Anyone who’s pressed snooze one too many times will know the lifeline that the best dry shampoo can provide. Of course, there’s always the option of excess hairspray and a slick-back bun, but this can leave you contending with all-day neck pain and the risk of traction alopecia as a result of the tension and follicle stress?

Not only is a dry shampoo the quicker solution, but – according to hair stylist Joe Kelly (who’s tended to the locks of Iris Law and Maya Jama) – “Dry shampoo isn’t just for absorbing oil.” On the contrary, he told me, “I mostly use it as a texture or finishing spray – I love the fluffy, lightweight effect it gives, and how it can instantly make hair feel fuller, softer and more lived-in without making it stiff.”

These days, dry shampoos are a dime a dozen, whether you’re looking for a cheap as chips supermarket option or a luxury splurge. As such, the challenge ahead was clear: whittle down the hundreds of sprays, powders and aerosols on the market to an easily-digestible list of the very best dry shampoos.

Armed with more than 15 formulas, myself and Daisy Lester – the brunette to my blonde – set about testing the industry’s most hyped dry shampoos over the course of eight weeks. These were the ones that earned our IndyBest seal of approval.

Read more: Best texturising hair sprays, tested

The best dry shampoos of 2026 are:

  • Best overall– K18 airwash dry shampoo: £48, Sephora.co.uk
  • Best budget buy– Batiste colour dry shampoo: £4.35, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best for fine hair– Sam McKnight lazy girl dry shampoo: £26, Cultbeauty.co.uk
  • Best for oily hair– Living Proof perfect hair day advanced clean dry shampoo: £27, Sephora.co.uk
  • Best for dark hair– Typebea G5 3 in 1 dry shampoo for hair growth: £26, Sephora.co.uk

Read more: Best hair bonding treatments, tested

  • Bestdry shampoo overall
  • Why we love it- Weightless and non-cloying
  • Only need a tiny amount
  • Boosts volume

  • Most comparable to a wash and a shampoo

  • Take note- Expensive (but lasts)

K18’s dry shampoo almost appears too good to be true, but it really is the best dry shampoo we’ve tested. Simply spray on your roots and work it in with your fingertips – the results are instantly clean-looking hair that lasts all-day. I find it works even better as a pre-bed treatment to wake up with faux freshly washed hair. A-lister hairdresser Samantha Cusick also told me she loves it as a preventative for prolonging freshly washed hair’s life, too. There’s no denying it's a splurge, but a little goes a long way.

Rating: 5/5

*- Daisy Lester *

Just like Daisy, I was impressed with K18’s airwash dry shampoo. Whether you’re suffering from day two oily roots or flat hair, the magic of airwash will come to your rescue.

The brand’s trademarked ‘odorbind’ technology claims to eliminate odours for up to three days, while translucent microbeads work to absorb grease like a sponge. There’s even hyaluronic acid in the mix to stave off the dryness that’s part and parcel of so many dry shampoos.

The result is a light-as-air formula that’s easily distributed across the scalp with a quick brush. I’ve found it takes as few as three spritzes to do the job, and that includes when my hair needs a serious intervention. Granted, it’s expensive, but my last bottle saw me through more than six months of oily roots, and it does the job of a texture spray, too.

Rating: 5/5

- Lucy Smith

Key specifications

  • Type:Spray liquid
  • Scent:Fresh florals

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestbudget dry shampoo

  • Why we love it- Budget-friendly price
  • Great volume boost

  • Different shades available

  • Take note- Texture of product is distinctly noticeable in hair

  • No shades available for red or silver hair
  • Dry scalps might find this formula too heavy

Batiste’s brunette dry shampoo is a famously budget option if you need a quick refresh between washes. It’s cheap, easy to find and initially does the job well, absorbing oil and making hair look cleaner for a couple of hours. The brunette tint is useful and the range of colour options gives good versatility for different hair shades, which helps it blend in better than standard white dry shampoos.

However, the formula doesn’t feel particularly pleasant in the hair. Instead of leaving it lightweight and soft, it can make hair feel stiff, sticky and slightly coated after use. I also noticed some white residue, especially around dry-prone areas of the scalp, which defeats the purpose of a tinted dry shampoo somewhat. While it works well enough as a short-term fix on a budget, the finish and texture could definitely be improved for anyone wanting a softer, more natural feel overall.

