Battle of the Dry Shampoos

Let me confess, I'm a recent convert to the world of dry shampoo...by recent I mean about a year ago is when I truly really started using one. Prior to that I would try different ones that claimed to be amazing but they all fell short. Really short. Also, I was an avid wash my hair everyday kinda gal. I hated my dirty oily hair or 'bed head' as it's better known as.  My hair felt gross which in turn made me feel gross.  However, that has since changed & that might be combination of there not being enough hours in the day & that dry shampoos have come along way. I am now a can't live without dry shampoo kinda girl that believe it or not only washes her hair twice a week (except for when I go to the range, I always wash my hair after that).

There are so many dry shampoos on the market and I think I've tried them all or least have gotten pretty close.  Over the past year, I've tried different dry shampoos from department store to drug store brands and have come to find some real gems.  And instead of reviewing all the ones I tried, I'll review the ones that have been in rotation for more than an month. So let's get started shall we? 

// MY FAVORITE SPLURGE //
Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black Dry Shampoo  
If you're familiar with the Elizabeth & James Nirvana line of fragrance and love it like I do then you are going to love their dry shampoo. I promise. I prefer the E&J Nirvana Black (notes of vanilla, sandalwood, and violet) over the E&J Nirvana White (notes of peony, musk} as it's lends to a more vanilla scent versus the white or typical perfumes that tend to be more floral.  Okay, so back to the the dry shampoo.  I was pretty excited when this first was released but also extremely skeptical that they were entering the dry shampoo market. I went ahead and bit the bullet and paid the $28 and I have to say I'm obsessed. This sprays on as a fine airy white powder leaving a hint of the Nirvana Black scent. The scent seems slightly strong upon initial application but it fades and leaves such a nice hint of vanilla notes. The black canister with the gold label is so sleek that this is one you can leave out on your bathroom counter.

I'm able to use this over the course of multiple days and not feel like I'm getting product build-up. It left my hair feeling fresh, soaked up the excess oil, gave volume, and didn't leave behind any white residue. While the price tag is pretty steep for a dry shampoo, it's definitely one I'm keeping in rotation but I'll save it for the weekend or date nights. 

// MY DAILY USE //
Moroccan Oil Dry Shampoo for Dark Shades 
Did you know that you can get dry shampoo in different tones depending on your hair color? I've used dark toned dry shampoos in the past and they were terrible (I'm looking at you Bumble & Bumble) so I was a bit hesitant to give this a try. However, I was pretty impressed by it.  The powder is tinted to a very light taupe/beige shade. For me, this doesn't matter too much. I have pretty dark hair so anything other than dark brown/black is going to show up. But the key is to blending and using a quality product.  The scent on this Moroccan Oil dry shampoo, is the same scent used across their entire line of hair care products. It's not overpowering at all.  I was able to use this over the course of multiple days and again didn't have much product build up. The dry shampoo comes out in a more directed steam instead of spray, if that makes sense. I've been using this as my daily dry shampoo and I'm loving it. It's still a little costly but doesn't compare to other dry shampoos in the price range but it's good. 

// MY FAVORITE SAVE //
Psssst! Instance Dry Shampoo 
Before the E&J Nirvana Black came out & before I tried the Moroccan Oil, this was my go-to dry shampoo. It wasn't a favorite of mine but it was the best drug store brand I could find that actually worked. Psssst! doesn't have a fragrance and is a white color based powder. Its spray covers a lot of ground. The powder seems a bit chalkier than some of it's higher cost buddies so it takes a little bit more effort to blend this in. I keep this one on hand and have been using it interchangeably as my daily dry shampoo with the Moroccan Oil Dry Shampoo. This does't make my hair feel as clean as the the previous two but it does a good job.

// NOT A FAN //
Cibu Ka Pow Dry Shampoo
I don't really know where to start with this one. At first, I liked it but then quickly stopped using it. I was hoping the fragrance would dissipate after initial application but it didn't. I could smell it on my hair all day and quite frankly, it was so annoying. The first two days, it did a great job of soaking up excess oil and leaving my hair feeling fresh. However, by the end of the day, my hair lost volume and felt weighed down.  Trying to use this again on day three was hair suicide. All it did was leave my hair feeling gross, heavy, and the product build up was so bad you could see a layer of white residue forming. I would expect better quality from a $16/bottle.  This one ended up in the garbage after I took the photos for this post.

 

I think one of the hardest parts for me to overcome when I was first entering the world of dry shampoos was not washing my hair.  Over washing the face and hair tends to strip natural oils so they go into overdrive and start producing more oil. So after about day two on not washing my hair, it felt so gross and nasty. Obviously I got over it & so as long as you get over that initial hump, you'll be fine.  

5 Tips When Using Dry Shampoo:

  1. Shake the canister vigorously to ensure the powder gets evenly mixed

  2. Spray underneath and in sections under the top layer of hair

  3. Leave the dry shampoo in for about a minute or two

  4. Rub the dry shampoo into your roots and then comb throughout hair

  5. Run a blow dryer quickly through roots and hair for added freshness

One of my favorite things about my top 3 dry shampoos is that they also come in travel friendly sizes!  Also, another great benefit of using dry shampoo is that you'll also be saving money on your water & electric bill.  And for all my fellow preppers out there, the travel size versions are perfect to throw in your bug-out bag (it's an essential if you want it to be) or should you have to bug-in & don't have access to water, youre hair can still fee fresh :)

Beauty & WellnessEmily V.