The battle of the dry shampoos: which ones are actually worth your money?
Dear Diary,
We've all done it haven't we? skipped out on the occasional hair wash day and instead opted to throw on some dry shampoo and hope for the best? Or maybe your someone who uses it to add extra volume and texture into your hair for styling? Whatever the reason, if your like me and are never caught without a can of dry shampoo sitting in their beauty stash, you can guarantee that I've tried a fair few in my time. But which ones are actually the best and worth you spending your hard earned money on? That's why I'm here to give you my own honest, personal thoughts on some of the most well known ones on the market that I have personally used. So sit back, relax and prepare for some knockout performances. Enjoy.
Love Becky. Xxx
P.S. All thoughts, views and opinions are my own, and the pricing of items were correct at the time of writing.
Batiste original dry shampoo (200ml) (£2.99 at Superdrug): A cult classic and comes in a variety of scents, sizes and ranges you'll have tried this product at one point in your life. I think this will remain my all time favourite dry shampoo, and trust me when I say that I've tried a lot on the market. While some may say it's known for leaving a white cast on your hair, what I've found works best for any dry shampoo is to leave it sitting in your hair for 30 seconds after application, than gently messaging the product into your roots and combing through your hair with a detangling brush. Batiste always seems to help me out when I'm in a pinch or want to extend my days until I next wash it. Plus, I find this item really good for added extra volume and grip in my hair if I'm struggling a little bit to style it. 5 stars from me and it won't be leaving my collection any time soon.
Revolution Haircare volume dry shampoo (200ml) (£3 at Beauty Bay): Pretty new to the market, Revolution are famous for their affordable make-up that has every beauty lover lining up for their newest release (which happens quite often might I add?) so when I saw they had launched their new haircare line to Beauty Bay while I was just so ever casually window shopping on there, I knew I had to add it to my basket. Plus, it's pricing is competing with some cult classics on the market. Formulated with bamboo extract and 0% talc , this product is designed to leave your hair feeling refreshed and provide you with added volume with added scents of apricot, rose petals, jasmine and soft musk. Sounds pretty amazing right? Unfortunately not for me, this dry shampoo was such a let down. My hair felt tangled and really dry after the first application and it took quite a while for the formula to actually sink into my hair which is not what you want, especially if your in a rush in the morning. I had such high expectations for this item and instead, it just made me feel really disappointed. Sorry Revolution.
Hair by Sam McKnight Lazy girl dry shampoo (250ml) (£19 at Hair by Sam McKnight): An award winning hair styling product, this is one knockout item that I was so desperate to try. When Latest in Beauty included this in their Summer STYLE edit in collaboration with The Sunday Times, you can bet your last penny that I was purchasing this.
Designed to be used as both a styling product and dry shampoo, there are multiple ways you can use this such as spraying onto your hairbrush and running through your hair for a lighter effect, or by spraying onto roots to soak up any excess oil and dirt in the hair. While I really wanted to like this product, I just couldn't get to grips with it. I used this as a dry shampoo by spraying onto my roots and it instantly made my hair tangled, wet and left my scalp really itchy. I have tried so many different ways to use this item and I've even looked up tutorials online and it still doesn't work in my hair. Priced at £19 for a 250ml can I'm glad I didn't pay full price even if the design and smell of the product are gorgeous. If anyone can recommend any other ways to use this product, I'm always open to suggestions which you can leave me by leaving a comment on his blog post or messaging me over on my Instagram @prety_pink_diaries
Moroccan Oil dry shampoo dark tones (205ml) (£15.45 at Look Fantastic): Included as part of a gift set on Look Fantastic with their iconic Moroccan oil, I hadn't tried many dry shampoos with a tint in them so this was the perfect opportunity to give it a test run. Developed with ultra fine starch, this will instantly revive your hair in-between washes while still maintaining the vibrancy of dark, brunette tones. I was pleasantly surprised at this product and was amazed at how vibrant, soft and shiny my hair was. My hair looked like I had just blow dried it and I could easily run my fingers through my hair. This by far was the best tinted dry shampoo I had ever tried and although it is on the pricey side, I would actually repurchase this and use it for special occasions or when I'm on holiday to give my hair that freshly styled look. 5 stars from me and I would highly recommend.
*please note* when massaging this dry shampoo into your hair, a little bit of the tint will transfer onto your fingertips, but it is very easily removed by washing your hands. No transfer was noted on pillowcases or bedding either.
Living Proof PHD (perfect hair day) dry shampoo (92ml) (£10 at Cult Beauty): I was able to try this out thanks to Look Fantastic including this inside their August beauty box in collaboration with Rosie Connelly (which you can read about by clicking the button below).
