Whether you are running late or just are too lazy to wash your hair, dry shampoo is a lifesaver! You can use it to add a little grip at the roots of your hair, help extent between washes, and create volume. There are some tips and tricks to make sure you buy the right one, don’t use too much, use it correctly, and the best dry shampoo for oily hair.
**Updated March 2022
What is Dry Shampoo?
Dry Shampoo is literally a waterless shampoo that absorbs oils at the roots.
Unlike the name, it does NOT clean your hair.
Its main purpose is to absorb excess oil, help make it smell better, and sometimes add volume. The usual ingredients are alcohol, starch, or clay (spray versions) or clay, talc, and starch without the alcohol, these combinations are what make the magic happen.
Use dry shampoo even on first-day hair to add some volume to the roots. Also, keep this in your gym bag after a sweaty workout.
SPOILER ALERT! Most if not all dry shampoos will have a white cast, some have it less than others but I tried A LOT that claimed they had ZERO reside, but I didn’t find that.
ONLY USE AT ROOTS. TRY TO AVOID THE SCALP!
Don’t Use Too Much
Even though dry shampoo is amazing, too much is not a good thing. Only use 2 to 3 times a week and once you use it, plan to wash your hair the next day or at least soon.
Don’t let it replace your regular wet shampoo that can actually clean your hair. The more you build upon your hair the more product build-up you get on your scalp causing clogged hair follicles and a film on your scalp not allowing moisture to get in for scalp health.
Check out this blog post about shampoo tips!
It can also dull your color if you don’t use the right dry shampoo for your hair color and type. Just like your face, your scalp needs to be cleaned regularly to get everything off and for it to breathe.
Here are some of my favorite hats to wear:
*Instead, wear a hat one day and the next day use dry shampoo, the next day, wash it.
Example:
How to Use Dry Shampoo
- Before you use your dry shampoo, brush your hair to distribute the oil throughout your hair. Brush root to end. Don’t forget to brush under your hair at the nape of your neck to distribute that.
- Shake the bottle before every spray and use it at arm’s length (8-10 inches away), and continuously move it on your hair like a sweeping motion.
- Lift sections to get all the oil. Only use on oily parts of your hair. Start with a little, let it sit, massage it in, and add more if your hair is still oily.
- Let it sit for about 1-2 minutes before you massage, brush, or anything.
- Massage the powder in with your fingers and add some heat (with a blow dryer) to help reset the style and dissolve more powder.
- For blondes, the powder can help the root grow outlook not as obvious. If you have dark hair, use it at night and style it in the morning, and get one that is designed for darker hair.
When Not To Use Dry Shampoo
If you have thinning hair or super dry scalp/skin, I would avoid using dry shampoo too often. Since it can clog the follicles, it will only hurt your thinning hair more by throwing off the growth and natural shedding process of your hair. For dry skin, excess dry shampoo can dry out your scalp and throw your skin out of balance.
Check out this post about how to get a healthy scalp and help hair growth.
Ingredients to Avoid
The main ingredients to avoid are talc and silicone. Some will say avoid alcohol, but a little doesn’t affect your hair if you already have healthy hair and scalp (read this post to maintain healthy hair).
Alcohol helps absorb the oils in your hair but too much is where you need to be careful. Just don’t use it every day, and you will be fine no matter what ingredients will be in there. But what you put on your head, body, etc is your personal preference. The best dry shampoo for oily hair will contain some type of alcohol and starch.
In my recommendations, I tell you if it is silicone and talc-free.
But do you need natural or to make it from home? I would personally avoid this. ‘Clean’ or ‘natural’ products literally mean nothing. It’s just a marketing tactic.
What Is The Best Dry Shampoo For Oily Hair?
The ultimate question is, what is the BEST dry shampoo? Well, there are a lot of factors you have to consider and it’s different person to person. There are a lot of dry shampoo brands you just have to find the one that is right for you. And you do that by finding one
1. That works for your hair
2. That is the right price.
Do the arm test: Spray the dry shampoo on your arm to test to see if it’s too wet or too chalky for your hair type. Too watery? Don’t get it! If it has too much alcohol, it will either spell bad, make your hair worse, or dry it out. Dark hair wants to avoid super chalky dry shampoo but if you’re blonde, it can actually help your hair look lighter and cleaner. But if you have dark hair and use a super chalky one, your hair can look dull.
Blondes
The best dry shampoo for blonde hair is either one that has lavender hints aka “purple dry shampoo” to help with brassiness (Moroccanoil Lighter Shades) but really any dry shampoo works for blondes.
Brunettes
Now, the best dry shampoo for brunettes is a little different. If you are willing to do it at night, any kind will do as the white residue will subside. If you want to use it in the morning (Moroccanoil Darker Shades).
Lower prices don’t mean lower quality, but sometimes you need to spend a little extra for the good stuff. Don’t worry, I’ve added some recommendations for different price points that I think are good and worth it.
Here is a list of the best dry shampoo from the drugstore:
Suave Dry Shampoo Refresh and Revive $3 Cheapest at Walmart
- Talc and Silicone Free; My favorite drugstore option. Does come out very white, but blends in nicely for blondes.
HASK Volumizing Dry Shampoo Sulfate Free Chia Seed $5.50
- Talc and Silicone Free; This is my sister’s favorite and she has dark pretty oily hair. Probably the least amount of white cast.
Dove Dry Shampoo Volume & Fullness $4.88
- Talc-free, maybe Silicone Free; Recently tried this and has little white residue, but has a strong ‘Dove’ scent that lingers. My husband liked it tho! haha.
Batiste Dry Shampoo Burnette $7.28
- Talc and Silicone Free, I haven’t tried it since I have light hair but I’ve used the regular stuff and it’s good.
Here is a list of the best dry shampoo from Sephora:
- Talc and Silicone Free; Been one of my personal favs for years.
Living Proof Perfect hair Day Dry Shampoo $36 best value!
- Talc and Silicone Free; I love this one, perfect for sweaty, stinkier hair.
Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo for Lighter Shades $26
- Talc and Silicone Free; I haven’t tried this one, but many of my friends and bloggers say it’s great!
Living Proof Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo $30
- Talc and Silicone Free; This dry shampoo claims to actually CLEAN your hair. I recently tried this one and feel like this has the least amount of “dry shampoo feeling”. Right now, this is my favorite.
There you have it, a post all about the best dry shampoos, how to use them, and more than you will ever need or care to know about a hair product.
What do you personally think is the best dry shampoo? Let me know down below or at my Instagram @annierosette93!
XO, Annie
