Dry Shampoo 101: Our Tests & Tips!

Let’s talk dry shampoo.

In case you are new to this topic, let’s go over just what dry shampoo is . . . and the best way to use it.

Dry shampoo is made with moisture-absorbing ingredients. It’s designed to combat dirty or greasy hair between regular shampoo washes. And yes, you can also use it to add volume to hair or preserve color-treated hair, since the latter can fade with too much traditional shampoo washing.

After doing hands-on testing, here are some real-world tips we learned:

• Once you work dry shampoo into your hair, we found massaging or brushing removes most of the residue.

• After using a dry shampoo, shake (or brush) out excess powder in a shower—that way you don’t get powder all over your bathroom.

• Most dry shampoo is made of white power—and that can leave a white cast or streaks in your hair.

The winners of our dry shampoo trials did the best job at NOT leaving that white residue! That said, some dry shampoos were better for dark hair than others, in our opinion. Below, we’ll share which ones we thought are best for different hair colors. 

How We Tested

To start, we asked our parent readers for their favorite dry shampoo brands. Then we interviewed six hair care experts to their insights—and that helped narrow down the choices. 

Finally, we purchased and tried several brands with different hair types. 

Here are the best bets:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!