If you’ve never been in a situation where your hair is in desperate need of one of the best dry shampoos, then please reveal your secrets.
Because sometimes greasy strands have a sneaky habit of appearing out of nowhere, especially on days when a full hair wash is off the table.
Dry shampoos are often sprays or powders that are massaged into the scalp to keep oiliness at bay post-gym, when you’re in a big rush or if you’re trying to cut down on your number of wash days.
How to use dry shampoo
Zoe Irwin, Colour and Trend Ambassador at Matrix, explains: “Dry shampoo is a product that’s designed for adding texture and lift to hair as well as removing oil in between shampoos, normally on the second or third day.
“Dry shampoos are amazing for giving styles longevity after a blow dry. One of my top tips: on the night that you’ve given yourself a blow dry, spray horizontally from the nape of the hair in 6cm sections, massage it in and then sleep in it. As you’re sleeping it keeps your roots fresh and absorbs any oil.”
Originally designed as a waterless shampoo alternative, people quickly began to notice that with a few spritzes and a little zshush, dry shampoo is also a must-have tool to add volume and texture to otherwise flat and lacklustre hair. Result.
So how should we be using it? Zoe says: “Give it some time to work. A lot of people spray it on and then brush the hair immediately. I always give it 30 seconds to a minute before I then style the hair. I usually like to keep everything around a centimetre or two away from the hairline and it’s also really great to use a bristle brush.
“For a light application, spray your dry shampoo on a big face powder brush and then just lightly tap along the front hairline for a diffused amount of product.”
Finding the right dry shampoo for your hair and scalp wants and needs can be a little confusing, but never fear because we’ve created an edit of some of the best dry shampoos for every budget.
The best dry shampoos, at a glance
Hair by Sam McKnight
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- Hair by Sam McKnight Lazy Girl Dry Shampoo, £12 from Cult Beauty – buy here
If the idea of putting anything heavy on your strands that may weigh them down has put you off dry shampoo up to now, then let us introduce you to Lazy Girl.
Firstly, anything called Lazy Girl is a big yes from us because we are all about minimum effort for maximum reward and secondly, it’s here to alleviate any weighty worries.
An ultra-light formula it leaves hair with volume and texture while also giving soft body.
It comes in two sizes, 250ml which is great for more regular use and a 50ml mini which a must for packing in to your gym bag.
Size: 250ml or 50ml Fragrance: Sam’s signature fragrance
Moroccanoil
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- Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Light Tones, £16.45 from Look Fantastic – buy here
As we know, not all hair is created the same. Some is naturally dark, some naturally light, some coloured, some dry… the point is there isn’t necessarily a one size fits all solution when it comes to dry shampoo.
Moroccanoil has taken this into account and created a product that is specifically for either light or dark tones.
Each formula has its own job, with Light Tones honing in on preserving the integrity of light and blonde tones while Dark Tones is all about maintaining the richness and dimension of darker colours.
How do they do this, you ask? Light Tones features subtle violet undertones, which is all about balancing out brassiness, while Dark Tones puts the banishing of white residue at the forefront.
Created using ultra-fine rice starches that break down and dissipate straight away, it makes sure that the natural warmth of darker tones isn’t compromised by using the dry shampoo. Dreamy.
It also protects your strands and scalp from the sun by including a UV filter – an often overlooked area of our sunscreen application.
Size: 205ml or 60ml Fragrance: Signature Moroccanoil fragrance Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 6-8 inches
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Olaplex
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- Olaplex No. 4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo, £28 from Cult Beauty – buy here
One of the newest dry shampoos in this edit, No. 4D was launched by Olaplex at the beginning of 2023 to much fervour.
The excitement was unsurprising when you consider the unbelievable success of Olaplex’s bond building technology, which has been adopted both by salons and people at home.
But what makes the dry shampoo special? Well, it focuses on detoxifying the scalp rather than absorbing the oil from the strands. And of course it includes that patented bond building technology. Nifty.
Transparent and lightweight, it contains Rambutan Seed Extract which is a sustainable source of antioxidants to soothe and detoxify the scalp while also getting rid of odour and impurities (which is a must).
Other ingredients include ultra fine micro starch which, like in other similar products, nullifies obvious residue.
