A girl's second best friend - Dry Shampoo

If diamonds are a girl's best friend than the dry shampoo comes a very close second. I don't know of many girls who've never tried a dry shampoo, and it seem their popularity is growing by the day with every self respecting hair care brand releasing their version of the product and we've even seen the first dry conditioners hit the stands in Boots and Superdrug. I'm not at all surprised since there must be others out there, who like me are dependent on dry shampoos since I try to limit the washes to about twice a week, and dry shampoo is indispensable for those in between days.

The point of dry shampoos is very simple - to remove excess oil and shininess, to refresh your hair and an added bonus is that they always add a bit of texture. It was actually my mother who introduced me to dry shampoo a besquillion years ago, when I was still in school and even though the formula then wasn't as good as they are these days I was hooked straight away. Dry shampoos have been around for more than 50 years and come in either a spray or powder format, but I definitely prefer sprays since they are so easy to use and you can carry a mini sized one with you in your handbag for on the go touch ups. Some of the negative things you hear about the most when it comes to dry shampoos is that it creates build up on the hair and it makes it white and dusty. I can understand both those points, but I find that if you hold the spray about 15 - 20 cms away from the roots, you'll get a more even application and it won't feel gritty and built up. It's also important to leave the product to sit on your hair for a few mins before your brush it out or heat style it so that it gets a proper chance to absorb oils and mattify without creating a powdery look. I usually apply the dry shampoo, massage it into the roots and then go put my makeup on, leaving it on for about 15 mins before I brush it out, and I never get that powder feel. Mind you I do have blonde hair, but if you still feel you get a white powder there are dry shampoos with a hint of color that work really well for red and darker hair.

There are so many dry shampoos to choose from at the moment and some of them in my humble opinion come at a completely inflated price (above £25) for what is basically an oil absorbing powder spray. I don't shy away from splurging but I would never pay that considering I use them up faster than you can say Dry Scham..... yep - gone! I still wanted to do a comparison between the more reasonably priced dry shampoos to see if there's really any difference between them so here's a selection from the High Street in ascending order of price.

First up is the product that for me is the Original and in a way the mother of all dry shampoos - Batiste, and I have chosen the scent Monochrome (1.99). What I love most about Batiste is how they keep reinventing themselves by introducing new scents to keep it fresh and interesting and there are about 15 differently scented Batiste products on the market at the moment - what an amazing range. The bottle is fun in its monochrome look and it makes me think of the swinging 60s. Batiste gives great body and texture to the hair at the same time as it refreshes it and Monochrome is a lovely scent - the mix of slight pepper and lovely soft and creamy orange soda is very feminine and modern.

Next up is a fairly new addition to the dry shampoo shelves and it's the Dove Style+Care (£3.06), which works exactly the same way as Batiste and it also gives wonderful body and texture to the hair. The only different I noticed was that it feels less powdery in it's texture than the other dry shampoos I've tried and there's less fall out as well when you apply it. The bottle looks slightly bigger than Batiste but it's actually exactly the same volume. At the moment it only comes in one scent - it's a beautiful light, airy and fruity scent, I only wish that it smelled a little stronger on the hair because it really is so lovely.

The first alternative to Batiste that I remember seeing on the High Street a year or so ago, was the TRESemme dry shampoo and now they have released an improved formula with their Radiance Dry Shampoo (£5.25). The new version is translucent, which means that it doesn't leave that white powdery residue that can be so annoying and it's also been enriched to bring out radiance rather than dull down the shine which can also happen if you've applied too much dry shampoo. It's works very well as a dry shampoo, however on my hair I don't really notice any improved radiance which is a little disappointing since it's one of its main selling points. The scent is the traditional TRESemme scent that you'll find in the heat protectant spray and all the other products, which I usually quite like but in the dry shampoo I find it a little too perfumed and strong for my liking. 

Finally we have the Toni & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo (£7.19), which is the most expensive out of the products, but it also does contain a bit more - 250ml. This is a clear spray, and just like the TRESemme dry shampoo it won't leave any white powder on your hair. It makes your hair feel genuinely clean and fresh and I could probably go a whole week without washing my hair if I used this. It has a wonderful crisp and clean scent of green apples that stays on your hair and I tend to use a little bit more than I actually need, just to get more of the scent.

To be perfectly honest there's not a lot of difference between the products in terms of performance - they are all easy to use and make your hair feel refreshed, textured and clean. The biggest difference is that the dry shampoos from TRESemme and Toni & Guy are clear sprays, so if you've been annoyed about white powder on your roots or you have darker hair, then these products are definitely for you and you'll also get less of a fall out when you brush it out. The other big difference between them all is scent, but for me both the scent and the white powder is a question of personal taste and it's wonderful that there are so many to choose from.

They are all great dry shampoos and the only one that I probably won't repurchase again is the TRESemme, simply because it didn't give the radiance that it promised and I also didn't take to the scent. If I had to pick one as a favourite, it would be the Dove Refresh + Care, mainly because of the amazing fruity scent, although I must emphasize that Batiste and Toni & Guy are in very close competition and I would highly recommend any of them for lovely smelling, fresh 2,3,4,5 or 6 day hair.