These are the 9 best dry shampoos for oily hair to keep your strands looking freshly washed for longer

RRP: £24.95 | Hair type: All | Finish: Invisible | Ingredients: Rice starch, orange peel oil, grapefruit peel oil

There's something seriously magic about Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo. After following the brand's advice of spritzing the product onto the roots and leaving for 30 seconds, before using my fingers to blend it in, it was almost like I blinked and I instantly had freshly washed hair. Previously, I've found dry shampoos to cause itchiness and wear off throughout the day, but this gem didn't succumb to either of the above. It boasted true staying power all day long, working to not only banish my once greasy locks but also boosting volume. It's also worth mentioning that it didn't leave any visible white residue, which is a major plus as a brunette. Although it's on the pricier side, I'd say the quality of the formula is well worth the investment.

RRP: £28 | Hair type: All, especially damaged | Finish: Invisible | Ingredients: Seed extract, citric acid, micro starch

It does pain me that this dry shampoo option comes with a heftier price tag, but if you can afford it, I truly do think this is worth the money. After testing this lightweight-feeling formula for several months, I can safely say that there’s really nothing else like it. No matter how much you spray onto your roots, the product that comes out is truly invisible, with absolutely no white cast transferring to your hair. After a few months' of regular use, it still feels like there’s a lot left, meaning you get more bang for your buck. Like the rest of Olaplex’s range, it’s completely vegan, as well as being free from sulphates, parabens, and phthalates, too.

RRP: £3.59 | Hair type: All | Finish: Light, powdery | Ingredients: Rice starch, keratin, fragrance of peony, orange peel

If you’ve ever used a dry shampoo before, chances are it will have been Batiste as this brand has been around for years. The brand's Blush version is more heavyweight compared to their other lineup, which means it's easy to get quick results and extra volume on oily roots, although it does leave white patches when not holding the bottle at arm’s length. While this budget option probably won’t keep your hair looking freshly washed the entire day, it's great for volume-boosting top-ups throughout the day. All this being said, for such a low price, you can’t go wrong with Batiste.

RRP: £20 | Hair type: Curly and wavy hair | Finish: Invisible | Ingredients: Aloe vera, peppermint, tapioca and corn starch

While this Bouclème foam doesn’t exactly convert into a powder, the liquid aspect of it evaporates and dries very quickly rather than adding any greasiness. The pump only allows for a small amount of the product to be dispersed at a time, which is useful because a little really does go a long way. I added a light layer to my roots, used my fingers to shake it out, and instantly saw a difference in my lank, oily hair on its second day without washing. This dry shampoo is formulated for curly and wavy hair, but it's worth noting that if you have very flat or fine hair that doesn't have much of a curl pattern, the product might not sit as well on your roots, and could weigh them down.

RRP: £39 | Hair type: All | Finish: Light, mist-like | Ingredients: Rice starch, sunflower seed extract, seed oil

Arriving in an aerosol can, this product actually comes out like a mist which adds initial moisture to the roots. This may seem counterintuitive, but I actually found that it instantly refreshed my greasy hair and allowed me to brush my hair in between wash days without causing frizz. Luckily, I found that brushing definitely wasn’t necessary with this very fine - basically invisible - dry shampoo, even when I used a fair amount. The bottle promises level one (out of five) hold, but I found that spraying this liberally added a fair amount of volume to my greasy roots. It's worth flagging that the ball-bearing in the bottle can cause quite a jarring sound when you shake it. Additionally, while it definitely held up for several hours, it didn't last the entire day without needing another spritz.

RRP: £39 | Hair type: All | Finish: Powdery | Ingredients: Corn starch, tapioca starch, lavender, nettle, sunflower

Despite boasting a hefty price tag, I've honestly never used a dry shampoo like this one. Firstly, you don't get the sickly-sweet scent like other dry shampoos, instead it smells very natural and subtle. What I liked about this powder is that it really settles on your hair, so much so that it feels a little odd when you go to touch your roots throughout the day. This is actually a plus because, as we know, the worst thing to do when you have greasy hair is to keep touching it. I found myself less likely to touch my roots throughout the day, which in turn made the product last longer and do its job better. And while the powder didn’t exactly add volume to my hair, it did stop it from going oily again later on in the day.

RRP: £28 | Hair type: All | Finish: Light, powdery | Ingredients: Rice starch, sea buckthorn extract, citronellol

Having a bottle of dry shampoo in your gym bag is always a good idea and this Amika option is great thanks to it being super lightweight and easily transportable. The scent is quite sweet, but not sickly, so you won’t upset anyone by spraying this liberally in a changing room. Plus, I found that I didn’t need to brush the product out through my roots, instead waiting 30 seconds for it to settle before using my fingers to blend in. I found the aerosol applicator to be extra helpful when I had just finished a sweaty workout, but I also working great on my greasy roots that had gone several days without a shampoo. What’s more, I was really impressed with how long the result of this dry shampoo lasted, without the need to reapply throughout the day. 

RRP: £11.50 | Hair type: All types of naturally dark hair | Finish: Powdery | Ingredients: Nettle, rice starch

Dry shampoos often promise to relieve me of greasy roots but leave an unappealing thick white cast, which stands out even more against darker hair. Klorane's Nettle dry shampoo is made with dark, oily hair in mind, so instead of coming out white and powdery, the product settles to a light brown colour on the scalp. I would say you need to use this dry shampoo sparingly, however I found that by fluffing up my roots using my fingers, the product dispersed and didn't leave any trace. The nettle scent is pleasingly natural and not too strong, and it gave my hair a nice refresh when it was feeling a little lacklustre. While I found that the effects of the dry shampoo didn't last quite as long as others, I would feel confident spritzing this before a night out to achieve a fresh feel.

RRP: £12 | Hair type: All | Finish: Light, almost invisible | Ingredients: Rice starch, seed oil

While other dry shampoos I tested suggested spraying 30cm from the roots, this lovely-smelling and easy-to-use dry option encouraged a 10cm distance, which seems very close. There’s no need to worry though as I noticed no residue, white patches, or any evidence that the product had been there at all, other than the freshness it instantly gave my roots. I found that there was no need to brush this product out, and instead, I used my fingers to fluff up my roots and achieve a freshly-washed look. With such nourishing ingredients, I didn’t feel any itchiness or sensitivity on my scalp, even with the bottle held so close to my roots, and I also didn’t need to reapply. A quick spritz was enough to achieve a voluminous hairstyle that you wouldn’t guess needed a wash.