These Dry Shampoos Keep Hair Looking Fresh and Clean Between Washes

No one wants to lather, rinse, and repeat every day—and many experts agree that you shouldn’t. Fortunately, the best dry shampoo can make your hair look fresh and clean, tiding you over until your next wash day.

The age of bad hair days is over. There are countless dry shampoos on the market today to choose from, and you can guarantee that there’s an option for each and every hair type or need out there. Since there are so many options, you might be unsure of what to prioritize: voluminous strands or refreshing your scalp? Or maybe you want a dry shampoo that will match your latest hair color transformation?

Let’s start with the basics: You might be wondering: why is washing my hair every day not a good idea? Kiley Fitzgerald, a celebrity hairstylist, tells us that “not washing your hair every day allows hair to grow more, because a lot of breakage occurs in the shower and during shampooing.” She adds that “when you shampoo your hair, you rid your scalp of oils, causing it to reproduce oil back into the scalp more quickly. Instead of washing your hair every day, use a dry shampoo with absorption benefits to keep your hair looking clean and fresh.”

Of course, dry shampoo saves you time with less hair washing, but there are a lot of other reasons to use it too, says Fitzgerald. “It keeps your hair smelling great even if it’s really dirty, which comes in handy. Also, dry shampoo adds so much body and volume at the root of hair, helping to style and keep longer.” And if you are one of those people who always feel like their hair is dirty, even right after washing it, “that’s a tell-tale sign of over-oil production from washing too frequently,” Fitzgerald explains. If you find yourself in this situation, dry shampoo is practically made for you!

So if you’re in the market to buy stock up on dry shampoo but don’t know where to start, we did the research for you to find all the best recommended dry shampoos for every hair need.

How we chose the best dry shampoos

We consulted celebrity hairstylist Kiley Fitzgerald, some of our own Prevention team members, and reviewers who have shared their own insights after using the products on our list.

Our top picks