Rating: 3/5

– DL

Batiste’s dry shampoos are cheap as chips and, on the whole, are a failsafe for greasy roots and hair that’s begun to lay flat against your scalp. That said, I’ve always found it easy to turn my strands prematurely grey with an overzealous spritz – so the colour range (available in four shades) definitely caught my eye. I tested the version for blonde hair (£3.75, Amazon.co.uk)

It’s easy to be put off by the mustard yellow hue of the formula, but it’s this tint that allows you to apply carelessly without risking white patches. It also brings oodles of volume to heavy, build up-laden hair. You don’t need a huge amount (four to five spritzes was ample on my medium-length locks) and it really does drink up excess oils in a jiffy.

After use, the sweeping quiff I was able to give my front pieces was seriously impressive. Admittedly, you’ll notice this formula in your hair, and touching it through the day will leave your fingers feeling chalky. However for less than £5, that’s a trade-off I’m happy to take.

Rating: 4.5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Tinted aerosol spray
  • Scent:Powdery florals

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Vegan-friendly, but not cruelty-free

  • Bestmid-range dry shampoo

  • Why we love it- Features growth complex and scalp exfoliating ingredients

  • Lightweight and blendable

  • Take note- Not volumising

  • A lot of product required when hair is greasier
  • Reapplication can make hair feel dry and heavy

For those unfamiliar, Typebea haircare is the brainchild of Rita Ora and Anna Lahey, founder of Vida Glow. The entire range is designed to support hair growth, so it’s no surprise the dry shampoo goes beyond basic oil absorption. Specifically, you’ll find exfoliating lactic acid, 3 per cent baicapil (a plant-based growth complex) and peptides, all of which are geared towards creating a healthier scalp environment.

In practice, it left my hair feeling genuinely clean without chalkiness or residual grease. It didn’t add much lift at the roots, but was excellent at tackling clumping (my personal between-wash nemesis) and stopped my hair from lying flat against my scalp.

I’d say it’s best on day-two hair, rather than when you’re dealing with heavier oil build-up. At a push I could make it work on day three, but would need a second round of spritzing later in the day. That said, even with a generous application, there was no white cast in sight on my blonde hair.

After several uses, I can’t claim centimetre-level growth, but the added scalp focus certainly didn’t compromise its cleansing credentials. If anything, those ingredients made it feel like a slightly more considered take on a wash-day stopgap – and I’m more than happy to pocket the potential long-term perks.

Rating: 4.5/5

– LS

Typebea’s dry shampoo has a loyal beauty editor fan base – after trialling it for a week, I can see why. The formula is super lightweight and blendable, instantly adding oomph and texture to your locks.

It cleans strands while absorbing oil, giving you that freshly washed look. I found it applies with a little white residue, which could be trickier for darker hair colours to mask, but it helped brighten up my lighter balayage and it was easy to blend with my fingers through my roots.

The results last all day and easily give the illusion of freshly washed hair. Go light on topping it up in between washes, as it can start to make hair feel dry and heavy.

Rating: 4.5/5

– DL

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Citrus, bergamot and wood

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for fringes

  • Why we love it- Choice of scents
  • Lightweight
  • Brings weightlessness back to fringes and face-framing strands

  • Leaves hair feeling soft

  • Take note- Not as adept at tackling truly dirty hair

  • Slight white cast visible on darker hair

Ouia’s super dry shampoo feels noticeably more premium than most dry shampoos on the market, both in price and performance. While it’s definitely expensive compared to drugstore options, the formula feels far lighter and more comfortable in the hair. It refreshes roots well without leaving that heavy, chalky texture many dry shampoos create. Hair still feels soft, touchable and relatively clean after use, rather than stiff or sticky.

The Cape Town fragrance is one of the standout features – fresh, sophisticated and very salon-like without being overpowering. It leaves hair smelling genuinely clean throughout the day, which makes it feel a bit more luxurious than cheaper alternatives.

On brunette hair, though, it isn’t completely invisible. If you spray too closely or use too much, there can still be a faint white cast that needs brushing through carefully. Even so, the lightweight texture and soft finish make it one of the nicer high-end dry shampoos available.

Rating: 4.5/5

– DL

Ouai’s Melrose place dry shampoo (same formula, different scent) consistently leaves me sniffing my hair to catch whiffs of its sophisticated floral fragrance. It’s non-chalky and disperses in a light, widespread cloud, which allows for an even application across the whole scalp. This also means you won’t suffer white or grey patches if you’re spritzing in a rush.

