Thursday, October 15, 2015

Dry Shampoo reviews: 3 Bloggers

Basically dry shampoo has changed my life, and it's one of those things that I wished I would have known about when I was younger. I always heard other people tell me they'd go 3-4 days without washing their hair, and I just assumed I could never be one of those girls because a) my head would physically hurt by days 2 and 3 because of all the oil and b) I get bed head like crazy, and nothing fixed it like a morning wash does. Well, that was before I tried dry shampoo. Now I've realized the error in my ways, and I can't believe how much time I have spent washing and drying my hair day after day all. of. my. life. 

Before I go any further into my reviews, there are a couple of key things I want to point out. First, dry shampoo means nothing if I sleep on my hair. I tried the whole sleep bun thing, but it just didn't work for me. I've been more successful simply sleeping with my hair up on the pillow like:

Photo sources here and here

Yes, I also lie pensively staring at the ceiling like the second photo. Ha, not really, but you get the point with these photos. I usually end up falling asleep on my back, so my hair is just flipped up on my pillow. As I roll over in the middle of the night, I'm pretty conscious of still making sure I'm not lying on my hair. Don't ask me how. Somehow sleeping Caryl just knows to adjust her hair as she moves in the middle of the night. It's that serious.

Secondly, this video here is really thorough and gives you examples of how to apply dry shampoo. If you've never used dry shampoo before, or don't know if you're using it correctly, I found the video to be really helpful.

Ok, so now to the good stuff! I thought it would be helpful to poll a couple of my fellow dry shampoo lovers so you can get their perspectives as well. Jenna and Annie agreed to share their favorites, so hopefully you can relate to at least one of our hair types and beauty routines!

My Day 3 Hair

My routine: 

Day 1: Shampoo and Condition hair using Pantene products. Blow dry and flat iron.
Day 2: Dry shampoo and either leave it straight or use a curling iron.
Day 3: Curl it if not already curled from day 2. If it's already curled, I will either do it half up/half down, or do a top knot, depending on how gritty I think my hair feels.
Day 4: Top knot if I didn't already have it up from day 3. If it was in a top knot the day before, I'll go ahead and wash it.

There's been one time that I was able to salvage my hair the day after it had been in a top knot, but that's more of an exception than a rule. My top knot usually signifies me giving in to washing it the next day.

My products: (I'm going to list them in order of potency.)

Not Your Mother's "Clean Freak" - This is the first one I ever tried. I would definitely say this is the most mild, and when I say "mild," I mean that it takes A LOT for it to leave any kind of residue.  The smell is pleasant, consistent with all of the other Not Your Mother's products. I would use this on freshly washed hair as an oil protectant, or simply to freshen up my sideswept bangs as needed. This would also be good to freshen up your curls like she was showing us in the video above, since it really doesn't leave any residue.

Pssst! - I found this at Walgreens, and decided to try it because I'm always down for new things. This does leave a little bit of a white residue, but I actually like seeing the powdery residue because it makes me feel like it's working and it's not just blowing air at me. Again, the smell is just fine - not too overpowering or annoying. It's perfect for 2nd day hair, especially if I decide to leave it straight.

Batiste (floral and flirty) - I got this in my Ipsy a couple of months ago and I was so excited to try it. I kept hearing it was one of the best, but I also kept hearing that it left the worst residue also. Once I realized that I actually *like* rubbing in the residue, I realized this may actually be a good one for me. I love it for general everyday use - second or third day hair. I do also like the smell of it a lot. I need to purchase a full sized bottle of this.

Batiste (dark & deep brown) - So, this is basically the same thing as the traditional, but for darker hair. There is still residue that comes out of this, but it simply comes out dark brown instead of white. It's a noticeably different color than my hair, so I still have to rub it in like usual. BUT. It leaves noticeable residue on your fingers. I was so confused the first time I used it. I was getting ready to walk out of my bathroom after getting ready and realized it was all brown under my light-colored-polished fingernails. It ended up coming off just fine when I washed my hands, so it's not big deal, but I'm sure it's also leaving specks around my bathroom as well. I'll go ahead keep this bottle as a backup, but it's my least favorite because of the color it leaves behind.

TRESemme - I think this is my favorite, both for the price and for the performance. It definitely does give my hair some volume, so even if I decide to leave my hair straight for day 2, it ends up looking even better than day 1! I would not recommend putting this in freshly washed hair because it does leave it noticeably tacky and gritty feeling - not necessarily in a bad way, but more noticeable than the others. It's great for curls and for up dos, but I save this for 2nd or 3rd day hair and use the Not Your Mother's or the Psssst for day 1. I do also love the smell of this one, I think it's my favorite smell out of all five, with the Batiste floral and flirty coming in a close second.