I had high expectations for this product as it's not just a fan favourite amongst many beauty enthusiast, but it's also highly recommended by many social media influencers. Designed to give you that perfect second day hair by absorbing oil, sweat and odour with it's silicone free formula, your hair won't feel weighted down or leave behind any powdery residue. While I can vouch for no residue being left behind and giving me quite a lot of volume in my hair, I did find it that little bit harder to run my brush through my hair. My hair definitely looked cleaner the next day and I didn't wake up feeling I aged 50 years over night however, I wasn't overly keen on the smell (smelled like men's aftershave). I think if it had a refreshing fruity or floral smell to it I would have been sold on it more, and it is quite expensive. For me, I would actually recommend this dry shampoo as it is really good at cleaning your hair, but only get it if your not too bothered about what it will smell like and if you can afford it.
TRESemme instant refresh cleansing dry shampoo (250ml) (£3.99 at Fragrance Direct): I think this was one of the first ever dry shampoos that I used during my mid teens as I was very new to the haircare world and was already using their shampoo and conditioner at the time and thought, why don't I give this a try? Unfortunately you won't see many glowing reviews about this product online or from me as it is one of those traditional dry shampoos that leave you with the biggest white cast you have ever seen and is really hard to get rid of. I remember spending so much time trying to massage the product into my hair with no hope in sight. While it does clean your hair and smell nice, you'll be rocking quite the hair look thanks to the powdery formula it leaves behind. I wouldn't recommend this product and I would probably just stick to batiste if your just starting out with dry shampoo. Sorry TRESemme.
Maria Nila invisidry shampoo (250ml) (£22.40 at Sally Beauty): Introduced to this item through a limited edition summer kit from Glossybox back in 2020, Maria Nila is a growing brand that is increasing in popularity within the UK and for good reason. Produced in Sweden and 100% vegan and cruelty free this brand offer you salon worthy results at home without the expensive price tag and all of the unnecessary chemicals that are found in many big name brands. While I am a massive fan of their revive shampoo and conditioner range, their dry shampoo didn't seem to blow me away quite as much (excuse the pun, lol). Although it did clean my hair, add volume and give me an additional day or too until wash day, my hair felt a little bit dry and I really did have to keep brushing the product through my hair. While it's not the worse one that I have used, I don't think I'll be reaching for this one any time soon.
Co Lab dry shampoo, Unicorn (200ml) (£3.49 at Boots): Discovered through the Feel Unique beauty box service, this was one of those products where I was sucked into the hype and the adorable packaging. I mean, who doesn't like unicorns? The product description of this item claims to leave a fragrance of rainbows and pure fantasy (I don't know what that's supposed to smell like so I was intrigued). All I know is that there was a little bit of a rose and musk scent so if that's what pure fantasy smells like, than you can pass on this one for me. After applying into the roots of my hair, I could already tell that I did not like this product as my hair was beginning to feel a little bit sticky and hard to run my brush through. When I woke up the next morning, my hair felt even worse and I had to wash my hair to remove the residue from my hair which is the opposite to what you want in a dry shampoo. An absolute massive fail for me and I would not recommend this to anyone.
Klorane dry shampoo with oat milk (150ml) (£9.50 at Look Fantastic): Introduced to this brand by Latest in Beauty, I was drawn to this item because of it's key ingredient (oat milk) which is famous for it's nourishing and gentle formulation to the hair while also providing protective properties. Packed full of highly absorbent powders such as rice starch and oat, I was hopeful that it would disguise any oiliness on my hair with good results. One thing I didn't know about this product when first using it was that once sprayed onto your roots, you should wait for 2 minutes before massaging into your scalp for maximum effect. I only usually wait for 30 seconds before working my magic, so 2 minutes seemed quite long. I did find with this product through trial and error that the longer you leave it in your hair, the better the results. If your someone who is really stretched for time but would like to try this product out, than apply this at night time and you'll find yourself waking up with beach like waves in the morning. While I found this to be an ok dry shampoo, I think it's better suited for styling and getting a bit of texture in your hair. If I had to rate this item I would give it 3/5 stars.
In conclusion:
There you have it! My honest opinions about some of the top rated dry shampoos on the market. Out of all of the ones that I have reviewed on this blog post, if I had to recommend any to you it would be Batiste, Moroccan oil and Living Proof. What did you think of my reviews? Did you agree or disagree with me or have I now persuaded you to try any new ones? I would love to hear your thoughts which you can do so by leaving a comment on this blog post or by sending me a DM on my Instagram account @pretty_pink_diaries . I have also included some discount codes for you, should you wish to purchase any of the items mentioned above.
Discount codes:
- Quidco cashback referral (get £5 free for signing up): https://www.quidco.com/raf/10302980/
- £5 off your first £25 order at Look Fantastic: https://www.lookfantastic.com/referrals.list?applyCode=REBECCA-RN44
- 15% off your first £25 order at Cult Beauty: https://share.cultbeauty.co.uk/x/Ak6Lpb
