.
5. Brush or comb your hair to distribute the dry shampoo evenly and remove any extra powder or residue.

Still have a few questions about dry shampoo? Get answers to commonly asked questions below.

What does dry shampoo do for your hair?

Dry shampoo absorbs any dirt, oil, or grease on your scalp without the need to shower or wet your hair.

It can help revive oily strands and add volume to limp locks. Dry shampoo aims to help keep hair looking cleaner for an extra day or so, which can save you time.

Does dry shampoo clean your hair?

Dry shampoo isn’t meant to clean your hair, and it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for regular hair washing.

While it can refresh and revive hair, it doesn’t cleanse the scalp of sweat, dirt, and buildup, which can negatively affect scalp and hair health.

Is using dry shampoo the same as washing your hair?

No, dry shampoo doesn’t replace washing your hair.

While dry shampoo can help your hair appear clean and free of grease, it doesn’t actually remove any of the dirt or oils sitting on your scalp.

Regularly washing and cleansing your scalp is an essential step to maintaining a healthy scalp and preventing product buildup.

When should you use dry shampoo?

Dry shampoo can be a great option when you don’t have enough time to wash and restyle your hair. For example, if you:

• squeeze in an intense early morning workout and need to head straight to the office afterward
• want to freshen your hair and add some volume before a big event
• wake up late and know your hair won’t fully dry before you have to head out

That said, you may not want to rely on it every day.

Can you use dry shampoo on textured hair?

Absolutely, though it helps to use a dry shampoo specifically designed for textured hair.

Today, there’s a wider range of dry shampoo options for both natural and relaxed textured hair. It may take a bit of experimentation to find the best product for you.

Hair care products won’t work the same way for everyone, even people with the same exact hair type.

Still, it always helps to read customer reviews to learn what other people with a similar hair type say about how the product works or doesn’t work for them.

Dry shampoo can help your hair look fresh and clean between showers, and it can minimize the greasy feeling on your scalp. Many people find it a must-have for busy days and after vigorous workouts.

Just keep in mind that not all dry shampoos will work for everyone, much like traditional shampoo. But with so many products on the market, you have options, whether you have dark, curly, fine, or textured hair.