On days when your hair could really do to be washed, but time isn’t affording you the luxury of a shower, the Ouai dry shampoo feels a little out of its comfort zone. I found it was better suited to my day two hair when my strands are in need of a pick me up, but a deep clean isn’t required. In particular, anyone with a fringe will love this. I frequently flatten my front pieces after fiddling and playing with them, but the Ouai spray was able to rescue them with the quickest of spritzes.

Rating: 4.5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Either Melrose Place (rose) or Cape Town (clean and gingery)

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for dry hair

  • Why we love it- Luxury scent
  • Doesn’t dull shine

  • Great oil absorption

  • Take note- Not a great match for fine strands

  • Expensive

The jury’s out on whether a dry shampoo should cost nearly £50 – but Oribe’s formula makes a strong case. A quick spray of the lightweight powder on the roots absorbs oil and refreshes second or third day hair, without dulling shine or making strands feel too coated. Both the bottle and long-lingering scent are undeniably luxurious, too.

Unlike heavier formulas that leave hair feeling stiff or gritty, gold lust kept my strands soft, smooth and bouncy, with enough movement to freshly styled rather than overloaded with product. It also brushes through easily, making it ideal for darker hair colours that can sometimes struggle with visible residue.

The oil absorption is impressive without being overly drying on the scalp, so it works well for extending blow-dries or adding volume between washes. While the price tag will understandably put some people off, the elegant finish, lovely fragrance and genuinely weightless feel make it one of the most polished dry shampoos currently available.

Rating: 4.5/5

– DL

Unfortunately, Oribe’s dry shampoo didn’t take to my hair. My strands are fine individually, but hairdressers frequently tell me that there’s lots of them. The result is a heavy head of hair that falls flat easily, and greasy by day two. As shown in the picture below, after applying a hefty dose of the gold lust formula (in excess of 10 spritzes), my roots continued looking stringy and without the volume I’d expect from a £50 product.

The scent is – as with everything Oribe – undeniably lovely, but it wasn’t enough to earn my favour. That said, I can appreciate how someone with a dyed or dryer hair type might appreciate the moisture imparted here.

Rating: 1.5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Côte d’Azur aroma (warm citrus-floral)

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for volume

  • Why we love it- Creates lasting volume
  • High-end scent that lasts

  • Mops up grease with minimal effort

  • Take note- Initially chalky in colour, but can be rubbed in

  • Need a lot for it to be effective

Batiste often steals the limelight when it comes to budget dry shampoos – but Monday’s formula is excellent. Not only does the chic pink packaging punch above its price tag, but the oil absorption is impressive.

You need to use more than you would with a premium formula, but a couple of quick sprays and a brush through delivers volume, cleanness and shine, efficiently reviving day-old hair. Again, unlike more luxurious dry shampoos, Monday’s bottle requires topping up throughout the day to maintain shine – but this is a small gripe considering the price. If you're looking for a cheap dry shampoo that gets the job done, you can’t go wrong.

Rating: 4/5

– DL

Monday has long been one of my go-to hair brands, with its smooth range previously topping my best shampoo and conditioner round-up. The dry shampoo is every bit as impressive, pairing the gardenia scent I’ve grown to love with a genuinely effective refresh for less than £5.

The aerosol packs a punch, so hold it around 30cm from your roots to avoid saturating one spot. On my medium-long hair, seven short bursts were enough to cover the crown and sides. Once in, it’s easy to massage through and the volume payoff is impressive and transforms the limpest of roots. Even on wash day my hair has a habit of sitting flat against my scalp, but this gave it a noticeable boost while whisking away grease entirely.

A word of warning: heavy-handed application can leave you looking prematurely grey. On my blonde hair it brushed out without much effort, but those with darker strands may need to take extra care when spritzing.

Rating: 5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Gardenia

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for fine hair

  • Why we love it- Undetectable texture
  • Separates clumps of oil-laden hair for a lightweight feel

  • Lovely scent

  • Take note- Takes a moment to get to work

Sam McKnight – fashion week backstage stylist and A-lister favourite (he’s worked with Princess Diana and Kate Moss) – is the undisputed king of nonchalant, cool-girl hair. Designed to be effortless to apply, his products help achieve an equally effortless look.

