The Dry Shampoo Edit

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A few weeks ago I talked a bit about my new IGK hair routine on instagram, and my friend @ohthewerewolf had some questions about the Jet Lag dry shampoo and how it compared to some others she’s using right now. Well, let’s just say she inspired me. I needed a travel size dry shampoo anyway since I doubt the TSA would look kindly on that huge spray can in my carry on, so instead of buying one – I got four. Well, three and a deluxe mini (the Drybar one). Combine that with the ones I already had and it turns out to be quite the roundup – but which one is the best? My hair is basically dry shampoo’s worst nightmare – curly, fine, and dark brown, so I tested it looking for no white cast, volume and of course oil absorption. Since I’m testing travel sizes here, I’m also awarding points for travel-friendliness (they’re all TSA-ok, but actually convenient to pack is another story). Fragrance is sort of a big deal to me too, because even if I like the scent of a hair product, I don’t want it to overpower my perfume.

Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder ($13)

I originally grabbed this at Sephora as a ploy to add more volume to my hair, and I haven’t really used it that much. It goes on very white, and the shaker bottle makes it tough to distribute evenly. Translation: it requires a lot of work to massage in and I pretty much can only use it when I wear my hair straight. On the plus side, it does add volume, and since it’s not a spray I don’t have to put it in my liquids bag for travel.

• Invisible: No
• Absorbs Oil: Yes
• Volumizing: Yes
• Scalp-friendly: Yes
• Travel-friendly: Yes
• Scent: Citrusy & light, almost unnoticeable

Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder Tres Invisible Dry Shampoo ($14)

I hoped that maybe the spray version of the B&B Pret-a-Powder would be a little more user-friendly, but nope. It’s lightly scented and the size of the can is pretty convenient for travel, but that’s about where the good points end. It’s less white than the powder version but still not invisible. The biggest problem though, is it doesn’t seem to do anything. It didn’t absorb the oil in my hair, and it didn’t add volume. I had planned on keeping all the stuff I bought for this post (can you ever have too much dry shampoo?) but I’ll be returning this one because it simply doesn’t do anything for me.

• Invisible: No
• Absorbs Oil: No
• Volumizing: No
• Scalp-friendly: Yes
• Travel-friendly: Yes
• Scent: Slightly sweet, almost unnoticeable

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo ($13)

Hoooooly moly, talk about a strong scent! It’s a fragrance that I’d enjoy in a perfume (they describe it as violet, sandalwood & musk) but it’s strong to the point of being inconsiderate to the people around you. I’m glad I tested this on a Saturday so my poor coworkers didn’t have to be punished for science. As luck would have it, I also used it when I’d straightened my hair, which is also a good thing. It goes on really white, and takes a lot of work to massage in. On the bright side, it does absorb oil and add volume. The canister is pretty slim too – the same as the free sample I got, just a little taller. Still, this is my least favorite of the whole bunch, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless you have light-colored hair and for some reason want your hair products to do double-duty as too much perfume.

• Invisible: No
• Absorbs Oil: Yes
• Volumizing: Yes
• Scalp-friendly: Yes
• Travel-friendly: Yes
• Scent: Musky floral & very heavy

IGK Jet Lag Dry Shampoo ($14 travel size)

As I mentioned in my IGK post, I’m a big fan of this dry shampoo. If I didn’t want to do a blog post about them, I probably would have just bought a mini Jet Lag and been done with it. But where’s the fun in that? While it doesn’t add as much volume as some of the others, it actually does go on invisible, which means I can use it when I wear my hair curly without massaging the roots into a huge ball of fuzz. It does have a noticeable scent, but it’s pleasant and fades quick enough not to compete with whatever my fragrance o’ the day is. I haven’t been able to figure out what the travel size container is like, because the one I have is full size and my local Sephora didn’t have the small one in store. If you know, please leave a comment!

• Invisible: Yes
• Absorbs Oil: Yes
• Volumizing: No
• Scalp-friendly: Yes
• Travel-friendly: ???
• Scent: Citrusy & strong, but not terribly long-lasting

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($13)

This was the first dry shampoo I had used in a long time. I bought it quite a while ago and I thought it was pretty ok – until I tried some other ones for comparison. It only has a slight white cast, and the volume is great. Unfortunately it’s kind of heavily fragranced, and if I wear it a couple days in a row my scalp itches like crazy. I’m also not a fan of the travel size bottle at all – it’s tall and wide, so it would take up a disproportionate amount of room in my liquids bag.

• Invisible: No
• Absorbs Oil: Yes
• Volumizing: Yes
• Scalp-friendly: No
• Travel-friendly: No
• Scent: Citrusy & heavy

Ouai Dry Shampoo ($12)

Ouai’s dry shampoo ticks almost all of the boxes for me. It goes on without turning my hair white, it adds volume while absorbing oil (though it wasn’t the most-cleansing of the bunch), the canister is easily packable, and it didn’t make me itchy. The only problem? It has a pretty strong floral fragrance that doesn’t wear off for several hours.

• Invisible: Yes
• Absorbs Oil: Yes
• Volumizing: Yes
• Scalp-friendly: Yes
• Travel-friendly: Yes
• Scent: Floral & heavy

Verb Dry Shampoo ($8)

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect much from the Verb dry shampoo since like the B&B Pret-a-Powder, it comes in a powder form, in a shaker bottle (though the full size does have a pointed nozzle to help direct the product). What I found was even though it comes out of the bottle white, it only takes a very tiny amount of massaging before it disappears like magic – taking all greasiness with it. There’s no tacky residue either; my hair actually feels clean to the touch. Another major point in its favor is the fragrance – either it’s unscented, or it’s so light that I’m not able to smell it. The only thing I’m not in love with is the application method, which can be a little messy, but then I don’t have to keep it in a liquids bag for travel, which is nice.

• Invisible: Mostly
• Absorbs Oil: Yes
• Volumizing: Yes
• Scalp-friendly: Yes
• Travel-friendly: Yes
• Scent: Couldn’t really smell it

So is there one dry shampoo to rule them all? As usual, I’m hesitant to point at one and say “this is absolutely the best.” They each have something that makes them less than perfect, but really shine in certain situations. With that in mind, my top picks are:

Verb – for all-around general use. It doesn’t win for convenience, but it works really well, is easy to travel with, and I love that it’s unscented.

IGK Jet Lag – this is my favorite for when my hair is curly (and doesn’t need much volume boosting), or if I’m in a hurry.

An honorable mention goes to the Ouai dry shampoo for being a solid all-around option, especially if you don’t mind a strong-ish fragrance or a spray format is a requirement for you.

Are you a dry shampoo fanatic? Which one is your favorite?