Can You Reinvent Dry Shampoo? 4 Radically Different Formulas to Try Now
The history of dry shampoo can be just that: a little dry. For decades—even centuries—new options have revolved around delivery methods (to spray or to pat on?) and the color of powder you’d prefer to temporarily soak up oil or mattify your texture. Not to diminish the generous contributions it has made to the life of your blowout, but you’ve essentially been relying on the same technology that Marie Antoinette and George Washington used. Which is why we’ll refer to this fall’s latest contributions to the product category as The Big Bang. Think weightless, texture-less, transformative aerosols that actually clean your hair; fine mists that trade baby powder for pH-balancing vinegars; and pastes that marry the benefits of lightweight styling cream with the absorbing power of volcanic ash. No starchy residue in sight. In other words, clear out some room on your vanity for one of these four game-changers.
Photo: Courtesy of Neiman Marcus1/4For those who kneel at the altar of second-day texture, this paste of cleansing volcanic ash and drying zeolite will naturally reinvigorate, lift, and mattify oily strands, while coconut and argan oils provide just the right amount of grip, so no matter where you are in your hair-washing cycle, you look fresh, not squeaky clean.
R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste, $28; neimanmarcus.com
Photo: Courtesy of Sephora2/4This spray earns the title of shampoo by going beyond merely soaking up oil, sweat, and odor: It removes them from your hair, too. A patented molecule reduces friction on each strand’s surface to let powders do their cleanup before you effectively shake them (and the oil that they’ve absorbed) off for a straight-from-the-salon finish.
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, $22; sephora.com
Photo: Courtesy of Barneys3/4Perhaps the cleanest of all dry shampoos, Rahua’s Voluminous formula is gluten-free, vegan, and organic, utilizing cassava root and cosmetic clay to absorb buildup and visually thicken hair, while fragrant, antiseptic star anise mingles with vanilla bean in the recyclable bottle.
Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo, $32; barneys.com
Photo: Courtesy of Net-a-Porter.com4/4Since the French popularized dry shampoo, it’s only natural that they reinvent it, too. Parisian hair whisperer Christophe Robin dismissed the status quo when he developed three vinegar-driven “lotion” mists that target grease, scalp sensitivity, and color-treated hair. Each tailored mixture removes environmental residue while re-establishing your head’s pH balance for a cleaner future (that requires fewer and fewer washes).
Christophe Robin Hair Finish Lotion, $48; net-a-porter.com
