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Dry shampoos have risen to become a staple hair grooming product in most styling routines, whether it’s to provide volume, prolong washing your hair or to lend a helping hand in maintaining a blowout. No matter what your hair goals are, incorporating the best dry shampoo into your styling routine can help eliminate odor as well as soak up grease and oil — no salon appointment required.
What is considered the best dry shampoo? You don’t want to grab the first can you see, as some formulas can leave a powdery residue or weigh your strands down, resulting in a look that will have you feeling the opposite of a good hair day.
Before you reach for just any dry shampoo, Billboard Shopping spoke with celebrity hairstylist and star of Paramount+ reality show Blowing LA‘s Ted Gibson (whose clientele includes Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Rachel Brosnahan, Lupita Nyong’o and Gabrielle Union) as well as Gibson’s previous apprentice and editorial hair stylist Madison Sullivan to get their expert insight on the best formulas to use, no matter what your budget and hair texture are.
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Keep reading to see the expert-approved picks, as well as how to use dry shampoo and ingredients to look out for.
How to Use Dry Shampoo
At first sight, it may look easy to use dry shampoo, whether you’re looking to maintain a blowout using your go-to blowdryer or hiding the fact you’re going on day three of unwashed hair. If you spray too close, you may get an unwanted residue, whereas spraying too far may not get enough of the product in your strands. Gibson recommends you “Spray 4 to 6 inches away from the scalp concentrating on the scalp and not the hair.”
Don’t just leave it, though — he further adds that “After you have applied it, massage the scalp to evenly distribute [the product around] the entire scalp.”
Best Dry Shampoo Ingredients
Gibson suggests when searching for the right dry shampoo for yourself, you “Look for Vegan and cruelty-free formulas.” This usually includes plant-based ingredients like argan oil, avocado oil, castor oil, black seed oil, murumuru butter and aloe vera.
“I think spray is good, but sometimes I do prefer a powder depending on what I want to accomplish and time for application,” he adds. “I have used them for covers of magazines as well as red carpet events.”
In terms of ingredients you should avoid, Sullivan says anything with sulfates and silicones.
Best Dry Shampoos for Curly Hair
Vegamour Gro Dry Shampoo
Vegamour Gro Dry Shampoo is Gibson’s go-to for curly hair, as it looks to restore and retain strands without drying out your scalp or leaving it more greasy than before. The formula uses natural ingredients such as rice starch, mung bean, red clover and kaolin clay to help support thicker hair and more.
DevaCurl Dry No-Poo Moisturizing Dry Shampoo
Whether you have coily or curly hair Sullivan suggests picking up DevaCurl’s can of dry shampoo as it’s “specifically designed for curly hair.” The ingredients will help prevent hair from drying out and “remove excess oils while refreshing the mid-lengths through ends.”
Best Dry Shampoo for Coily Hair
Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo
For coily hair textures, Gibson finds that Rahua’s dry shampoo works best at creating volume and soaking up oils. The plant-based ingredients will not only assist in lengthening the days in-between hair washes, but uses real botanical aroma to help strengthen your roots as well.
Best Dry Shampoo for Wavy Hair
Batiste Dry Shampoo
For a budget-friendly pick, the expert suggests incorporating Batiste’s Dry Shampoo — especially on wavy hair. It uses a spray-powder formula that looks to soak up grease without drying out your scalp.
Kerastase Fresh Affair Dry Shampoo
Both wavy and straight strands can use Kérastase’s dry shampoo, according to Sullivan since it’s “super lightweight, leaves no white residue and smells amazing!”
Her pro tip for the best results is to spray roots from 10-12 inches away to avoid any white residue, but you can move closer if needed. For an overall refresh, make sure to spray at the same distance in the mid-lengths and ends.
Best Dry Shampoo for Straight Hair
Klorane Dry Shampoo With Oat Milk
Gibson recommends Klorane’s dry shampoo for straight hair and after a look at the ingredienets, it’s easy to see why. The powder formula uses oat milk that aims to be extra gentle on the scalp as well as can be used to add texture to hair while styling or braiding.
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best beauty deals, beauty products celebs love and stress-relieving tools.