Best Dry Shampoo? 4,934 Reviews of Living Proof, K18 and Batiste

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Review-analysis guide: 4,934 customer reviews read on Sephora, Ulta and Target (October 25, 2026), sorted and counted by us; product details from Amazon listings checked October 25, 2026.

By The Beauty Read · Checked October 25, 2026 · AI-assisted research and editing · Contains Amazon affiliate links

The best dry shampoo here depends on what bothers you most. In 4,561 usable reviews, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (paid link) drew the most oil-control praise (44% of 3,331), mostly in 2015 to 2018 reviews; from 2023 on, 24% had a scent complaint. K18 AirWash (paid link), a non-aerosol mist, drew the most complaints about a dry, stiff or sticky feel (28%). Batiste Original (paid link) drew the most rebuy talk (21% of 229).

Best dry shampoo: what 4,934 reviews agree on

Shopping for a dry shampoo? We read 4,934 reviews of three popular picks at Sephora, Ulta and Target to see how often reviewers say it soaks up oil, leaves a white cast, feels dry or stiff, or smells too strong: Living Proof Perfect Hair Day, K18 AirWash and Batiste Original. Living Proof and Batiste are aerosol cans with rice starch; K18 is a non-aerosol mist that its listing says uses translucent microbeads. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA] [A1] [A2] [A3]

Each pick leads on something different. Living Proof drew the most praise for soaking up oil (44% of 3,331 usable reviews), and Batiste the most talk of buying it again (21% of 229). On white cast the two bigger samples are close: 20% of 1,001 K18 reviewers and 17% of Living Proof reviewers said it left none. The complaints differ more: a dry, stiff or sticky feel for K18 (28%), scent for Living Proof (12%), and a white cast or residue for 8% to 9% of reviewers of all three. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

How we read 4,934 reviews at Sephora, Ulta and Target

We read every review each retailer served for these three products, with no fixed target. At Sephora that meant every US English Living Proof and K18 review except those marked incentivized or written by staff (1,010 and 386 skipped unread). Ulta's review pages stop after the newest 300, so we read every distinct review they served: 294 of the 3,015 Living Proof reviews Ulta shows and 271 of 28,848 for Batiste. Target shows 19,071 Batiste reviews but serves at most 2,500 per view; combining views reached 9,141, and all but 82 had been copied from other sites, so we skipped those unread. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

Of the 4,934 we read, 373 were set aside. Ulta's pages had months where most reviews said the product was free: 64 Batiste reviews from February and March 2024 and July to September 2025, and 35 Living Proof reviews from September 2025 and August 2026. Another 204 said the product was free, a sample or part of a campaign or contest, 46 were about another product, scent or set, and 24 had no real text, came before use, were about shipping or were not in English. That leaves 4,561 usable reviews: 3,331 for Living Proof (Sephora 3,099, Ulta 232), 1,001 for K18 (Sephora) and 229 for Batiste (Ulta 151, Target 78). [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

Some cautions. Living Proof's reviews run from 2015 to 2026, and 71% of the usable ones are from 2015 to 2018, so we show the years separately below. K18 launched in 2024, and Batiste's sample is small. Sephora pools each product's full size and mini. Star ratings are not comparable across retailers, so we compare what reviewers describe. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day, the dry shampoo with the longest track record

Living Proof's aerosol says it absorbs oil, sweat and odor to clean hair and refresh the scalp between washes, with a light citrus scent. Its listing FAQ says an easy-to-remove white residue is normal, especially on dark hair, and suggests rubbing it in, brushing or using a blow dryer. We link the standard can sold by Living Proof, Inc and shipped from Amazon. [A1]

Across 3,331 usable reviews of the Living Proof dry shampoo, 1,458 (44%) said it soaked up oil and left roots looking clean, 1,259 (38%) liked the scent, 724 (22%) said hair stayed fresh longer and 581 (17%) said it left no white cast. The most common complaints were scent (384, 12%), a white cast (294, 9%), spray or can problems (289, 9%) and price (286, 9%). [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP]

What reviewers say changed over time. Of 2,380 usable reviews from 2015 to 2018, 47% praised its oil control, 8% had a scent complaint and 9% gave one or two stars. Of 493 from 2023 on, 31% praised its oil control (K18's 2024 to 2026 reviews: 39%), 24% had a scent complaint, 14% reported spray or can problems and 33% gave one or two stars. The drop shows at Sephora alone too. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18]

See Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo on Amazon (paid link) · This link opens the standard can sold by Living Proof, Inc and shipped from Amazon.

K18 AirWash, the non-aerosol dry shampoo in this read

K18 AirWash is a non-aerosol dry shampoo, a pump mist. Its listing says translucent microbeads absorb oil and sweat without white residue and that it refreshes hair for up to 3 days; it also says the spray may feel slightly damp and to shake it if the nozzle clogs. We link the 4 fl oz bottle sold by K18 Hair and shipped from Amazon. [A2]

Of 1,001 usable Sephora reviews of the K18 dry shampoo from 2024 to 2026, 395 (39%) said it soaked up oil, 198 (20%) said hair stayed fresh longer and 196 (20%) said it left no white cast, close to Living Proof's 17%. Among reviewers with dark hair, 12 of 76 (16%) reported a cast, against 72 of 279 (26%) for Living Proof. 112 (11%) called it good value, and only 12 had a scent complaint. [R-SEP-K18] [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP]

Its main complaint is feel: 285 reviewers (28%) found it dry, stiff or sticky, and 121 (12%) reported pump or spray problems. Feel complaints fell from 37% of 2024 reviews to 27% in 2025 and 21% in 2026, and one- and two-star reviews from 37% to 30% and 23%. [R-SEP-K18]

See K18 AirWash Non Aerosol Dry Shampoo, 4 fl oz on Amazon (paid link) · This link opens the 4 fl oz bottle sold by K18 Hair and shipped from Amazon.

