from citizens From ancient civilizations applying powdered clay to their hair, to the first commercial dry shampoos hitting the market in the 1940s, people have spent their lives trying to bridge the gap between dirty hair and busy lifestyles. I distinctly remember my mom using baby powder in the 1980s, and my first drugstore dry shampoo purchase in the early 2000s. It's like spray paint and probably contains enough chemicals to poison a small animal, but it does allow me to skip a few days of the grueling daily routine of washing, drying, and organizing. This break has been good for my sanity and my hair.
Come 2022, commercially produced dry shampoo suffered its first major blow, with companies like Procter & Gamble and Unilever voluntarily recalling their dry shampoos due to possible elevated benzene levels. Familiar drugstore brands like Dove, Nexxus and Suave are suddenly being linked to cancer risks, raising questions about dry shampoo: What exactly is in the stuff?
Thankfully, since the recall, most companies have begun testing their products for benzene and other harmful chemicals. Third-party testing is hard to come by, but the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) is independently funded and has a Skin Deep database tool that consumers can use to analyze harmful ingredients that may be lurking in cosmetics and personal care products. We've included their data on specific dry shampoos in this guide. However, if you're looking for a completely chemical-free way to expand your style, check out the dry shampoo alternatives box below.
For more hairstyling buying advice, check out our guides to the best hair straighteners , best curling irons , best blow dryers , and best curl diffusers .
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I have been using dry shampoo for over 20 years. In this guide, I tested more than 25 popular, widely used formulas on my thick, long, heat-straightened black hair multiple times over the course of nearly four months. I use them in my daily life just like I would any dry shampoo - after a workout, during a busy work week, while traveling. I also seek out the opinions of friends and family with different hair types and textures when I need a second or third opinion. I focus on results (does my hair still look clean at the end of the day?); ease of application; is there any heaviness, stickiness, or residue; value; how quickly and effectively does the dry shampoo mix? and whether the smell is light or strong.
Tips for using dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is a great tool for extending your hard-earned style and minimizing damage to your hair by reducing the frequency of heat styling. However, dry shampoo can only go so far.
"Dry shampoo releases and cleanses the hair's natural oils, but it doesn't remove a ton of product," notes celebrity hairstylist Garren McLaren, co-founder of hair-care company R+Co . "It's best used on second- or third-day hair." In other words, don't go a week without showering and expect dry shampoo to work miracles. Dry shampoo should also not be used for more than a few days in a row, as using it too often can cause buildup and irritation on the scalp.
Using dry shampoo at night is another strategy recommended by many experts because it absorbs oil while you sleep—an especially good option for dry shampoo that tends to get sticky. McLaren also recommends blow-drying with cold water after using dry shampoo: "If your hair is too dark or brittle and has a lot of gel or product in it, if you use dry shampoo instead of blowing it with a blow dryer and cold air, It can sit on the surface of the hair," he says. "This can cause your hair to feel stiff. It won't damage your hair, but it can make your hair feel dry or stiff."
What's in this thing?
There are countless dry shampoos out there that claim to revolutionize the dry shampoo experience, but most work in much the same way: absorbent starch, carrier agents, fragrance, and propellant in aerosol dry shampoo. In the past, many dry shampoos contained talc as an absorbent, but it was 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, charcoal powder, and even volcanic ash. I also tried some more unusual formulas like creams, liquid sprays, and lotions, although I didn't find the latter two to be particularly effective on my hair. For each dry shampoo we recommend, I've tried to help demystify the marketing claims by listing the key functional ingredients that help it absorb oil.