The ‘lazy girl’ dry shampoo is the perfect pick-me-up for limp, lifeless locks. Simply spray around your roots and blend in with your fingers or small brush. My hair looked instantly rejuvenated, fresh and clean, with the ultra fine powder based formula effectively absorbing oil and adding soft texture.

Just like his other hair products, the dry shampoo is formulated with McKnight’s signature scent inspired by his garden (think juniper and frankincense). It didn’t make my hair feel matte or stuck together, despite topping up when I needed it throughout the week.

Rating: 4.5/5

– DL

After using Sam McKnight’s lazy girl dry shampoo over the course of a week, I have to say it caught me by surprise. I initially thought the formula wasn’t doing much, but if you give it a second to take to the hair, you’ll be rewarded with a fluffy, weightless feel.

With my fine strands, clumping and stringiness are my most common non-wash day bugbears, so it was a joy to finally find a formula that gets between each and every hair. Shortly after applying, my roots appear smooth and separated, and my fingers don’t catch between the strands as I toss my parting from side to side.

The scent is earthy with a surround that’s reminiscent of tea leaves. It’s pleasant, but it doesn’t linger. I’d also caution that it’s not the best pick for oodles of volume – that’s not to say it leaves hair flat, but simply clean and cared for.

Rating: 4.5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Frankincense, juniper wood, water lily

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for oily hair

  • Why we love it- Addictive fresh scent
  • Easy to work evenly into roots and mid-lengths

  • Effectively revives hair

  • Take note- Quite expensive, given how long it lasts

I’ve been using Living Proof’s advanced clean dry shampoo for years, while Daisy has consistently opted for the brand’s original PhD formula. The pair of us couldn’t agree on which product was the brand’s ‘best’, but concurred that both are excellent in their own right – thus earning them each a spot in our round-up.

Despite this being the advanced clean variety, we both found it to be the lighter and less intense of the two formulas. If, like me, you suffer oily roots before wash day has come to a close, it will give your strands a new lease of life without feeling cloying. Its cleaning power lasts into the following day, so you probably won’t need a top up, and I generally find it eeks an extra day out of my blow-dry. The shower-fresh scent is irresistible, too, and I’m guilty of using it like hair perfume on freshly cleansed strands.

One can affords me around two months of use, which feels average, if a little disappointing given the aspirational price point. If you can afford to splurge on the 355ml size (£38, Sephora.co.uk), it works out a little cheaper overall.

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Fresh, apple-like and clean

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for a deep clean

  • Why we love it- Brightens and deeply cleans strands
  • Adds volume

  • Fresh citrus scent

  • Take note- Expensive (but lasts for ages)

Living proof is a big player in the dry shampoo world. The premium big sister to the drugstore bottles you used to use, it really is worth the splurge. Adding volume, oomph and texture to tired hair, the perfect hair day dry shampoo refreshes and brightens strands in-between wash days.

Quick and easy to apply, you're out the door in seconds – simply spray, blend with your fingers and give your hair a quick brush to smooth out. With notes of fresh citrus, the scent is lovely and lingers throughout the day. You don’t need much either, which helps justify the price.

Unlike other dry shampoos, Living Proof’s formula actually cleans hair – rather than simply masking oil and odour. Hair looks and feels like you’ve just washed it. It’s sensitive and lightweight on the scalp too, meaning you can use it multiple times in between washes without product build-up.

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Fresh, citrus and light florals

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for blonde hair

  • Why we love it- Doesn’t leave hair white or grey
  • Gives roots an extra few centimeters of lift

  • Ultra fine powder

  • Take note- Requires quite a large amount per session

Percy & Reed’s dry shampoo has got somewhat of a cult following. Designed to revitalise hair in between wash days, the dry shampoo also doubles up as a hair volumiser. I found it worked effectively to cleanse dirty hair while adding depth, texture and volume.

Percy & Reed’s lightweight formula is highly absorbent and can be worked into hair quickly with your finger tips, before brushing through. Its minty geranium scent works well to mask odours, too.

The powder is ultra-fine, meaning there’s less risk of white residue or a chalky finish – even on my dark brunette roots – but I found I needed a lot of the product to be effective. At £20, it sits in the mid-range market of dry shampoos, but it’s a solid product that delivers on what it promises.

Rating: 4.5/5

– DL

While I needed a lot of Percy & Reed’s session styling dry shampoo to effectively mop up all the oiliness of my day-three strands, it was refreshing to find that my generous application left neither grey streaks nor white patches in its wake. This is something that’s frequently suffered by those with darker tones when using dry shampoo, but it’s not often acknowledged that blonde hair can turn ashy and dull after using these formulas, too.

