Whether you’re just now stepping into the wonderful world of haircare or you’re ready to try something new, dry shampoos should be in everyone’s bathroom — especially if you have curly hair.
Dry shampoos are hair products designed to clean hair without having to shower, making them perfect for busy ladies or women without access to regular showers.
Whatever the case, everyone deserves a shampoo that works for them, and that’s why we’ve searched high and low to bring you the 10 best dry shampoos for curly hair. Dry shampoos are also perfect for people who want to reduce the amount of excess oil, dirt, and grease in their hair fast.
We’ll dive right into our top picks to keep you and your curls at your best all the time, starting with our overall favorite!
(I independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products. If you buy something through the links on this page, I may earn a commission.)
1 – OGX Refresh Revitalize Extra Strength Dry Shampoo
This first shampoo is truly the cream of the crop. Made with curly hair in mind, this dry shampoo is designed to deal with any extra grease that too much oil production leaves behind.
It scored number one with us because it’s basically an all-in-one dry shampoo — it does everything you need it to with minimal downsides, all while being gentle enough to care for delicate curls.
On top of absorbing excess oil, it also revives your hair and keeps it looking clean all day long. Made with vanilla bean extract and tiare essence, it’s designed to revive and rejuvenate your hair, leaving your curls soft and bouncy.
You can also rest assured that this amazing dry shampoo is made with ingredients that will keep your hair looking natural after use. The combination of coconut oil, Moroccan argan oil, gardenia fruit extract, and vanilla extract will also leave you smelling fantastic!
The best part is that this shampoo is perfect for all types of hair. Whether your hair is thick or thin, your curls are in great hands.
However, that’s not to say that everyone will be completely satisfied. If you have darker hair, you may see a bit of residue left behind by this, and if you have thick hair, it’s best to use this product sparingly.
If this sounds like something that is right up your alley, you can get your own 5 fluid ounce can for as little as $6.99 at your local Target, or get a can from Amazon for $2.36 an ounce!
2 – Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
Living Proof’s dry shampoo is nearly tied for first place on our list and is one of the best out there. It’s tough on dirt, and gentle on curls!
Designed to give your hair all the benefits of an actual shower and made with rice starch to absorb extra oil, it’s perfect for busy curly girls on the go. You can even find your own 1.8 ounces can for $14.00 at Ulta today or get the full 4 ounces for $28.00 at Amazon.
Not only does it keep your hair looking clean and gorgeous, but it also leaves behind a scrumptious scent, just like a traditional shampoo, without the moisture and hassle of taking a shower.
This dry shampoo ranks so high because it’s free of parabens, phthalates, and silicones, as well as being certified cruelty-free. As an added bonus, it’s also color-safe and perfect for use on chemically treated hair!
Users are raving about the amazing revival effects on their hair, and the best part is that it’s an all-around miracle worker, getting you the level of cleanliness and volume your curls have been craving. Plus, it has a citrus scent that you’re sure to fall in love with.
3 – Tresemme Between Washes Fresh & Clean Dry Shampoo
This next shampoo is perfect for busy people who still want to look their best because it’s made to keep your curls clean between showers without drying out your hair or leeching its natural oils.
Tresemme fresh & clean dry shampoo eliminates odors, absorbs excess oil, and the best part is that it’s designed to not leave any residue behind — so nobody knows that you’ve used it at all!
It’s made with grapefruit extract and biotin to get your hair the nutrients necessary to keep it healthy, all while keeping it clean and smelling amazing!
This is a great option for someone wanting to stay clean and smell fantastic on the go without breaking their budget. You can find this gem at Ulta for $7.99, or for $4.94 at Walmart.
Honorable Mentions
We promised you our top ten picks, and we intend to deliver. You’ve already read up on our top three choices, but we can’t finish our list so soon! These dry shampoos are some other absolutely amazing options if your search for the best continues.
We read your reviews, listened to feedback, and searched through hundreds of results to bring you the very best dry shampoos for curly hair.
We’ll kick off with the first honorable mention — a dry shampoo from Amika!