Batiste Original, the drugstore dry shampoo reviewers rebuy

Batiste Original is an aerosol with rice starch that its listing says targets oil at the roots and adds texture and volume, with a classic clean fragrance of orange and bergamot with hints of rose, lily, lavender and musk. We link a 3-pack of 3.81 oz cans shipped and sold by Amazon.com. [A3]

In 229 usable reviews of the Batiste dry shampoo (151 at Ulta, 78 at Target), 66 (29%) liked the scent, 59 (26%) said it soaked up oil and 47 (21%) said they would buy it again, the highest rebuy share of the three; value talk (29, 13%) was close to K18's 11%. Ulta's page pools several Batiste scents, so some scent praise there may be about others (37% at Ulta against 13% at Target). [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

Complaints were few in number: 21 (9%) reported a white cast or residue, 16 (7%) spray or can problems, 13 (6%) a scent complaint and 12 (5%) a dry or stiff feel. With 229 reviews, a gap of a few points is within what a small sample can swing. [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

See Batiste Original Dry Shampoo, 3.81 oz, 3 pack on Amazon (paid link) · This link opens a 3-pack of 3.81 oz cans shipped and sold by Amazon.com.

Dry shampoo for dark hair, fine hair and workouts: what reviewers reported

Looking for a dry shampoo for dark hair? Of 279 Living Proof reviewers who said their hair is dark, 160 (57%) said it left no white cast and 72 (26%) reported one. Of 76 K18 reviewers with dark hair, 47 (62%) said no white cast and 12 (16%) reported one. Only 9 Batiste reviewers mentioned dark hair, too few to count. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

Among reviewers with fine or flat hair, 95 of 276 for Living Proof and 43 of 125 for K18 (34% each) mentioned added volume or texture. Of reviewers who mentioned workouts, 91 of 105 for Living Proof and 18 of 26 for K18 said it kept hair fresh after them. [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18]

How to use dry shampoo, and how each one feels

What is dry shampoo used for? All three listings say it soaks up oil; Batiste and Living Proof say between washes, and Living Proof and K18 also mention sweat and odor. Batiste says to shake the can, section hair, spray about 12 inches from the roots, massage in and brush. K18 says to shake for at least 5 seconds, use one spray per section 4 to 6 inches from the scalp, massage in and brush. Living Proof suggests rubbing, brushing or blow-drying out any white residue, and a blow dryer for curls. [A1] [A2] [A3]

On feel, the gap is K18: 28% of its reviewers found it dry, stiff or sticky, against 7% for Living Proof and 5% for Batiste, while 19% of Living Proof reviewers described a soft, light or non-sticky feel. On scent, 38% of Living Proof and 29% of Batiste reviewers liked it, against 10% for K18, which also drew the fewest scent complaints (1%). [R-SEP-LP] [R-ULT-LP] [R-SEP-K18] [R-TGT-BA] [R-ULT-BA]

Keep reading

• Best shampoo for curly hair: 502 Sephora reviews of 3 picks
• Best hair perfume: 750 reviews of Gisou, OUAI and Kitsch
• Best hair growth oil: 1,695 reviews of Mielle, Kitsch and Briogeo

Frequently asked questions

What is the best dry shampoo in these reviews?

It depends on the trade-off. Living Proof drew the most oil-control praise (44% of 3,331 usable reviews), mostly from 2015 to 2018 reviews. K18 AirWash is the non-aerosol pick, with 20% no-white-cast praise but 28% finding it dry or stiff. Batiste drew the most rebuy talk (21% of 229).

Which dry shampoo is best for dark hair?

Among reviewers who said their hair is dark, 62% of 76 K18 reviewers and 57% of 279 Living Proof reviewers said it left no white cast, and 16% and 26% reported a cast. Living Proof's listing calls easy-to-remove residue normal on dark hair and suggests brushing or blow-drying it out.

What is dry shampoo used for?

All three listings say it soaks up oil, and two mention sweat and odor. In the reviews, 470 Living Proof and 158 K18 reviewers said how many days they go between washes or which day they use it, and 131 across the two mentioned workouts.

Is a non-aerosol dry shampoo like K18 AirWash different?

K18 AirWash is a pump mist, not an aerosol, and its listing says it may feel slightly damp. In 1,001 reviews, 20% said it left no white cast and 28% found it dry, stiff or sticky, and 12% mentioned pump or spray problems.

How do you use dry shampoo?

Shake, section your hair and spray at the roots: Batiste says about 12 inches away, K18 4 to 6 inches with one spray per section. Massage it in, then brush. Living Proof suggests a blow dryer to remove any white residue, especially on dark or curly hair.