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ELLE Edit: 15 Of The Best Dry Shampoos For The Warm Days Of Summer
Sweat and grime don't stand a chance.
Whether you're spending a long weekend at an outdoor festival, boarding a long-haul flight or just need a post-Pilates refresh (a spritz under your fringe works wonders), dry shampoo is the multi-tasking hair product that should have a a permanent place in your beauty bag.
Of course, a good dry shampoo is a godsend when it comes to sorting that second-day oil, but that's not all your can is up to: in fact, hairstylists use it for so much more. 'There are many ways to use dry shampoo: it works as a texturiser, it gives that lived-in effect to a fresh 'do, and it adds volume to fine hair when sprayed into roots,' says Francesco de Chiara, colourist at John Frieda Salons.
As well as using it between washes to clarify greasy roots, dry shampoo is also the messy bun's best friend. Simply spritz into roots before styling for an injection of cool-girl texture that doubles up as helpful grip to keep your top knot in place all day long.
It's brilliant as an overnight solution for limp, flat hair too. Before bed, spray a generous amount on the roots, massage in, and wear your hair up in a loose bun or braid for a bouncy, volumised hair come sunrise.
Most new-gen dry shampoos promise zero white residue, but if you notice traces of product in your hair, don't fret. Living Proof's Global Creative Director Michael Shaun Corby has this clever hack: 'Use a bristle brush to remove excess powder, or use a hairdryer on the lowest heat setting to easily remove stubborn residue.' For an all-over, freshly washed feel, you can also spray dry shampoo onto your hairbrush and comb it through the lengths. Here, see the dry shampoos you'll find in team ELLE's kits.
The Best Dry Shampoos To Try Now
This one's a transparent formula loaded with rice protein to strengthen damaged hair, while vitamin E brings extra nourishment. It adds extra body and undone, beachy texture to limp locks, too.
This completely clear dry shampoo refreshes greasy hair with minimal product build-up left on your scalp. It doesn't weigh down fine hair and you'll find no tell-tale signs of white powder thanks to the invisible formula. The coconutty, vanilla scent is delicious, too.
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo
Can you improve on perfection? Living Proof certainly did. We loved the brand's original dry shampoo, but this latest version exceeds expectations by eliminating excess oils, sweat and grime all while promising noticeably softer strands. Our gym bags are never without one.
Everything Olaplex does is designed to be kind on very damaged strands, and this dry shampoo is no exception. Along with rice starch to absorb excess sebum, it also contains the brand's patented bond-repairing ingredient to leave hair feeling healthier. We love how it creates just enough texture for that tousled, French-girl look.
Aside from taking care of greasy roots and zhooshing flat-looking hair, this lightweight Oribe powder also contains mango leaf extract to help maintain a healthy scalp microbiome along with glycerin and olive oil to restore hydration. Plus, the petite packaging is great for throwing into your handbag.
Lazy gals, listen up. This hard-hitting dry shampoo promises to refresh not just second and third day hair, but even fifth day locks and beyond. The clever formula, which contains mandelic acid and antioxidants to tackle unwanted odour and the effects of pollution respectively, revives unwashed hair without making the scalp feel heavy with product and it leaves no dusty residue behind. One to pack for all your summer festivals.
Yes, this dry shampoo ticks all the boxes when it comes to sorting out greasy hair. But more than that, it works as a 'style extender' to make sure your blowout stays bouncy fresh for days on end.
Trust hairstylist Adam Reed to formulate a dry shampoo that not only effectively takes care of excess oils, but does so without completely stripping away essential moisture and imparts an uplifting green scent of tomato leaves and bright rhubarb.
NGL, make-up artist Violette Serrat (better known as @violette_fr) has graced many of our beauty moodboards. She created this handy dry shampoo with a removable, washable brush to refresh her perfectly-imperfect French Girl hair on the go. Dust gently on the roots for a quick refresh or to perk up a lacklustre fringe. It's refillable too.
Hair feels lighter and bouncier after few puffs of this nifty powder. Mind, this isn't intended to resurrect day three or four hair, but it's perfect for delaying your next hair wash, and instantly refreshing your 'do without making your scalp feel overloaded.
If your scalp's feeling itchy, flaky, or just generally unhappy, a spritz of this skin-caring formula will help calm things down. It's packed with aloe vera to soothe itching and zinc to target dandruff-causing bacteria.
This volcanic mineral and rice starch-infused dry shampoo is a dream for oily hair as it absorbs excess sebum without leaving your hair dusty and white. Formulated by A-list hair stylist Jen Atkin, you know you're in good hands.
When backstage legend and hair maestro Sam McKnight creates a dry shampoo, you know it's going to be good. An ultra lightweight spray, this gives any lank looking 'do a second day overhaul.
Blondes, this is a "first-of-its-kind" sort of thing. It makes light work of banishing grease and odour, of course, but it actually contains subtle violet pigments to counteract brassy tones at the same time. Clever. The cherry on top is the famously beachy Moroccanoil-scented sillage trailing behind you all day.
The first and (still) the best, you can't go wrong with Batiste's Original dry shampoo, and less than a fiver a pop, it's a bargain.
Medina Azaldin is the beauty editor of ELLE and Harper's Bazaar UK, working across print and digital features. She has more than seven years journalism experience and has previously written for Red and Good Hoousekeeping. When she's not demystifying the latest skincare ingredient, sniffing out the next big perfume trend or uncovering the science behind wellness practices, you'll most likely find her in Hatchards Piccadilly or watching a crime series with her cats. Oh, and she's a competitive cheerleader, too.
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