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From the citizens of ancient civilizations rubbed clay powder into their hair to the first commercially available dry shampoo that hit the market in the 1940s, people spent their entire lives trying to bridge the gap between dirty hair and busy lifestyles. I vividly remember my mother using baby powder in the 1980s, and also my first purchase of drugstore dry shampoo in the early 2000s. It looked like spray paint and probably contained enough chemicals to poison a small animal, but it did the job of letting me skip a couple of days of my arduous wash, dry, and right the routine. This break has been good for my sanity as well as my hair.
Come 2022, commercially produced dry shampoo received its first major black eye when companies such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever conducted a voluntary recall of their dry shampoos for potentially high levels of benzene. Familiar drugstore brands like Dove, Nexxus and Suave were suddenly seen as a cancer risk, which raised the question with dry shampoos in general: What’s really in this stuff?
Fortunately, since the recall, most companies have taken to testing their products for benzene and other harmful chemicals. Third-party testing is hard to come by, but unprofitable Environmental Working Group (EWG) is independently funded and has a Skin Deep Database Tool for consumers to analyze which harmful ingredients could be lurking in their cosmetics and personal care products. We have included their data on specific dry shampoos in this guide. However, if you’re looking for totally chemical-free ways to extend your style, check out the Alternatives to Dry Shampoo box below.
For more tips on buying hairstyling, check out our guides at the The best hair straighteners, The best curling irons, The best hair dryersand The best diffusers for curly hair.
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I have been using dry shampoo for over 20 years. For this guide, I tested over 25 popular, widely available formulas on my thick, long, heat-straightened dark hair multiple times over nearly four months. I use it like any dry shampoo in the course of my daily life – after training, during busy work weeks, on trips. I also asked for the opinions of friends and family with different hair types and textures when I needed a second or third opinion. I focused on efficiency (did my hair still look clean at the end of the day?); ease of application; the presence of heaviness, stickiness, or residue; value; how quickly and well a mixed dry shampoo; and if the smell was light or strong.
Tips for using Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a great tool for lengthening your hard hairstyle and will help minimize damage to your hair by decreasing the frequency with which you need to heat the style. However, dry shampoo can only go so far.
“Dry shampoo strips and cleans hair of natural oils, but doesn’t remove tons of product,” notes celebrity hairstylist Garren McLaren, co-founder of hair products company R+Co. “It is best used on the hair of the second or third day.” In other words, don’t skip the shower for a week and expect dry shampoo to work a miracle. Dry shampoo should also not be used more than a couple of days in a row, as using it too often can cause scalp build-up and irritation.
Applying dry shampoo at night is another tactic that many experts recommend, as it can work to absorb oils while you sleep – this is an especially good option for dry shampoos that tend to go on thick. McLaren also suggests running a blow dryer on cold after applying dry shampoo: “If your hair is excessively colored or brittle, and you have a lot of hairspray or product in it, if you apply dry shampoo and it doesn’t blow . cold air, can sit on the surface of the hair,” he said. “This can make the hair stiff. It won’t damage the hair, but it will make it feel dry or stiff.”
What’s really in this stuff?
There are countless dry shampoos that claim to revolutionize the dry shampoo experience, but most work in much the same way: absorbent starches, a carrier agent, fragrance, and, in the case of aerosol dry shampoo, a propellant. In the old days, many dry shampoos contained talc as the absorbent, which was often contaminated with asbestos. Some dry shampoos may still list it as an ingredient, but none of the ones we recommend.
Some companies add other natural, absorbent minerals in addition to starch, such as kaolin clay, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, coal dust, or even volcanic ash. I have also tried some more unusual formulas such as a paste, liquid spray and lotion, although I have not found the last two to be particularly effective for my hair. For each dry shampoo I recommend, I’ve tried to help demystify the marketing claims by listing the main functional ingredients that help absorb oil.
