Best of: high street dry shampoo

Since I discovered the magic wonder that is dry shampoo at some point in my teens, I’m fairly sure I’ve never been without a bottle. I’m lucky enough to have fairly oily roots and dry ends so to keep my hair in a healthy condition I like to wash it as little as possible which I can only get away with thanks to some effective dry shampoos.

First up let’s discuss the classic Batiste Dry Shampoo – this was the first brand I tried and I’ve stayed loyal. I’ve tried a wealth of high street dry shampoos and while some are less heavy and chalky, none are as effective at absorbing serious amounts of oil. Just remember to be thorough when brushing this one out.

A more recent favourite is the COLAB Dry Shampoo from the lovely Ruth Crilly. In my opinion this is completely different to the Batiste. This will freshen hair that is less oily, so perfect for reviving lank hair on the second (or third) day. Unlike Batiste, this leaves little to no chalky residue so you don’t need to worry about looking grey; it just leaves you feeling really clean. Of course as I said above, it doesn’t absorb as much oil so if you are really oily or like to leave your hair a long time between washes you may want to mix and match with Batiste.

Finally I wanted to mention COLAB’s Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo. Now this isn’t actually something I use as a dry shampoo, but I do love it for giving lots of volume. This is the total opposite of the original COLAB formula, it’s very heavy and chalky and will leave you feeling a bit sticky and stiff in the roots. However these properties do mean that you can build up some serious volume if you’re going all out for an evening ‘do but you will probably want to wash it out come morning.

Commendable mention goes to the Dove Dry Shampoo which sits somewhere between COLAB and Batiste. It’s a nice soft dry shampoo; good if you’re a light user and want a little more texture than the COLAB will give. One dry shampoo that I would recommend you avoid is the Herbal Essences. This is more like a wet hairspray than a dry shampoo, I’ve only used it a could of times as I can’t get on with it at all. It leaves my hair damp and sticky and doesn’t do anything to make my hair feel cleaner.

There are a few of my favourites then, the COLAB original for clean(ish) hair, Batiste when I’m getting really oily, and COLAB Extreme Volume when I want to build up some serious body. What are your favourite oil busting dry shampoos?

Batiste Dry Shampoo, £4.99 for 400ml, COLAB Dry Shampoo, £3.50 for 200ml, COLAB’s Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo, £4.50 for 200ml, Dove Dry Shampoo, £4.59 for 200ml, Herbal Essences Clearly Naked (0%) Dry Shampoo, £2.99 for 180ml.