The Best Dry Shampoos For Dark Hair
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For many people, dry shampoo is an essential. But if you have brown or black hair (or even just darker roots), you know that not all dry shampoos are created equal. The best dry shampoos for dark hair are either tinted or completely invisible, and therefore don't leave behind any telltale white residue. Not only should your dry shampoo soak up the excess oil that's making your hair greasy, but it should also leave your hair smelling as clean as it looks.
How To Use Dry Shampoo:
How you use your dry shampoo can impact the result, too. To avoid excess residue and (maximize the product’s oil-absorbing abilities), always give the can a good shake and spray it 6 to 8 inches away from your hair, directing the nozzle at the roots. After you let it sit for about a minute, you can use your fingers to lightly massage the dry shampoo into your hair. Or, you can steal a trick from the pros and blast the roots with your blow dryer, using a brush (and the heat) to better distribute the dry shampoo through your hair. I've also found that using it at night gives the dry shampoo more time to work and get rid of grease before it even has a chance to settle in.
Shop The Best Dry Shampoos For Dark Hair:
In a hurry? Here are the best dry shampoos for dark hair:
1. Best Luxury Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair: Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
2. Best Drugstore Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair: L’Oréal Paris EverPure Tinted Dry Shampoo Tinted Dry Shampoo
3. Best French Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair: Klorane Dry Shampoo With Oat Milk, Dark Hair
4. Best Invisible Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair: Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
5. Best Mini Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair: Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Dark Tones
1. Writer’s Pick: Best Luxury Dry Shampoo
If I had unlimited funds (spoiler alert: I do not), I would exclusively use Oribe’s Gold Lust Dry Shampoo. For starters, this is the best-smelling dry shampoo you will ever find, featuring the brand’s iconic Cote D’Azur fragrance (so popular, it was turned into a perfume). It's also a truly invisible formula, and as someone with dark, fine hair that gets greasy fast, I have put nearly every dry shampoo out there to the test. This doesn't dull your hair color or announce to the world that your hair is in desperate need of a wash, and it doesn't add that weird, heavy texture dry shampoos tend to leave behind.
In addition to a blend of translucent starches and celery seed extract that absorb excess oil, the dry shampoo contains lavender oil, chamomile oil, and silk extracts (derived from bamboo and rice) to prevent a dry, itchy scalp and leave your hair feeling soft. And like all Oribe products, it contains the brand's signature complex of watermelon, lychee, and edelweiss flower extracts, which help protect your hair from the daily damage that can occur from things like sun exposure and pollution.
Relevant review: “I've tried several dry shampoos and they either leave a grey residue on my dark brown hair or don't work at all. This works well. Sprays on evenly, doesn't live a grey film, and keeps my hair looking great.”
2. Best Drugstore Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair
Tinted formulas are genius, not only because they’re invisible on dark hair, but also, because the tint can make your hair look fuller and even help camouflage unwanted grays that pop up between color appointments. L’Oréal’s EverPure Tinted Dry Shampoo is a drugstore find that uses rice starch to soak up oil and color pigments developed for brown and black hair to give it its color. The bottle's concentrated spray nozzle allows for more precision with your spritzing, as it dispenses a fine mist to help prevent overloading your hair with product. To top it off, the dry shampoo is scented with a blend of almond blossom and creamy musk.
Relevant review: “I wash my hair every other day and use dry shampoo in between washes. I love dry shampoo, but hate that there's white residue on my dark brown hair. This is the first tinted dry shampoo that I've used. I love it! It rubs in well, makes my hair look clean, and it smells so good. This is probably be my go to from now on.”
3. Best Tinted Dry Shampoo From A French Pharmacy Brand
This is the first tinted dry shampoo I ever tried, and it's remained one of my favorites over the years. The natural pigments that this Klorane dry shampoo uses are more of a beige color rather than a true brown or black shade, but the formula blends in invisibly without leaving any residue behind (or temporarily messing with the color of your hair). It has a mild scent, so if you're not a fan of fragranced products, there's no need to worry about being overwhelmed by a floral or fruity scent. Instead, the gentle formula uses rice starch, corn starch, absorbent microspheres, and silica to remove excess dirt, oil, and odor while adding some volume to flat hair. But organically harvested oat milk is the real hero ingredient in this French pharmacy staple, which works to soothe even the most sensitive scalps. Additionally, the formula is fragrance-free, so it won’t weigh down fine or thin hair types.
Relevant review: “By far the best dry shampoo for dark colored hair. This is the only dry shampoo that doesn’t make my hair feel weighed down by product build up. So worth it!”
4. Best Invisible Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair
This dry shampoo has over 3,000 five-star ratings on Amazon — it also boasts a cult-like following IRL — and there are plenty of reasons why. Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo mists on completely invisibly (yes, even if you have dark brown or black hair), making it suitable for any hair color. Rice starch, silica, and zeolite work quickly to absorb excess sweat and oil, while the brand's patented Healthy Hair Molecule helps to repel dirt and oil to keep your hair looking — and truly feeling — cleaner for longer. You'll get a little volumizing boost from this dry shampoo, too, which is bolstered by the fact that it’s silicone-free. The scent here is minimal, but Living Proof uses a time-release fragrance technology to neutralize odors and keep your hair smelling fresh throughout the day.
Relevant review: ““I love the Living Proof dry shampoo. It saves my brown hair on days when it’s feeling greasy, and it doesn’t leave any white residue behind. I also am obsessed with the Living Proof scent. It’s smells so clean and expensive, I wish I could use it every day.” — Amy Biggart, Elite Daily editor
5. Best Mini Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair
You can find travel-size bottles for most of the dry shampoos on this list, but Moroccanoil's Dry Shampoo Dark Tones deserves a shout-out for its ability to refresh dark hair without leaving it chalky (also, like the Oribe dry shampoo, this one boasts a sultry scent to rival your favorite perfume). In here, rice starch helps do away with excess oil, and the brand's hero ingredient, argan oil, provides multiple benefits without weighing down your hair. Naturally rich in antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamin E, argan oil helps keep your color protected from UV-induced fading, while also leaving your hair feeling smoother and softer.
Relevant review: “I've tried a handful of dry shampoos and have always been less than impressed..they either leave a grey-ish tint (I have dark hair), leave a sticky or tacky feel on my roots, or simply don't work. This has been my favorite of all of them! It has a great smell too. I will be buying again.”
About the author:
Marissa DeSantis has been writing about beauty for nearly 10 years. Her dry shampoo obsession can be traced back to the beauty closet of Lucky Magazine, where she began putting every drugstore and luxury formula to the test. Her work has included beauty coverage for digital and print publications like Bustle Digital Group, Teen Vogue, and InStyle.