4 – Amika Perk up Dry Shampoo
Do your curls look a little worse for wear between washes, and you’re looking for a way to perk them up and keep them looking clean? Amika perk up dry shampoo is not only fantastic for keeping your hair and scalp free of excess oil, but it’s also layerable, so you can use it as many times as you need to between washes.
This is the perfect dry shampoo for adding volume thanks to its rice starch, and it can even deliver fatty acids to your hair, helping keep it healthy!
It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and in addition to being one of the best dry shampoos we’ve seen, its packaging is also recyclable.
Some of its higher points include its ability to be used on almost every hair type while still being able to take care of each type’s individual needs, while its weaker points include leaving behind white residue on darker hair, and its fresh scent may be too strong for some users.
Overall, it’s a great option for your travel bag, and you can find it for as little as 10 dollars an ounce.
5 – Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo for Dark Tones
This dry shampoo works magic on darker hair tones, keeping it clean and free of excess oil all while making your hair look its best.
Moroccanoil dry shampoo for dark tones is made with argan oil and rice starch to not only hydrate your hair and provide essential fatty acids, vitamin E, and antioxidants but also eliminate grease naturally without causing harm to your hair.
It’s free of silica, talc, and aluminum, too, so you can rest assured that your curls are cared for.
We even reached out to Moroccanoil to make sure their products are cruelty-free, too. Their products are never tested on animals, and their packaging is recyclable, making this dry shampoo number five on our list of the very best.
However, those of our light-haired readers may find that this dry shampoo is a bit of a shot in the dark. It may work on lighter hair just fine, while on the other hand, it may leave behind a dark residue that might stand out on platinum blondes.
This 205 ML bottle is available on Amazon for $26.00, or if you only need a small amount to get you through a weekend, you can get 65 ML for $12.00 at Sephora.
6 – Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo
If you’re after something heavy-duty to get you through your non-wash days, this next shampoo might just be your knight in shining armor. This is truly Not Your Mother’s dry shampoo, with the way it effortlessly absorbs oil and odors without the need for tons of harmful ingredients.
Perfect for all different types of hair, this dry shampoo aims to add volume and lift to your hair to keep you at your best.
Made without sulfates, gluten, phthalates, and parabens, Not Your Mother’s uses tapioca starch to refresh your oily scalp and leave your hair smelling and looking fantastic! It’s also vegan friendly, so you can use it as much as you want — guilt-free.
With different delicious scents to choose from and tons of real users singing their praises, this shampoo is completely worth a try.
Not Your Mother’s ranges in price, and can cost anywhere between five and fifteen dollars.
7 – GRO Dry Shampoo
Our seventh pick is GRO dry shampoo from Vegamour – a vegan, cruelty-free dry shampoo that not only keeps your hair looking clean but actively gives your hair an extra boost for additional volume while it fights against odors and excessive oil.
This plant-based dry shampoo is fortified with phyto-active ingredients and is completely free of synthetic fragrances and talc. Some of its star ingredients are clover sprout extract, citrus fruit oil, and rice starch, which come together to leave behind a fresh scent and clean hair.
This is a great dry shampoo for on-the-go touch-ups and is said to be safe for everyday use. However, the biggest drawback for us, and the reason it ranks number seven on our list, is the steep price.
If you’re looking for beauty on a budget, this dry shampoo might not be something you want to regularly invest in, as the cheapest a 112 G can be is as much as $32.00 dollars.
But if you have thinner hair and you’re striving for thicker hair, this might be worth a try.
8 – Acure Dry Shampoo
Our next dry shampoo is a fast-acting, easy-to-use miracle in a bottle. If you need to remove dirt and grime without any water at all, Acure dry shampoo is about to become your hero.
Perfect for all types of hair, including curly, this organic dry shampoo is made to fight against excess oil and unpleasant smells, leaving behind an aroma of rosemary and peppermint when its job is done.
It’s made with arrowroot, rosemary, peppermint, and kaolin clay to rid your hair of any impurities while refreshing your hair and giving it that just-washed look.
This vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free powder can be found for $4.99 at T.J.Maxx, or if you want regular refills, you can get it on Amazon for $5.99!
9 – Mixed Chicks Hair Four Days Dry Shampoo
This dry shampoo is made with curly and wavy hair in mind, ready to bring you fresh hair without the hassle of a shower. It moisturizes, conditions, and can even be paired with other products from Mixed Chicks to add on volumizing effects!
It doesn’t leave behind a white residue, absorbs sweat and other grime, and makes your hair appear clean and vibrant – even if you struggle with a dry scalp.
This is a fantastic option for people who want to make dry shampoo a part of their regular hair-care routine, especially if you’re looking for a signature scent to go along with your volumized hair.
You can find this powder on the Mixed Chicks official website for $15.00, or on Amazon for $9.99 per 2.8 oz.
10 – Waterless Dry Shampoo Foam
Our final pick is Waterless Dry Shampoo Foam — a paraben-free shampoo perfect for curls! This dry shampoo is impressive because it’s not a spray — it’s a foam that you simply apply by massaging it through your hair.
It’s a fantastic option for all hair types, so whether your hair is curly or as straight as a board, this shampoo is designed to avoid damaging your locks and causing frizz.
This dry shampoo is not only paraben-free, but also alcohol-free, and acts as a styling product on top of being a dry shampoo foam! The extra hold this dry shampoo gives your hair allows you to both clean and style on the go – which is why it made our list of the best.
However, because this dry shampoo is a foam, it does require a short drying period of up to ten minutes.
If you’re looking for a dry shampoo to use on occasion, you can get your own 5.3 ounces can for as low as $8.79 when you shop at Sally Beauty – though you can also pick it up at your local Target for only $7.59!
FAQs
We’ve reached out to stylists to bring you everything you need to know about choosing the right dry shampoo, because the more you know, the better off your hair will be.
What are some of the best ingredients for curly hair?
Most dry shampoos are not curly girl friendly so it is a bit hard to find but there are a few we can compare. You want to stay away from sulfates, parabens, and silicones. I am also not a fan of dry shampoos in a spray can as a lot of them contain alcohols. There are two types of “ dry shampoos” we have powders and we have water-based. You want to look for dry shampoo that helps to balance the ph of the scalp and helps maintain a healthy scalp using ingredients like glycolic acid or apple cider vinegar which typically are in the water-based scalp refreshers. The powder versions should contain corn starch or arrowroot as that is the most natural and no parabens, silicones, Alcohols, or sulfates. The powder versions are best if you want volume. My two favorites are Deva curls Scalp puriPHy serum and Giovanni’s powder power dry shampoo.
Answered by Jasmine Levy – Curlologist – Curlspiration Hair Salon – Boca Raton, FL
What makes a dry shampoo right for curly hair?
The difference between a dry shampoo for curly hair and straight hair is simply the ingredients. Curls need to maintain their moisture so Ingredients like sulfates, parabens, silicones, and alcohols will coat the hair, cause build-up and prevent moisture from getting in.
Answered by Jasmine Levy – Curlologist – Curlspiration Hair Salon – Boca Raton, FL
What ingredients should I avoid in dry shampoos?
You want your hair to be at its best — always — and avoiding certain ingredients can be crucial to your hair’s overall health.
The first ingredient you’ll want to avoid is talc — which is a mineral consisting of silicon, hydrogen, oxygen, and magnesium. Though it’s a naturally occurring mineral, that doesn’t mean it’s in any way good for you — talc has been linked to certain cancers, so avoiding talc and talc powder is more than a good idea.
Another ingredient you might not want in your dry shampoo if you already have dry hair is alcohol, which can dry out hair and cause long-term damage to not just your strands, but your scalp as well.
A third and final ingredient you absolutely do not want in your hair are LPGs — which are liquid petroleum gasses like butane, isobutane, and propane. This is mainly something you should avoid for the sake of the ozone layer and the overall health of your lungs.