Given the amount of product I needed, the entire process of applying and working the shampoo into my strands took about five minutes. Granted, this is longer than most (K18’s liquid spray takes mere seconds) but it certainly beats hopping in the shower for a rinse and repeat.

Plus – as its name suggests – the volumising dry shampoo gave my roots a healthy lift, and left my front pieces looking fluffy and freshly washed.

Rating: 4.5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Mint, rhubarb, geranium, ivy, hyacinth heart, musk, verbena and wood

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for travel

  • Why we love it- Great for on-the-go use

  • You can use it to spot apply

  • Take note- Expensive

  • Smaller amount, compared with some other options

Violette’s frange puff positions itself as a chic reimagining of dry shampoo for people constantly on the go. The compact, refillable design is genuinely useful for handbag touch-ups and definitely ticks the sustainability box compared to traditional aerosol cans. The built-in brush makes it easy to target specific oily areas around the roots or fringe without overloading the rest of the hair. That said, refilling and dispensing the powder can be a little messy at times.

In terms of performance, it absorbs oil effectively and refreshes hair nicely, leaving strands feeling surprisingly soft rather than stiff or sticky. It also adds a bit of lift and fullness without weighing hair down.

However, while the brush offers precision, it’s not quite as quick or effortless as a standard aerosol dry shampoo when you’re in a rush. I also noticed a small amount of residue around my roots after application, particularly on darker hair.

Rating: 4/5

– DL

Violette Fr’s refillable powder compact is undeniably elegant and, unlike a traditional aerosol, allows for precise touch-ups on areas prone to falling flat after hair twirling, fringe flipping and the like. I found it especially handy after stuffy train journeys when my face-framing strands typically loose their oomph or, worse, begin clinging to my cheeks and jaw.

The powder itself is finely milled and adds subtle fullness without stiffness or residue. It won’t deliver the dramatic oil-absorbing power of something like K18 or Living Proof, but for a quick on-the-move revival, it’s great to have on-hand.

My main gripe is the value for money. Before pouring the refill into the canister, the sachet feels painfully small (like a towlette after an in-flight meal) and, at £24 a pop, refills alone are still pricey. Then again, if you’re after a handbag-friendly dry shampoo that feels a little more polished than your drugstore mini, this is a lovely luxury.

Rating: 4/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Powder with brush applicator
  • Scent:Fresh and clean

  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes

  • Bestdry shampoo for sweaty hair

  • Why we love it- Promises to actually clean hair, versus simply absorbing oils
  • Zero chalkiness

  • Adds shine and lift at the roots

  • Take note- Not a huge volume boost

Color Wow’s insta-wow dry shampoo stands out for how invisible and weightless it feels in the hair. Unlike many dry shampoos that leave behind a chalky cast or gritty texture, this formula worked especially well on my dark hair, refreshing my oily roots without obvious residue, dullness or drying out my scalp.

Even after brushing through, hair still feels soft, smooth and touchable rather than stiff or overloaded with product.

Just like Color Wow’s other products (think dream coat and lift the root), it’s particularly good for reviving limp, flat hair, adding a bit of fullness and lift at the roots while still keeping movement through the lengths. The lightweight formula gives hair a fresher, cleaner appearance without sacrificing shine, which makes it feel closer to freshly washed hair than most dry shampoos manage.

The fresh floral fragrance is another highlight – clean, slightly airy and long-lasting without becoming overpowering. While it’s pricier than high street alternatives, the residue-free finish and soft texture make it a stellar investment.

Rating: 4.5/5

– DL

Color Wow’s insta-wow is the best solution I’ve come across for reviving my hair post-exercise, likely because of the brand’s claims that it breaks down scalp oils, versus simply absorbing them.

A few minutes after spritzing, my smooth, separated strands appear as clean as when I’ve freshly washed them, and they feel entirely free from product, too. While the scent is light and fades quickly, it effectively neutralises odours from sweat, thus earning it a permanent place in my gym bag.

Though, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone after some serious va-va-voom lift, as cleansing is the priority here.

Rating: 4.5/5

– LS

Key specifications

  • Type:Aerosol spray
  • Scent:Apple blossom, jasmine and lily of the valley
  • Vegan and cruelty-free:Yes