With the convenience product market booming, can something like dry shampoo really make your luscious locks party-ready and save you prep time? We put some products to the test with the help of some volunteer Beauty Call viewers to find out which dry shampoo gets the A&K Stamp of Approval.

The Basics

Dry shampoo is used as a way of freshening your hair without putting it through the rigors of a wet wash and the harshness of a full restyling with the likes of hair dryers, curling irons, styling products, etc.) 

A powder that is sprayed on to your hair, dry shampoo absorbs oil from your hair and scalp and is then brushed out. Many products also have added scent to help mask odor, and some are even coloured to create highlights or cover roots.

Dry shampoo doesn’t actually clean your hair as a wet shampoo wash will, however.

You may remember dry shampoo being popular back in the 1970s, though forms of dry shampoo (e.g. clay, rice flour, etc.; anything to absorb oils) have been used in different cultures for centuries.

Recently there’s been a resurgence in popularity of dry shampoo as a new batch of innovative products has entered the marketplace.

Best Uses of Dry Shampoo 

• As an in-between boost instead of a wet wash. This is particularly good if you have over-processed hair: give your hair and scalp a break every other day using a dry shampoo instead.

• As a travel option. Easy to pack without worry of leakage, dry shampoo can be a great way to keep your hair fresh on a short trip.

• As a rejuvenating touch-up after a work day, before going out at night. Dry shampoo will absorb the oils that weigh down your hair, which are generated by your scalp throughout the day. 

• As a hairstyle boost after a workout. To help absorb sweat and oils post-gym, dry shampoo is a great option. 

• For a better style: slightly dirtier hair is actually easier to style. (Think back to your bridesmaid days: ever had a hair stylist tell you to wash your hair the night before the wedding rather than the morning of? This is why.) Dry shampoo helps create really good texture on the hair so that fancy updo will behave.

• For more volume: the enemy of volume is limp, oily hair. Dry shampoo helps fix this by cutting out the unwanted oil. It also adds great texture (as noted above).

Shopping Tips

• Dry shampoo products in a spray can tend to be the lightest and sheerest, according to beauty experts, and they also tend to be easier to mist evenly over the head.

• Some dry shampoos come in tinted varieties to match your hair colour. Be careful with these because the product can stain clothes, hands, and pillow cases.

• If you’re sensitive to smell, remember to check the scent before you buy.

• If you have dry hair: look for oat-based products. Oatmeal and oat milk have long been known as moisturizing treatments for dryness.

• If you have oily hair: look for products made for oily hair, which should include astringent ingredients like plant oils, tree oils, and herbal extracts to break down your scalp’s oil more readily.

TEST CRITERIA

We recruited some regular gym-goers to help us test our dry shampoo products after their workouts throughout a month.

Test Results

• It seems that overall, dry shampoos do give your hair a bit of lift, which we think is great for time-strapped people, or to give limp locks an extra boost.

• The Klorane felt light and powdery. The application of it was easy and it felt good in the hair. It didn’t leave the darker-haired testers with a white or gray tinge.

• The Rockaholic felt almost like a hair spray to one of our testers.

• The Fekkai powder left our dark-haired tester with a gray tinge to her hair. She said she had to massage it in a lot for it to look natural.

• The Bumble & Bumble was a big flop with all of our testers. It was super messy, and it left an annoying residue of colour on our hands.

• Anna liked the baby powder best. She found the spray products all had alcohol in them, which is drying on your hair. The Fekkai powder was her second choice out of all of our products.

OUR TOP PICK

Kristina felt the Klorane did the best job on her darker hair, as did the majority of our testers. Klorane Oil-Supressing Dry Shampoo gets the A & K Stamp of Approval.