Annie: (Blog | Instagram): Day 2 Hair

Dry shampoo has literally changed my life. I am not even exaggerating. I love having long hair, but obviously it takes foreverrrr to dry and style and I simply do not have the time or wherewithal to do that after every shower. Enter: Dry shampoo. Now I only have to wash my hair once or twice a week! Which is such a timesaver. And my hair is soooo much healthier. As far as which products I use, I love the Batiste original formula (the colored ones worked ok for me, but I feel like they really dulled my hair shine). Even though the original formula (green can) goes on white, I just spray it on the underside of my hair and comb it out a bit and then it isn't nearly as noticeable. If I really put way too much on, I just spray a little hairspray on the palms of my hands and rub them gently over the excess and the white disappears. I also really love the Tresemme dry shampoo. I feel like this one doesn't leave nearly as much white residue, but I find that the Tresemme one works best for the first 2-3 days and the Batiste one (which is more heavy duty) is better for the rest of the week. Bonus? They both come in travel sizes. The included  photo of me is after two days of not washing my hair and only using dry shampoo. This stuff works miracles, folks.
 Jenna (Blog | Instagram): Day 3 Hair

I am a HUGE fan of dry shampoo.  I don't straighten my hair on the regular, but when I do it takes about an hour​,​ so I make.it.last. I have pretty coarse hair, so I don't ​start using dry shampoo until the evening of day 2 before I go to bed.  My absolute favorite is KMS​, but Paul Mitchell and Sebastian are definite runners-up. ​I reviewed all my favs, and least favs today, including the best bargain option that's just $3… (Check out Jenna's post HERE!)

And, while you're reading Jenna's post, be sure to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! She has fabulous hair, fabulous style, can take a shoefie like nobody's business, and she's the first real life, local girlfriend (that isn't family) that I've had in years! The husband has told me how happy I've seemed lately just having someone I can be a girl with! And, she's a big part of why I've branched out to try so many types of dry shampoos, so I basically owe her big time for saving so much time in my life! Happiest of birthdays, Jenna!!


Lots of information in this post, and I can't wait to read Jenna's post now, too! I feel like dry shampoo is similar to hairspray in that I can never have too much! It's definitely such a huge time saver in the morning, and just overall makes my hair look better and easier to style! I would love to hear what your favorites are!




  1. I have been using Not Your Mother's for a few years now and love it. I have a similar regime to my hair and usually wash it by 3rd day in the summer and 4th in the winter. I don't have a lot of hair to style but I do love saving some time not washing it. Your hair always looks so perfect!


    Hope to see your Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.

    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

  2. D'awwwww you're making me blush! Thank youuuu <3 And now I have a bunch of new dry shampoos I must try!!

  3. I love this post. JUST recently tried dry shampoo for the first time - at my daughter's urging. She's 12 and lives for YouTube beauty videos. :-) I like the Dove we bought. My hair is short, though, and I only use it on day 2 to make it look better if I want to pull it back. I envy your long hair! So pretty and versatile.

  4. THANK YOU!! Okay so I've been getting used to dry shampoo and a few days ago bout the Tres that you said is your favorite!! I have long crazy wavy hair so I'm totally taking your tips and tricks as the other girls and going with it. Today will be day one! ;) Thanks!

    Andrea @ mommainflipflops.com

  5. Great post! I recently started using dry shampoo so I can go days without washing. My hair is definitely growing faster and looks healthier because of it. I'm on day 3 today and that means a bun! :) Julie @MomFabulous

  6. I love hearing these reviews. I like the batiste one. I've used it before. I haven't tried the colored one, and I will probably avoid it because of your review! Thanks! Once my postpartum hair gets under control, I can't wait to get back to some good dry shampoo!


  7. Great post!! I use Redken Pillow Proof dry shampoo and I like it, but I may have to try some of your suggestions. I never get my hair to last that many days...

  8. Dry Shampoo is what I use all the time!!! It's the absolute best ever!
    Love how you delved through everything here.

  9. Klorane makes one of the best dry shampoos that I've ever tried! Blow Pro is my second. I also got that Baptiste product in my ipsy, but lost it (after unintentionally leaving my hair products bag in a hotel room).