I have a confession: I am a dry shampoo obsessive. It’s not because I don’t wash my hair regularly—the conundrum that I have is that I go to the gym four to five times a week, and washing my locks after every sweat-intensive session is far too tedious. So that’s why I’m always coating my strands with dry shampoo formulas, which buys me a little extra time between actual shampoo sessions. But that isn’t the only reason why: I’ll often spray dry shampoo onto freshly-washed hair, too, giving it volume and texture and encouraging hairstyles to last longer with my naturally fine, flat mane.
Dry shampoos have come a long way in the 15 years since they entered my life and routine. Once synonymous with a grey, powdery finish, the category has seen major innovations; spearheaded by science-backed labels like K18 and Living Proof. The latter has been a bellwether with its Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo, which is designed to actually clean hair and remove oil and sweat without residue.
“Dry shampoo is formulated with ingredients like rice or corn starch and/or alcohol to help ‘soak up’ excess oils on the scalp and give roots a refreshed look and a cleaner feel,” explains Anabel Kingsley, lead trichologist and brand president at Philip Kingsley. Though, she wants to make clear that despite the name, dry shampooing will not clean your scalp and hair to the same degree as shampoo. For this, Kingsley stresses, “you need water and some sort of surfactant.”
As for whether it is bad for your hair? That depends on your usage. “Using dry shampoo to extend a day or two between washes is likely ok, but relying on one as a regular replacement for real shampoo will not do your scalp any favours,” says Kingsley. This is due to product buildup. Over a long period of time, it can “result in scalp itching, irritation, a build-up of dead skin cells, and clogged follicles,” which, according to the trichologist, could “impact the growth of your hair.” This is especially important to note for conditions like dandruff or seborrhoeic dermatitis, since “stretching out more than two days between shampoos is likely to worsen it.” Buildup also weighs down the strands, leaving them limp, dull and dry. To prevent this from becoming the case, the expert recommends a double shampoo or calling on the powers of a deep-cleaning clarifying shampoo.
While dry shampoo won’t directly affect scalp health with its formula, the lack of cleansing leaves follicle-clogging dead skin cells, sebum and residue from styling products behind. The sweet spot, details the expert, is to only use dry shampoo as a one-day hair refreshing extension: “I would not use it for more than two days in a row, and if you have fine hair, no more than one day.” For best practices, she advises spraying it, letting it dry and then brushing through your hair. The last step is often missed, but this helps to distribute the formula and clear oil, while also removing residue powder. In terms of ingredients, look for scalp-loving heroes like allantoin, Zinc PCA, and niacinamide.
Dry shampoo, as I often use it, can double up as a styling solution, too. Kingsley says this is a popular use of this haircare product, detailing, “Dry shampoo can be used as a styling aid at the end of the day to refresh limp roots and add body.”
Below, the Vogue-approved dry shampoos with high-performance and kind-to-scalp formulations.
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Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo
Why it’s Vogue-approved: The closest thing you’ll get to an in-shower wash without the water, this MIT approved formula is designed to clean and care for your hair as well as a wash-out formula. Better still, it’s an invisible formula that negates odours and leaves hair soft and natural looking, which means it’s impossible to detect.
Ingredients: conditioning agents
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo, $33, available at Living Proof
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Oribe Dry Texturising Spray
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Though on the more expensive side, Oribe’s dry texturing spray is an industry favourite for a reason. It’s perfect for transforming otherwise perfectly prim locks into the kind of windswept ‘do that’d be the envy of all your favourite ’70s rockstars. It also doubles up as a dry shampoo thanks to the fact that the spray is infused with zeolite crystallines to absorb oil at the roots without any pesky white residue, ensuring your hairstyle goes the distance.
Ingredients: Zeolite crystallines, sunflower seed extract, co-polymer blend and mango, aloe and kiwi extracts
Oribe Dry Texturising Spray, $79, available at Shunji Matsuo
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K18 Hair AirWash Dry Shampoo
Why it’s Vogue-approved: the idea of a wet dry shampoo might seem odd, but this newly launched product works in exactly this way. Because it’s formulated with porous minerals and no starchy powders, the non-aerosol product leaves no build-up or visible residue behind. Instead, it removes excess oil, balances sebum and banishes odour so that hair looks, smells and feels fresh.
Ingredients: mineral microbeads, microalgae
K18 Hair AirWash Dry Shampoo, $81, available at Sephora
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Color Wow Insta-Wow Advanced Dry Shampoo
Why it’s Vogue-approved: “Our brand-new dry shampoo, Insta-Wow, leaves your hair feeling fresh,” explains Dom Seeley – celebrity hairstylist and Color Wow’s international artistic director whose clients include Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Jessica Alba. “It penetrates the hair fibre, reduces the size of sebum molecules and then removes them, so it’s like it has just been washed.” In two sizes, Seeley is particularly a fan of the smaller iteration. “It can fit in your handbag, so you can discreetly spray it between the office and a night out, or even in the morning before going to work.” He also waxes lyrical on the professional finish. “If you want to look like you’ve had a fresh blow-dry, just spray it on your hair to revive it. It’s also an ideal product if you have a fringe.”
Ingredients: Olive leaf
Color Wow Insta-Wow Advanced Dry Shampoo, $45, available at Harrods
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Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
Why it’s Vogue-approved: With a formula that’s more reminiscent of a luxury shampoo than a dry shampoo, this ultra-lightweight mist is powered by plenty of nutrient-rich ingredients that give hair a health boost, as well as a temporary clean. It’s also formulated with rice starch, which is instantly absorbed, meaning you are left without a chalky residue.
Ingredients: rice starch, sea buckthorn oil, vitamins, antioxidants
Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo, $45, available at Sephora
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Olaplex No.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Formulated with rice starch to soak up excess oil, this clarifying formula also helps add subtle body and texture to strands, leaving you looking and feeling like your hair is freshly washed.
Ingredients: rice starch
Olaplex No.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo, $52, available at Sephora
