The Best Dry Shampoo

22-04-2025

Shampoo bars (or hair cleansers in solid form) used to be a niche product sold at crunchy organic markets. But as our shared cultural awareness of the ills of forever plastic grows, so too does our appetite for consuming less packaging. The calculus surrounding sustainability is always complex, but there’s no doubt that a shampoo bar is an elegant, plastic-free alternative to bottled counterparts. Once low-lather, hair-stripping compromises, solid shampoos now come in a wide range of offerings, and they deliver luxurious results that are as good as or better than what you get with liquid shampoos.

We tested 16 popular shampoo bars, with panelists who have varying hair types, from thick and curly to fine and straight. And we found a versatile bar that’s best for most hair types, a hydrating hero, a bar that leaves fine hair fuller, and a gentle option for truly sensitive scalps.

We tested 16 popular shampoo bars, with panelists who have varying hair types, from thick and curly to fine and straight. And we found a versatile bar that’s best for most hair types, a hydrating hero, a bar that leaves fine hair fuller, and a gentle option for truly sensitive scalps.

The best shampoo for you is personal, and it can change with location, weather, and hairstyle. Here’s hoping one of our picks gets you started on your next good hair day, no bottle required.

High performer, budget-friendly: Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo (Unscented)

image

Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter

Best for…
Delta 5-Setting Showerhead
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo (Unscented)

Best for frequent use

This easy-to-use aerosol formula readily absorbs oil and odor without leaving hair gritty, all at a tough-to-beat price. You may want to avoid the scented versions, though.

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.</a >

Hair feels soft and flexible, not stiff or crunchy.</span >
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</a >

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.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

  • The scented versions don’t smell great. While the original citrus
    fragrance is inoffensive, our testers found the warm sugar variant to be
    stomach-turning. We had no trouble sourcing the unscented version in
    many local chain stores, but it could be easy to pick up the wrong can
    and be unpleasantly surprised.
  • If you use the product more than once between washes, a little residue
    is inevitable, especially if you run your fingernails along your scalp.
    We’ve never noticed visual buildup or any lingering issues after using a
    regular shampoo.
  • The particles and chemicals in aerosol products can irritate the lungs;
    this is of special concern to anyone with asthma or allergies. Not Your
    Mother’s shampoo contains isobutane and hydrofluorocarbon 152A, which
    might be
    irritating</a >
    to
    lungs</a >
    when inhaled in high concentrations. Those with respiratory concerns
    will want to use caution around any aerosols.

Specs

Colors: clear, dark tint
Variations: volumizing, texturizing, unscented, original,
warm sugar, fresh citrus, overnight, travel size

Tiny but mighty: I Dew Care Tap Secret Mattifying Dry Shampoo Powder

image

Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter

Best for…
Delta 5-Setting Showerhead
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.

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