Is There a Perfect Dry Shampoo? I review 10 brands!

Five years ago, I didn’t even know what dry shampoo was. Now, it is a major part of my beauty routine. As a 47 year old, I guess my hair is not as oily as it once was and so shampooing every day is not necessary. I do, however, workout every day and because of that, on non-shampooing days, I like to use a little dry shampoo to make my hair smell nice and keep it looking clean. With a good dry shampoo, I can generally get away with only shampooing twice per week, which saves me a lot of time.

The issue is that there are so many dry shampoos on the market these days. I had used a charcoal based one for years (literally years because that one little bottle lasted a long time!), but I didn’t like that it made my scalp a little itchy and then when I scratched, I got grey under my fingernails. I know that’s gross and I’m sorry, but I’m trying to give you an honest review here.

So as soon as I finished up that charcoal product, I started trying to find a product I liked better. I wanted a very light scent (the charcoal one didn’t have any discernible scent at all), a product that actually made my hair look and smell clean and not cost an arm and a leg. I love bloggers and learn lots from them, but I do get tired of their recommending really high priced items all the time. But I did wonder if the $25-30 cans of dry shampoo were worth the price. I ordered 7 of these high-end brands in sample sizes and I’ll summarize them for you here in this one sentence: I didn’t really like any of them.

Here are the products I purchased:

My overall impression of all of these were that they left my hair feeling gunky, not clean, and the scents were overpowering. I kept smelling their strong perfumey-ness all day long and that drove me crazy. Plus, the aerosols made me feel like I was inhaling toxins. However did I survive being a teenager in the 80s with all that hairspray?! I guess I’m a pretty low maintenance girl and I like good quality products that don’t make me feel like I’m harming my health in the process. Is that so much to ask?

Of those seven products, the Amika Perk Up was my favorite. The scent was the least offensive and it did leave my hair feeling clean enough that I could go a couple days between washes. But is it worth $25 a bottle? Could I find something as good or better for less money? And without the aerosol issue? The IGK was the absolute worst in terms of performance. It made my hair feel so gross that I couldn’t wait to wash it – exactly not the point of dry shampoo. Moroccanoil worked ok, but the scent was like baby powder and absolutely drove me crazy.

I have used Batiste in the past and frankly, like it just fine in terms of scent and performance. Yes, the scent is pretty strong, but it dissipates pretty quickly. I certainly felt that it performed as well, if not better, than the more expensive brands. None of these brands I’ve mentioned so far are known for environmental friendliness or being non-toxic so we’re simply talking performance here.

After trying all of these high end products without success, I decided to check Thrive Market. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?!? I guess I got “influenced” into trying those high priced brands. Oh well, live and learn. I have loved Thrive Market for years and should have known they would come through for me. They carry exactly three dry shampoos and I chose the Acure brand for brunettes. It comes in a cute, little shaker bottle like baby powder used to (or maybe still does). It has a very, very light scent of cocoa and peppermint. So if you’re a fan of a peppermint mocha, this is the dry shampoo for you! 😉 It works well, it absorbs quickly, doesn’t make my hair feel gunky, gets me a couple days between washes, doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, and has no harsh chemicals or propellants. All in all, it’s the most perfect dry shampoo I’ve found. The bottle is small so perfect for travel or just easy storage. And it’s only $6.49. If you’re not a member of Thrive Market, what are you waiting for? This is where I get all my shelf-stable healthy ingredients for paleo cooking and baking and a lot of personal care products as well. I highly recommend you give them a try. You can get a free 30 day trial (with free shipping on orders over $49), plus you get 25% off your first order (in addition to the already substantial savings). Just sign up for your free trial with this link. 

In conclusion, I set out on this little dry shampoo adventure hoping to find a new product that I loved, one that would work well, smell nice, not break the bank (but I was willing to pay for a great product) and it would be a bonus if it was non-toxic for both me and the environment. I think I found it! Now I have a bunch of dry shampoo I have no desire to use so I’m hoping to donate that somewhere.

The moral of this story – yes, look to people you respect for recommendations, but also be true to yourself. Yes, I’m a blogger, but I am small potatoes in this world. No one is paying me to represent their brand, which means that I will always give you my 100% honest opinion. This doesn’t mean that what works for me or suits my priorities will work for you, but I hope that this information I’ve provided is helpful to you.

Most of these high-end brands offer trial or travel sized products so I definitely recommend you start with those if you want to try a few. And by all means, if you find a product you absolutely love, please share about it here in the comments so we can all learn.

Best wishes for happy hair days to you all!