For over ten years, I had short hair.
We’re talking chin length.
I loved my short hair and I felt like it suited me…the only BAD thing about it was that there was no throwing it in a bun or ponytail. It had to be washed, dried, and straightened daily, or it looked like a hot, sticking up mess.
About a year and a half ago, I decided to grow my hair out. It’s the first time since I was a teenager that I’ve let it get past my shoulders, and one thing I discovered is that I love being able to do things with it — curling it, sock buns, sides up…and pony tails!! Another thing I realized was that I don’t have to wash it every day, which is a huge time saver on busy mornings (and I’m sure will continue to come in handy with the new baby).
The only problem? I hate feeling like my hair is dirty. I’ve been hearing about dry shampoos for awhile, but have been skeptical…so I finally decided to put them to the test and see if dry shampoo is something I want to incorporate into my routine.
The verdict?
I love it!! Of course, I didn’t love ALL of the ones I tried, so we are going to go over that. I tried six dry shampoos of all price ranges. Of course, there are many more I haven’t tried, but I feel like these are a good representative of what is out there.
I had high hopes for this one. It’s listed as one of the best and was an Allure magazine top choice. However — I hated that it was a powder. The powder was hard to blend into my hair…I had to brush and brush to keep my roots from being white. The smell was nice and fresh, but a little too lemony for me. It almost reminded me of hand soap or household cleaner.
Price: about $20 for 2.5 oz
End Result: I’d use it in a pinch, but I definitely wouldn’t spend my money on it again.
This one wasn’t bad. The smell was a tad pefumey for me, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t deal with. The thing I liked the least was how it sprayed out — it’s an aerosol, which I loved, but it shot out super concentrated and strong, so it was hard to get an even mist. I kind of felt like I was just able to hit “spots” instead of evenly spraying it along my roots.
Price: about $6 for 4.3 oz
End Result: This is a great option if you’re looking for something inexpensive to just freshen you up a little
Bamboo Style Cleanse Extend Translucent Dry Shampoo
This one came highly rated on Sephora, and I really liked it. It’s a light aerosol spray with a clean scent, and it didn’t give my roots a weighted down or super dry feeling. It was easy to spray out and mist all over my roots.
Price: About $20 for 4.75 oz
End Result: Definitely one of my favorites. I’ll use the bottle until it’s empty for sure.
I really didn’t like this one. I’ve heard it’s a great inexpensive option, but it’s a spritz, not aerosol, which I didn’t care for. It left my roots a little damp at first, and the smell was just so so.
Cost: around $5 for 4 oz
End results: I won’t be using, even in a pinch
I really really liked this one too. It smells great, goes on clear, and gave my hair a fresh smell that wasn’t over powering. It is just a little dry feeling, but overall, I think it’s great.
Price: $15 – 20 for 6.3 oz
End result: I’d definitely recommend, but for $20 it’s not my absolute favorite. If you can catch it on sale, grab a can.
Kenra Platnum Refresh and Revive
My hairdresser got me hooked on the Kenra line a couple of years ago — I use the Blow Dry Spray and Volume Hair Spray religiously. I was excited to try their dry shampoo and see if I loved it as much as their other products. And I did!! It has a light tropical scent instead of smelling perfumey or flowery, and went on evenly and without being overly dry.
Cost: Around $20 for 5 oz
End Result: My favorite of all I tried. I will continue using this — it made my hair look and smell great.
A few tips:
I have hair with JUST enough wave that it gets a bit frizzy and tends to look wrinkled if slept on. I found that skipping a wash looked best on days where I straightened my hair with the Chi iron the day before.
I heard a tip that your hair has more volume if you spray it with dry shampoo before bed instead of in the morning. I liked the way my hair looked and felt after sleeping with it in, but still liked to give it a quick spray in the morning to freshen up.
Even if I’m not washing my hair, I shower every morning. A good shower cap is a real lifesaver — it keeps your hair nice and dry so you can wash up without getting it damp. I own this adorable shower cap and love it. It’s large enough to hold long hair, and is mold resistant. I just keep it rolled up in a cup that sits in my bathroom and get it out when I need it.
So there you have it — feel free to skip a wash and hold your head high!! I’d love to hear your thoughts and if I skipped one of your favorites!
–Kristan
I’ve tried a bunch and my favorite happens to be Dove, and it’s also the cheapest!
I”ve tried several also and my favorite is Suave Professionals. I even use it on my clean hair to give it volume.
I try to wash my hair only twice a week. My hair is almost to my waist and it takes 30 minutes to wash and condition. I can leave it down the day I wash it and maybe the second day if I had used the straightening iron the day before. The third and second day I usually wear my hair up so it is not noticeable. To be honest, I wear my hair up most of the time just to keep it out of my face! LOL If I have lots of stuff planned and want it to look nice, I’ll wash every other day – which is not often.
