Dry Shampoo: the universe's way of saying, "Go slay, girl!"
Because honestly, who has time to wake up early, wash and dry their hair properly, and then go to work all day?
(If you do - tell us your secrets!)
We picked out 3 different dry shampoos and paired them with 3 different girls.
Then we tried them for a week straight...or as long as we could make it! We have dry shampoo - before and after photos so you can see what worked, and what didn't.
Then we tried them for a week straight...or as long as we could make it! We have dry shampoo - before and after photos so you can see what worked, and what didn't.
What was the best dry shampoo for dark hair? Is dry shampoo powder the way to go?
Check out our rankings below!
DRY SHAMPOO #1: ABBA Always Fresh Dry Shampoo
MODEL: Lorie
HAIR TYPE: Fine/Normal + Natural Redhead 
Day One: Freshly washed hair, minimal product and minimal styling.
Day Two: Starting to get oily. Sprayed dry shampoo at my roots, brushed it through. Hair felt a bit dry and static-y (Alberta winters...) so I added some Biosilk Lite Oil to my ends.
Day Three: Feeling greasy this morning. Sprayed with dry shampoo and used a trick from Kayla to brush in all directions. Much better! Absorbed the oil really well, but I went for a top knot since it was starting to feel dirty. It had the perfect texture for an updo!
Day Four: Today was almost too much for this "wash every day" girl to handle. Nonetheless I still sprayed and brushed the dry shampoo through, which did help a lot to absorb the oil. My hair was also feeling super thick and textured at this point, so I went with a high ponytail. By the end of the day it was definitely time to wash my hair!
VERDICT
Fragrance Strength: 3/5 - Normal. Not overpowering, but definitely not scent-free.
Powder Strength: 5/5 - Heavy. Need to massage in and brush out for sure. Did not show residue on my red hair after brushing, though!
Absorbing Power: 4/5 - Great! I have oily hair and this did the trick.
Longevity: 5/5 - Normally I wash my hair every day. With this dry shampoo I was able to last 4 whole days with no washing!
Ease Of Use: 4/5 - Very easy to aim the nozzle where you want the product. Does require a few minutes of brushing out after.
DRY SHAMPOO #2: Nioxin Instant Fullness Dry Cleanser
MODEL: Kathy
HAIR TYPE: Thick + Natural Brunette
Day One: Air-dried overnight, small amount of leave-in-conditioner, heat-free style. Let's do this!
Day Two: My hair is feeling a little flat today. I am a typical every-other-day washer so the amount of oil is halfway-to-a-wash type amount. I sprayed the Dry Cleanser on my roots and teased it with my finger tips to rub out the excess. This gave me volume, volume, VOLUME!
Day Three: Woke up with still so much volume! Felt like I really didn't need more dry shampoo - but added more in the spirit of the challenge. Let's just say that on my dark roots, this dry shampoo was too much to layer up and I might have been better off without adding more.
Day Four: I can complete at least 4 days of the challenge thanks to this product! I decided not to add more today so I could wear my hair half-up! It is so full of texture and the tapioca starch is keeping my oil at bay even after sleeping - BONUS! I can throw my scrunchie in and not be worried about dusty-looking roots!
VERDICT
Fragrance Strength: 3/5 - This fragrance isn't too strong, and it smells so good!
Powder Strength: 5/5 - This is some serious texture powder! It gave me so much volume I might even use it as a texture spray, too!
Absorbing Power: 4/5 - I loved the cleanser part! It even lasted more than a day and I didn't need to re-spray every day.
Longevity: 4/5 - I made it four days with no problem! But I wouldn't be able to go longer than 4 days without a wash.
Ease Of Use: 5/5 - This can is the perfect size and the nozzle was so smooth and made for easy application. Way easier than washing, drying and styling for sure! Just a little teasing at the root to get rid of the excess starch.
DRY SHAMPOO #3: Kenra Platinum Dry Shampoo Foam
MODEL: Kayla
HAIR TYPE: Thick/Coarse + Natural Brunette
Day One: Fresh wash, dry and style. Just thermal spray and a little bit of hairspray in there.
Day Two: Still feeling good, but a little oily and smelly at the roots. Used two small toonie/sized "dollops" of dry shampoo foam at my roots (only around the top of my head and my front hairline), massaged in and brushed out in all directions for a few minutes (until product is no longer wet in the hair). Result: like new!
Day Three: Hair was in a top knot overnight. Starting to feel a little gritty and greasy. Applied dry shampoo foam all over at the roots, massaged for 1 minute, and brushed out for 5 minutes. Felt surprisingly fresh and my hair looked GREAT (tbh I was a little nervous because it was Saturday and I had people to do/things to see...er - no the other way around).
Day Four: Felt pretty dirty this morning (my hair...c'mon guys). Starting to show some white flecks of residue in my dark hair and starting to get a little itchy. Ends of my hair were still pretty nice and clean, so I dry shampooed again and brushed it through. Roots were still showing product residue, but my ends felt and looked great! To a busy Canadian girl, that means throw on a toque and get to it! But definitely needed a wash after this day. So, the result of the shampoo foam test???
VERDICT
Fragrance Strength: 4/5 - Slightly stronger than your average dry shampoo, but the smell is amazing so no complaints! It is not overpowering. It just smells like nice shampoo, not like really perfume-y hairspray.
Powder Strength: 4/5 - You'll see the powdery leftovers on your fingers after massaging it into your roots. Requires way more brushing than with any sprays I have used, but the foam was much more moisturizing and didn't dry out my hair.
Absorbing Power: 5/5 - Was really effective. I probably won't switch back to a dry shampoo spray after using this.
Longevity: 5/5 - I have eczema on my scalp and usually need to wash every other day, so I lasted way longer on this challenge than I thought I would. This dry shampoo would be even better for someone with light coloured hair.
Ease Of Use: 4/5 - Easier to use than I thought. The only thing I had to figure out was how long I needed to brush it after. Nozzle can clog easily, just run it under hot water for a couple minutes to clean out the sprayer.
