A licensed cosmologist on a mission to find the best dry shampoo under $5. Self-testing 5 different dry shampoo’s within a 3-month span find out which one she thinks is the best dry shampoo and why!

Best Dry Shampoo Under $5

Roses are red, violets are blue, dry shampoo how in the world did I ever live without you?

Oh, wait that’s right I remember now… I used to use baby powder on my hair to hold me over for a second day without washing. Did anyone else do that back in the day? It sounds ridiculously silly now.

If you are a busy mom like me, then you will agree that dry shampoo is hands down one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread! Though dry shampoo may seem like a discovery of the last decade, shockingly it has been around for hundreds of years. According to Wikipedia the first reference of dry shampoo in the U.S. dates to the late 1700’s when starches were used to deodorize and alter the color of wigs. How come I only discovered it about 5 years ago? 

A few things to know about Dry Shampoos

Before I share with you my favorite drugstore dry shampoos and why I feel that it is my duty as a hairstylist to share a few facts about dry shampoo you may not know.

Perhaps self-explanatory, but dry shampoo is only to be used on dry hair lol. Many of my friends did not know how well it works when applied to clean hair. Dry shampoo is not just for your roots. You can spray dry shampoo through-out your entire head of hair to help give extra volume and texture. It’s a great product to use when styling and helps give your hair grip. This allows improved shaping of braids, up do’s, and curls.

 

 

Most Dry shampoos are made of a white cornstarch powder-like substance, so don’t be afraid if your hair turns white when you spray for the first time. That white powder will suck up the oil in your hair to reduce greasiness and odor. Lastly, dry shampoo doesn’t have to be applied in the morning before styling. Try spraying it in your hair at night before bedtime if you are not going to have time to wash it the next day. This will allow the powder more time work, giving you a fresher look the next day!

 

Best Dry Shampoo

How this experiment came about?

Being a licensed cosmetologist I have the convenience of getting professional products at cost. Since discovering dry shampoos 5 years ago, I only used professional dry shampoos because of convenience. This fun little quest for the best drugstore dry shampoo started when a friend of mine asked if there was a big difference between professional and drugstore dry shampoo. I honestly didn’t know the answer, so I decided to test them on myself.

How did I determine which five drugstore dry shampoos to test?

You can thank Amazon for that! Honestly, I just searched dry shampoo and picked the first 5 drugstore brands that popped up costing less than $5 a bottle.

What did you look for to help you determine the best drugstore dry shampoo?

• Smell- Was it pleasant and did it help mask my hairs oily smell lol?
• Powdery consistency- Did it spray out white or clear and how well did it absorb my natural oils?
• Texture- Did it leave a film, change the hairs texture, and/or make the hair feel sticky or stiff? In my opinion, dry shampoo should only slightly change your texture to help with styling by leaving it voluminous and fresh.
• Overall- How long did it last and how did my hair look the next day?

What is the best dry shampoo?

5. Aussie Total Miracle Collection 7N1 Dry Shampoo- The only thing nice I have to say about this product is that it smells good, other than that it’s not worth a dime. I have used other Aussie products in the past and didn’t mind them, but I found this dry shampoo to be extremely disappointing. It sprays out clear which I know some people may prefer, but it never seemed to absorb any natural oils. In fact, it did the exact opposite! It made my hair look and feel wet to the touch for a long while after application. That’s not even the worst part, this product left a chalky residue throughout my hair. So much so that I didn’t even want to touch it. I couldn’t wait to wash that junk out!

4. Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo, Keratin Infusion- This product worked great absorbing all my naturals oils. It sprays out a white powder and kept my hair looking fresh the next day. But what I didn’t love about it was the smell or the texture. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Aussie’s chalky texture, but that is not saying much.

3. Dove Detox and Purify Dry Shampoo- This dry shampoo by dove surprised me. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be based on Amazon’s reviews. The only thing I didn’t really like about this product was its scent. It was definitely the most potent, sprays out a white powder, and quickly absorbed all excess oil. This product didn’t leave any odd film in my hair that I noticed and my hair still looked fresh the next day. Overall, I did like this dry shampoo. I will have to try some of Dove’s other scents in the future!

2. Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Dry Shampoo– This missed first place by a hair!! I really liked this dry shampoo. It smells superb! The best out of the 5. It works really well and left my hair feeling clean after application. The only reason this wasn’t my number one was due to its duration of action compared to the overall winner. If it was based on price then this one for sure would have won. Priced at $3.59 a bottle it’s definitely the best bang for your buck.

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo, Original Fragrance–  My favorite of the five and here is why: This product works extremely well and impressed me! It smells great and masked the second-day hair smell very well. Batiste sprays out a light white powder that quickly absorbs my natural oils. It leaves no annoying residue and gives your hair extra volume and the perfect amount of grip when styling. Most importantly, it left my hair looking fresh for the longest amount of time, therefore, making it the best drugstore dry shampoo!

Does Batiste work just as well as professional dry shampoos?

Is Batiste better than the pros? My favorite professional dry shampoo and have used for many years is Rockaholic by Tigi Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo.

Why? Because it passes that checklist with flying colors! Rockaholic smells fan-freaking-tastic!!! No drugstore brand was able to compare in smell (understandably subjective), but the real question is whether the drugstore winner can compare?  Yes, in my opinion it does and I’ve become huge a fan!