I use the Oscar Blondi on my 9 year old’s hair. She’s half Indian (the cute, sweet half) and her hair is very black and very thick and I still LOVE it. I found the sprays much, much harder to comb in.
I’m an Oscar Blandi girl too. I’ve tried the aerosols and I just don’t think they hide the greasy look for me. The powders just work for my kind of hair (Black- thin hairs, but lots of it). I’ve never had a problem with combing through it- I actually use a comb, not a brush. I haven’t had residue, just the occasional powder on my face to brush off.
Tresemme makes an aerosol dry shampoo also! I use it & like it a lot & it’s cheap! I agree it works well when you spray it on at night before bed!
I use the Tresemme aerosol and I like it. It turns my hair gray at the roots while it drys, but once I brush it out, it’s fine. Just don’t go overboard or you will have a hard time getting the “gray” out.
I haven’t used any but would love to know if anyone’s tried Redkin’s dry shampoo. I need to get on this bandwagon!
Love this! I’ve been wondering about these, but was too unsure to pull the trigger. Did I miss you mentioning where you can buy your favorites? Like the Kenra brand one?
Sooooo…not like you haven’t tried enough already, but if you ever get the itch to try one more I have Batiste from Ulta and loooove it!! Not mention it’s inexpensive!
I love when a hair product smells great. I just picked up a bottle of dry shampoo before the storm, knowing we’d be without power for at least a day or much more. I forget the brand… don’t totally love or hate it but it’ll do in a pinch.
I use the tressime aerosol as well it’s great
I have naturally curly hair, meaning if it is not gelled and washed everday it is naturally FRIZZY…why would i use dry shampoo? I feel stupid but I just dont get it….I only blow dry my bangs and NEVER flat iron, simply because I dont put that kind of time into myself.lol
I also use suave. its the only brand ive tried but it works great. Hubby loves the smell too so that is an added bonus.
I also use the Suave Dry shampoo and love it! If your ever in a pinch and out of dry shampoo, my sister in-law that is a hair dresser suggest using baby powder, it takes a small amount in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and then run your hands through your hair, this also work pretty good.
I use this one:
http://www.sallybeauty.com/dry-shampoo/SBS-140250,default,pd.html?cm_vc=SEARCH
and love it! It’s only $7.59 at Sally’s Beauty Supply! It seems similar to the Rockstar one, but I haven’t tried it, so who knows! I usually only wash my hair every 3 days. The first day, I wash it at night and let it air dry, the next day, I get up and don’t need any dry-shampoo since I just washed it the night before. The next day, I use it and pull my hair half up and the third day, I use it and usually wear my hair in a pony tail, then wash it that night and start the cycle again!
It’s funny that you said the thing about still taking a shower… I used to read about all these people who only washed their hair every 4 days and would always think that meant that they didn’t take a shower for 4 days!! LOL! Finally one day I was like “DUH!! I can still take a shower without washing my hair!!!” I do need to get a shower cap, though. I never thought about that!
I work at a Toni&Guy salon (the creators of all the TIGI products) and was curious to see how you rated Dirty Secret. I’m happy to see that you liked it, and after reading your reviews thought I might suggest another TIGI dry shampoo from the Catwalk line. It has a lovely soft smell to it (my clients comment on this smell all the time) and it has half the powder Dirty Secret does. I like it a lot better because I have dark hair and noticed that dusty look when I used Dirty Secret, but with the Catwalk dry shampoo I rarely experienced it. Oh, and another oil fighting tip for you is Salt Spray. I use it as a volumizer and notice less oil on the second day. I’m not completely oil free, but I feel like I need a lot less dry shampoo.
Nikki Kelly @ the ambitious procrastinator
I LOVE shower caps. Everytime we stay at a hotel, I ask for a few extra, and they are always very happy to give them to me. My in-laws travel a lot also and they always bring me some back from their trips! (some people want souvenirs…) I’m going to have to try some of these. I remember when the only one you could get was “Psssssssst”…anyone remember that one?
I used to use Psssst when I was, well, um, younger. And in a pinch, we’d use baby powder. There were dry shampoos that hospitals used, too. I used to camp and cross country backpack a lot and liked having dry shampoo along (I know, guilty pleasure). I had no idea that dry shampoos were back and with such a wide variety. Both of my daughters have waist length hair and I’m sure would love an alternative to daily washing. I’m so going to try some of the ones you suggested. Thank you for taking the time to test them and write the review!
I’ve bought the Suave dry shampoo and love it. Can’t beat the 2.99 price tag either. I’m on my second can and I’m addicted.
Tresemme makes an actual dry shampoo that is aerosol. It works okay on my hair. My favorite that I have found is Pssssst! brand. I can only find it at Ulta. I love that they also make it in a travel size!!