And when you get down to the nitty gritty, it’s also 100% free of sulphates, phthalates, parabens and gluten as well as being vegan. Tick, tick, tick.
Size: 250ml Fragrance: N/A Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 6-10 inches
Living Proof
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- Living Proof Perfect hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo, £22.95 from Sephora – buy here
Living Proof is always innovating and this dry shampoo is absolutely no different. This one actually cleans the hair.
Yes, you read that right; it cleans rather than simply absorbing oils and lending a little extra time between wash days.
Aiming to give the results that you would get from a regular, rinse out shampoo without the water, Advanced Clean uses fast absorbing powders which soak up oil, sweat and oil before the new powder removal system leaves you with fresh hair that has no residue.
Size: 198ml Fragrance: N/A Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 6-10 inches
Klorane
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- Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk,
£11.50£7.67 from Boots – buy here
Klorane is a big deal in Europe and is stocked in pharmacies in countries like France, Spain and Italy, but isn’t quite as notorious in the UK – yet.
In fact, its dry shampoos are number one over on the continent, so we really need to get involved.
If you’re somebody who suffers with a particularly sensitive scalp, you’ll love the fact that the dry shampoo with oat milk restores volume and adds texture to the hair while being gentle to your scalp.
Also, if you swap out one shower a week and opt for a dry shampoo you could save around 500l of water a year which is a big green (in every sense) tick.
Size: 150ml Fragrance: N/A Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 10 inches
Arkive
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- Arkive The Reset Dry Shampoo, £12 from Boots – buy here
Founded by famous hair stylist Adam Reed (you may recognise his name as one half of another hair brand, Percy & Reed) Arkive’s big sell is that it’s all about headcare, which basically means giving your hair and scalp the same treatment as your skin.
The Reset Dry Shampoo is infused with rice starch (notice how this ingredient keeps coming up? It’s a dry shampoo must have) to suck away oil and sebum and give that clean feeling.
You’ll notice extra volume and a signature scent to give your unwashed hair that boost of longevity.
Size: 200ml Fragrance: Future Bloom Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 10cm
Virtue
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- Virtue Refresh Dry Shampoo, £32.00 from Sephora – buy here
Virtue is no slouch – the brand has been used by proper A-Listers like Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Garner, and Nicola Peltz-Beckham used Virtue for her now infamous wedding day.
One of the brand’s offerings is the Refresh Dry Shampoo which is a lightweight aerosol spray that uses Virtue’s patented Alpha Keratin 60ku to remove impurities and revive style.
Inside the formula you’ll find Kaolin clay and Tapioca starch which help to make hair feel cleaner and a fresh lemon scent for that finishing touch.
Size: 51g or 128g Fragrance: Lemon essential oil and floral notes Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 6-8 inches
Matrix
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- Matrix High Amplify Dry Shampoo,
£16.10£14.99 from Amazon – buy here
Matrix may not be on your radar but it’s a brand that has a lot of really great products from shampoos and conditioners to seriously strong hold hairspray and pomades.
Included in this collection is the High Amplify Dry Shampoo. It works by absorbing everyday oil build-up for refreshed locks between washes.
Because it sucks up all the oils that would ordinarily weigh down strands it’s particularly good for fine hair, because if you have fine hair you’ll know that grease doesn’t go hand in hand with volume.
Hold four to six centimetres away from your hair and massage thoroughly into the scalp to avoid the dreaded residue that comes with dry shampoo and spread evenly for max benefits.
Size: 4oz Fragrance: None Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 4-6cm
Batiste Dry Shampoo Original
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- Batiste Dry Shampoo Original, £2.44 from Boots – buy here
Think of dry shampoo and Batiste will likely be one of the first brands that comes to mind.
Its distinctly vibrant and summery bottles are a mainstay on many dressing tables, and unsurprisingly, it’s been the UK’s number one dry shampoo for over 50 years.
As is the way with dry shampoos, it banishes oily roots while also adding texture for beachy styling and lived in looks.
If fragrance is a biggie for you, then you’re in luck because there are three to choose from – Blush, Tropical and the iconic Original.
Before you apply just remember to shake, shake, shake and massage in for a seamless application.
For super soft hair, check out Batiste’s brand new Dry Conditioner – it’s the first of its kind.
