Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
from citizens From ancient civilizations rubbing clay powder into their hair for the first dry shampoo to hit the market in the 1940s, people spent their entire lives bridging the gap between dirty hair and busy lifestyles. I vividly remember my mother using baby powder in the 1980s, as well as the first time I bought dry shampoo at the drugstore in the early 2000s. It went on like spray paint and probably contained enough chemicals to poison a small animal, but it allowed me to skip a few days of arduous washing, drying, and drying. adjust mode. This break was good for my mind and my hair.
Commercially produced dry shampoo got its first big black eye in 2022, when companies like Procter & Gamble and Unilever voluntarily recalled their dry shampoos. potential elevation of benzene. Familiar drugstore brands like Dove, Nexxus, and Suave were suddenly seen as cancer risks, raising the question of dry shampoos in general: What’s actually in this product?
Thankfully, since the recall, most companies have tested their products for benzene and other harmful chemicals. Third-party testing is difficult, but non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) is independently funded and has a Skin Deep database tool to analyze which harmful substances are hidden in cosmetics and personal care products for consumers. We’ve included their information on specific dry shampoos in this guide. However, if you’re looking for completely chemical-free ways to enhance your style, check out the Dry Shampoo Alternatives box below.
Check out our guides for more tips on buying a haircut Best Hair Straighteners, Best Curling Irons, The best hair dryersand The best diffusers for curly hair.
Empower with unlimited access Narrative. Get the best report that is simply too important to ignore $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe today.
I have been using dry shampoo for over 20 years. For this guide, I tested over 25 popular, mainstream formulas on my thick, long, heat-treated dark hair over the course of about four months. I used them in my daily life like any dry shampoo – after training, during busy work weeks, on trips. When I needed a second or third opinion, I also sought out the opinions of friends and family with different hair types and textures. I focused on efficacy (did my hair still look clean at the end of the day?); ease of application; heaviness, stickiness or residue; value; how quickly and well the dry shampoo mixes; and whether the smell is light or heavy.
Tips for using dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is a great way to extend your hard-earned hairstyle and will help minimize damage to your hair by reducing the frequency you need to heat style. But dry shampoo can only go so far.
“Dry shampoo strips hair of its natural oils and cleanses it, but it doesn’t remove tons of product,” notes celebrity hairstylist Garren McLaren, co-founder of hair products company R+Co. “Best used on second or third day hair.” In other words, don’t skip a shower for a week and expect dry shampoo to work wonders. Dry shampoo should also not be used for more than a few days in a row, as overuse can cause build-up and scalp irritation.
Applying dry shampoo at night is another tactic many experts recommend, as it can work to absorb oil while you sleep—an especially good option for dry shampoos that tend to thicken. McLaren also suggests using a blow dryer on cold after applying dry shampoo: “If your hair is extremely colored or brittle and has a lot of hairspray or product on it, don’t dry shampoo and blow dry. cold air can sit on the surface of the hair,” he said. “It can cause the hair to become stiff. It won’t damage the hair, but it will make it feel dry or stiff.”
What’s Really in This Thing?
There are countless dry shampoos out there that claim to revolutionize the dry shampoo experience, but most work the same way: absorbent starches, carrier agents, fragrances, and aerosols will burn in the case of dry shampoos. In the old days, many dry shampoos contained talc as an absorbing agent, often contaminated with asbestos. Some dry shampoos may still list it as an ingredient, but none of the shampoos we recommend do.
In addition to starch, some companies add other natural, absorbent minerals such as kaolin clay, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, coal dust, or even volcanic ash. I’ve also tried more unusual formulas like paste, liquid spray, and lotion, though I haven’t found the latter two to be particularly effective for my hair. For each dry shampoo we recommend, I’ve tried to disguise the marketing claims by listing key functional ingredients that help absorb oil.
