The Definitive Dry Shampoo Review

t any given point, my hair is about 90% dry shampoo. Avoiding looking like an 18th century powdered wig, Karl Lagerfeld syndrome as I call it, is not always easy. I have tried just about every offering of dry shampoo, and even one dry conditioner (nope). There are sprays, powders, pastes, and even a mousse. Some are tinted, some are white, some clear, and there’s always good old fashioned baby powder. A good dry shampoo should be able to take limp, oily roots and transform it into a matte, and volumized do. They can range from $4 to $44 dollars, and work with varying degrees of success.

how not to dry shampoo

To begin, theres the cult (and Karl) favorited Klorane. The classic oat-milk infused formula comes in an aerosol spray, and a loose-powder ($20). This “original dry-shampoo” is a classic for a reason. You can buy it almost anywhere in the world for one. Even during my Penn in Venice summer program, where the soaring temperatures and humidity wrecked havoc on my blowouts daily, Klorane was always available at my local farmacia. I prefer the loose-powder without question. You simply sprinkle it onto your roots at your part, your face, and at various intervals  down the scalp. Then shake and massage the powder in, as if you’re actually shampooing your hair.

For colored hair, Batiste is where its at. The Brilliant Blonde, Beautiful Brunette, and Divine Dark formulas have a tint of color, like an instant root touch up. You can buy it at Urban Outfitters, CVS, Target, and on Amazon for varying prices ($5-$9). Sometimes, I use the blonde spray on my dark roots even on a fresh head of hair just to keep the color bright.

For a ~fancier~ option, Oribe’s Gold Lust Dry Shampoo ($44) is brilliant. It is superfine, translucent, with no scent. It is virtually undetectable and is best if put on clean hair as a preventative measure, but it can fix a sweaty blowout need be.

Finally, there’s the hardest working dry shampoo I have ever met; this product will literally bring your hair back from BP spill levels of oil. R+Co’s Badlands dry shampoo paste ($28) is a rockstar, and totally travel-friendly. While I was incredibly disappointed by R+Co’s Death Valley dry shampoo spray, which did next to nothing, this paste has changed my life. My colorist said once they got the

paste into the salon, they have had trouble keeping it on the shelves for long. It works wonders on the look of your hair, but definitely leaves a tough, gritty residue. Hair will not be touchable soft, and for this reason should ideally be washed the same day. I’ll use it in the morning before class if I wake up with hair greasier than in a large Macdonald’s fries, and wash it by bedtime (I won’t be able to run my fingers through my hair by then). But in an instance, all grease and oil is vanished, and hair is left with lots of workable volume!

To skip: Dove, Drybar, Bumble & Bumble, TREsemme, Ouai, Verb, and actual baby powder. As a self-made dry shampoo aficionado I can say with confidence I’ve tried them all, and the true best of the best are mentioned above. So skip the overshampooing and extend your look with any of these options. Pro tip: Blue Mercury on campus has samples of Badlands, Klorane and Oribe, and you can test Batiste at the Urban Outfitters on 34th st. Happy shopping!

Images courtesy of Bustle , The Zoe Report, and HairLossAble