Over on our Facebook page, BAMRs galore started singing the praises of dry shampoos. Which made us wonder — which is the best?
We lined up a panel o’BAMRs, sent ‘em some products, and had them spray away. Here’s the nitty-gritty.
Our testers:
Sarah Bow, who has mid-back length curly hair.
Krista Rider, who has thick, long, curly hair.
Audrey Schaab, long, curly and dry/frizzy
Debbie Shurson, extremely long and wavy red hair that has never been dyed or highlighted
Nicole Neher, long straight hair
Genelle Tilden, long, blonde, fine but fairly thick hair, which tends toward the greasy side
Erin LeFevre, curly hair, and applying dry shampoo made her hair big, like ’80s style big!
Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo Clean Freak, Unscented
When I sprayed it in my hair, it left a residue that was hard to get out. Because I have curly hair, I do not brush my hair. With this product, I think brushing is probably necessary to redistribute the product. I also was hoping it would give me some shine. It just didn’t really feel like it was doing anything special for my hair. I would not use this product again. (SB)
I use dry shampoo almost every day. I really like that there was no scent and it was in cute packaging. However, it really didn’t seem to absorb the oil in my hair, which is the main reason I buy these types of products. I would not buy this product after trying it. (NN)
I think I like a little scent, so found the unscented a bit boring but not bad. The biggest negative for this one was it just didn’t soak up the greasies very well. I felt like I hadn’t really used dry shampoo; I eventually ended up throwing on a hat or a ponytail on days when I used this product. One positive is there isn’t really any buildup; perhaps on girls with less oily hair, this one might work well. (GT)
I really liked the smell of this product. I used it after I worked out during the day. My hair doesn’t get too sweaty, but I still want something to put in my hair after it’s been in a ponytail. This was great to use because I could spray it in my hair to give it a little umpf and it made my hair smell nice. I would use this product again purely to put in my gym bag to use after working out. (SB)
It made my hair feel soft and had a pleasant odor. Since my hair got so big during the application, I decided the best choice was to put it in a ponytail. I do that every morning when I wake up, and normally all the little hair and curls are sticking up all over the place. The Pssst! made my hair look like I had actually showered, let my hair dry, then put it in a ponytail. I will definitely use this product again! (EL)
I did not care for the smell at all. It felt very cool, almost wet going on. I liked this because it felt like it really freshened up my hair; however, it ended up that my hair felt a bit more dry and frizzy than I would have liked. I don’t know if I would use it again. In a pinch I’d say “yes,” especially if all I was doing was pulling my hair into a pony (which yes is most days, but still!) (KR)
I really liked how it felt going on. It felt cool, not wet, and seemed to dry my greasy patches a bit better. This one needed to be worked through my hair more and had to be held at a further distance from my head otherwise it showed up white on my hair, which is brown. This one was better for my curls and I didn’t get that frizzy feel or look. I was better able to manage the fly aways. I would definitely use this one again. Be aware it needs a little more working through than point-and-shoot-and-go. (KR)
This was probably my second favorite prior to this testing. It works well and absorbs the oilyness very well. It smells nice, too! Biggest downside is it leaves a lot of buildup behind. I don’t always mind that because it gives my fine hair some texture — but may not be good for girls with heavier or drier textured hair. (GT)
I use dry shampoo almost every day. I like that this product absorbed the oil in my hair and had a nice fresh scent. It’s better than ones I’ve used in the past. However, it has a little bit of a “white powder” look on your hair at first and it is not presented in a great bottle. I would use the product again. It was no frills but got the job done. (NN)
Batiste, clean and classic original
Hands down, My new favorite. I had never tried this brand before. It smells really nice and not overpowering, takes care of the greasies amazingly well- even post run sweaty hair is no match! Good as new! The thing I was most impressed by was how well it worked in relation to how little buildup it leaves! In my past experience with dry shamp, more build up=better grease control. But this one leaves my hair silky and not dry feeling, and absorbs the grease. I also love how powerful the spray is! It kind of just blasts my head, in a good way! I will seek out the Batiste as my first choice from now on. (GT)
This produced a nice amount of volume at the roots. This one has a more natural primary ingredient – rice starch vs. Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, in the Suave dry shampoo. Batiste has a milder fragrance. While I am likely to use up the remainder of what I was given, I am not likely to purchase this product. It comes in an aerosol can, which I avoid mainly for environmental reasons. I am leery of the ingredients. When I want dry shampoo, I’ll stick to my latest homemade recipe: adding cocoa powder to arrowroot powder for my darker roots. (AS)
TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing
The odor was not pleasant. It made my hair feel sticky. And the application made my hair big. When I put it in a ponytail, it looked like I just woke up. All the little hairs and the crazy curls were sticking up everywhere. (EL)
It didn’t seem to dry up my oily hair and, on second use, it gave it a weird whitish hue. The smell, however, wasn’t bad (probably because of the grapefruit and tangerine peel) so I could at least give it a second shot. My issue with this product lies with the environmental ramifications TRESemme tests on animals and the first three ingredients are absolutely disgusting. Don’t get me wrong — I am not an “all natural” person, I believe in stabilizers so that I don’t have to keep my shampoo in the fridge. However, I believe science doesn’t have to use animals or animal byproducts, and it should be used to help make products safe and effective. (DS)
Did we test your favorite? Is there anything you’d like to add? Do you have thoughts on what we should test next? Please let us know in the comments!
I have been using a dry shampoo for a few years that I find very effective- it is called Klorane. I have very dark, fine, oily hair and this product does it for me.
I still can’t do it. tried dry shampoo twice and spent the rest of the day itching my scalp. whether it was just mental or not, I’ll stick to the shower.
I’ve used not your mother’s and did not like the residues it left in my hair. I’ve switch to living proof which is expensive but wonderful. I can use it several times before I need to actually shower (:
Amika dry shampoo is amazing! The scent is fabulous, and it doesn’t leave your hair weighted down or gross feeling. The packaging is super cute too!
Another for Living Proof — smells nice, no residue, my hair actually FEELS clean.