Size: 120g Fragrance: Blush, Tropical or Original Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 30cm
Kerastase
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- Kerastase Fresh Affair Dry Shampoo,
£31£24.80 from Lookfantastic – buy here
Whatever your lifestyle, your hair and scalp will be exposed to air pollution, sebum and product and oil build up, which is why we need to wash our hair, and if we don’t, that’s when our locks turn slimy, greasy and limp.
To combat strands sticking together at the root, Kerastase’s Fresh Affair Dry Shampoo uses rice starch to absorb leftover product, oil to refresh the hair and scalp and Vitamin E to make sure any dryness is kept in check.
This one’s particularly good for all the time-poor city dwellers out there, backing up its effective technology with a long-lasting, ultra clean scent which intertwines lemon, bergamot and mandarin with lavender, bitter orange, white musk and jasmine for a seriously floral finish.
Size: 150g Fragrance: Neroli Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 15cm
Label. M
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- Label. M fashion Edition Dry Shampoo, £21 from TONI & GUY – buy here
If you’ve always been obsessed with the beauty looks at fashion week, then we’ll let you into a little secret; this Label. M dry shampoo is a backstage hero.
Natural rice starch disperses excess oil to give it the feeling of cleanliness and freshness while also leaving your strands feeling soft.
Imagine this: you’ve created the perfect hair that’s full of texture and looks beachy to the point of perfection, but you know that once you sleep on it, you’ll have to say goodbye to it forever.
Well, with a few spritzes and little massaging in of the Label. M Fashion Edition Dry Shampoo, you’ll find that it reactivates texture and gives your look a second lease of life.
Is it exactly the same? Obviously not. But it’s much much closer than it would be without.
If it’s good enough for backstage etc. etc.
Size: 200ml Fragrance: N/A Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 20cm
Bumble & Bumble
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- Bumble & Bumble Pret a Powder Tres Invisible Dry Shampoo, £25 from Boots – buy here
With a focus on refreshing styles rather than fully cleaning hair, this dry shampoo from Bumble and Bumble adds volume and texture from roots to ends.
Reach for this one if you have straight to wavy hair that errs on the side of oily and non-damaged, but if you have curly or coily strands that are drier and prone to breakage then this one may not be for you.
Bumble and Bumble is a cruelty free brand which is means no testing on animals.
Size: 150ml and 340ml Fragrance: Lightly scented Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 10-12 inches
Oribe
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- Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo, £41.50 from Space NK – buy here
If you’re all about luxury then Oribe needs to be on your radar.
The Gold Lust dry shampoo isn’t about adding texture like some of the others in this edit, but instead focuses on absorbing dirt and oil from the hair and scalp.
You’ll feel the finesse of this product in the softness of your strands after application and notice more body and swishiness than you did before.
Basically, after a few sprays of this and some indulgent massaging, your hair will feel hydrated and like it’s just been washed.
And what’s more, the sleek black bottle and touches of gold will look oh-so-chic on your dressing table.
Size: 268ml Fragrance: Lavender and Chamomile Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 8-10 inches
Amika
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- Amika Perk Up Plus Extended Clean Dry Shampoo, £25 from Space NK – buy here
If you’re into your skincare you’ll probably have heard of AHAs, and this dry shampoo harnesses the powers of the chemical exfoliant for a super clean feel.
Don’t be put off by the word “chemical”; it’s very gentle, quietly buffing away the grit and grime that builds up around the scalp and working with ingredients like sea buckthorn which includes omega fatty acids for hydration. Just spritz the lightweight mist onto hair and let it work its magic.
Amika is also vegan friendly and cruelty-free. Result.
Size: 1.8oz or 5.3oz Fragrance: N/A Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes Distance from scalp: 8 inches
Kevin Murphy
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- Kevin Murphy Fresh Hair, £27 from Cult Beauty – buy here
If you’re someone who loves having fresh hair but hates blow drying or styling it, then it’s an obvious step to add a dry shampoo to your collection.
This one from Kevin Murphy does what it can to counteract odours (we’re talking from cooking or being around anything smoky) while also improving the health of your hair by helping to seal down the cuticle for shiny strands that have life and bounce.
When it says fresh hair, it means fresh hair.
Size: 250ml Fragrance: N/A Suitable for colour treated hair?: Yes