The Best Dry Shampoo

The widely available Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo (Unscented) has an elegant formula, providing reliable shine reduction at a budget price. Unlike nearly every aerosol formula we tried, this dry shampoo combines highly absorbent rice starch with the nearly invisible mineral silica, usually found only in pricier formulas. The propulsive spray shoots out a near-transparent fine cone mist. And this shampoo sprays evenly at every angle, including upside down—ideal for getting at the nape. The result is hair that’s both visibly de-greased and refreshed yet not sticky or stiff.

Delta 5-Setting Showerhead 52535 was an authentic surprise: an inexpensive showerhead—frankly, one we had no great expectations of—that grabbed our attention the moment we began our testing. Its everyday spray setting, a full-coverage rain shower, soaks you like a summer downpour. Its focused hair-rinsing spray is both useful for its intended purpose and pleasurable in its own right. And we were surprised at how useful we found its pause function. It lets you slow the water to a trickle while you shave or shampoo in peace, then return to a full spray—at the temperature you left it at—when you’re done. The Delta 52535’s massage function isn’t the most powerful we’ve tested, but it’s one of the better we’ve found among 1.75 gallons-per-minute models. An array of finishes (polished chrome, brushed stainless, champagne bronze, and matte black) add clean, modern aesthetics to your bathroom.

Rice starch was in the majority of dry shampoos we tested, and it’s favored for its small particle size and high absorption level. However, according to cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos, all starches have an irregular shape that can ultimately feel gritty on the scalp. By combining rice starch with silica (a mineral absorber that can be manufactured to be round), a dry shampoo can have a silkier feel on the hair shaft. “That technology usually comes at a higher cost,” Dobos added. The other 10 contenders with silica that we tested were nearly all double or triple the cost of the Not Your Mother’s shampoo. And only three combined rice starch and silica, including another of our favorites, Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo.

Hair feels soft and flexible, not stiff or crunchy. This dry shampoo’s powerful aerosol blast leaves the slightest white cast, which readily brushes away on both light and dark hair (there’s a dark-tint formula, too). And because it soaks up the heavy grease weighing down roots, you do get a little lift. Other aerosol formulas we tested (Dove Volume & Fullness Advanced Dry Shampoo, Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo, R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo) effectively absorbed shine, but they left hair either tacky or overly volumize

Though some people may consider a dry shampoo as an added styling element, for people who simply want cleaner-looking strands, the nearly imperceptible Not Your Mother’s was a fave. “I could just style my hair like usual,” one tester wrote.

It’s unscented. Most powder and aerosol dry shampoos contain fragrance. That makes sense because people with “dirty” hair might also aim to freshen stale smells. But some people also avoid synthetic fragrances because of their link to health concerns, like migraines. “Not Your Mother’s unscented is a game changer,” said one tester, a longtime user of Batiste’s Dry Shampoo who’d never been able to stand the scents, which she found cloying and overly synthetic. And even though this dry shampoo is unscented, we found that it still neutralized stale smells.

You can’t beat the price.Not Your Mother’s shampoo is currently about $8 for 7 ounces, and the value doesn’t get much better. So this is a great go-to for someone who relies on dry shampoo as a regular part of their hair-care routine. Supervising editor Hannah Morrill uses Not Your Mother’s once or twice a week, and she said a can lasts at least three months.

Best for…

I Dew Care Tap Secret Mattifying Dry Shampoo Powder

Best for on-the-go touch-ups

This refillable, palm-sized compact is outfitted with a handy sponge
applicator for targeted touch-ups. It comes in a range of tints, but
it’s easy to spill.

$18 from Amazon