"As much as I love to be a productive, working gal, I also love sleep. The thought of getting to snooze my alarm for an extra 30 minutes (or an entire hour—TBH I did that this morning) truly makes my heart skip a beat. There’s nothing like sleeping in, even if it’s for just a little longer. Sometimes I even set my alarm earlier just for the sole purpose of hitting snooze. However, as we’ve discussed multiple times previously, my oilier-than-average hair doesn’t like to go more than a day between washes. While I can make do (ha, get it, hairdo?) with top knots, messy buns, and half-up ponytails, after a while, it’s just obvious that my hair is dirty and I have no choice but to put it up.
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That’s where dry shampoo comes in. I remember the first time I tried a dry shampoo and thought, “This is it. This is happiness.” I went into a deep love affair with dry shampoo, and I went through about a bottle every few weeks. I was honestly love-drunk on the idea that my hair could look good without having to be washed (and also probably a little real drunk on all those aerosol fumes).
I quickly learned, however, that not all dry shampoo is created equal, and once I got my hands on good dry shampoo, it made using the bad stuff feel like I was putting nothing on my hair. In hopes of finding the good stuff—no white marks, no gross smell, and makes my hair actually feel clean rather than just masking the oil—I’ve tried what feels like everything on the market, and I have some opinions to share.
Just a few things to know about me: I have very fine, blonde, medium-length hair that is dry on the ends and oily at the roots. Now, onto my ranking:
8th place
I thought this would be my absolute favorite. IGK is a little more expensive, and their packaging is to die for. All of their products get amazing reviews, so I thought if I finally splurged on this dry shampoo, all my hair woes would magically end.
Nope.
This dry shampoo was probably one of the worst I’ve ever tried. I don’t know if I was using it incorrectly, but it just didn’t seem to do anything. It didn’t soak up any oil or give me any volume. I also didn’t really love the scent. I was left with hair that was still greasy, flat, and smelled bad. Not exactly what I was going for.
7th place
If this wasn’t the first dry shampoo you ever tried, what were you doing? This is a classic in my book, and it’s what fueled my initial obsession with dry shampoo. With that, it also showed me that dry shampoo can be so much better. It definitely soaks up oils, but it leaves a film that doesn’t actually make it feel clean. When I ran my fingers through my hair, I could feel the dry shampoo—yuck.
In a pinch (and on a budget), I don’t think you can go wrong with this dry shampoo, but there are definitely better options out there.
6th place
Kristin Ess might as well be another editor in our office—we’re obsessed with basically everything she comes out with. From scalp scrubs to hair accessories to hair tools (her 1-inch curling iron gives such great curls!), there aren’t many of her products that I haven’t loved. Her dry shampoo is a little cheaper than some of the other options on the market, so I figured it could be a good alternative to my favorites when I don’t want to drop the extra cash.
This dry shampoo is fine, but the best part is definitely the classic Kristin Ess scent. I’d buy it again for that reason alone.
5th place
This is the #1 dry shampoo of The Everygirl office, so I knew I had to try it when I first started working here. This one definitely made my hair feel clean, and it has much less of a white cast than others (which is why I can see our dark-haired editors preferring it). The only reason I didn’t totally fall head over heels for this dry shampoo is the feeling it leaves in my hair and how dry it made my scalp. While I feel like this wicks up a lot of the oil and sweat in my hair (making it perfect for after the gym), it left my roots feeling itchy and dry after using it too often.
I’ll definitely keep this in my arsenal for when I need some serious oil-control, but otherwise, it’s not my favorite.
4th place
This dry shampoo is pretty average. It's not bad by any means, and I can see why people love it. It's very user-friendly, smells good, and it's priced well. I especially love the travel-size version and feel like it's a great, easy option to take on-the-go. But otherwise, it's nothing special and doesn't inspire me the way my other favorites do.
3rd place
I wanted to try this for a long time because I’m obsessed with pretty much everything I’ve tried from Briogeo. (Also, their founder is amazing!) This dry shampoo is a little different from all the others on this list because it’s a powder instead of a spray.
I thought this had a lot of good hold—I would definitely use this on a night out or if I was trying to give myself lots of volume. This dry shampoo, without a doubt, gave my hair the biggest look of all. However, I didn’t notice my hair feeling quite as clean as it did with my beloved #1 choice.
2nd place
For the days when my hair is the greasiest of all—I'm talking post-Orange Theory workout, after a weekend camping trip, or maybe a four-day stint at your partners' place—I'm going with this. The Super Dry Shampoo is just that—an intense dry shampoo for the oiliest of roots. This is a bit much to use every single day, and I actually noticed that using it too much makes my scalp a little irritated, but for days when I really need to wash my hair, it's the best. It doesn't leave a white cast and doesn't make my hair feel sticky or gross. Plus, I'm obsessed with the Ouai scent and would be happy smelling it on my hair every day for the rest of my life.
1st place
The moment I tried this, it felt like true love. I bought a mini version at Anthropologie when my hair was looking particularly disgusting, and I was in awe at how clean my hair looked and felt. I’ve been purchasing this dry shampoo for about two years now, and I honestly get annoyed with myself every time I deviate from what I know to be good and true.