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Shampoo is a beauty essential that's seemingly as old as time. But as technology, personal preference, and ingredient innovations evolve, so have the formulas. Long gone are the days of regularly using sulfate-laced, oil-stripping, one-size-fits-all hair cleansers that only work on a handful of hair textures. Not only are newer formats — like shampoo bars, powder, and foam shampoos — becoming vaster, but you can pretty much customize your washday experience to meet the changing needs of your hair. What's more, many of the newer options available also eliminate bulky bottles and excess water waste.
The average bottle of shampoo is 80 percent water — but more brands are cutting back on H20, or doing away with it altogether. Eliminating or minimizing water "reduces the weight of a product, which reduces CO2 emissions in transport," says Anna Cummins, cofounder of 5 Gyres, a nonprofit focused on curbing plastic pollution. "It also reduces the need for plastic packaging, [since] a dry product can be packaged in paper or materials that don't need to be water-repellent. And it concentrates the product, so a smaller amount goes a longer way."
Powder and foam shampoos can help us be more environmentally conscious in our beauty routine, and in some cases, allow for hair refreshing beyond your shower. Sure the concept of dry shampoo isn't new, but waterless or low-water options can provide the same level of deep clean as a liquid formula — without having to rewet your entire head. We gathered up some of our favorite new shampoo formulas that'll make your hair-cleansing experience feel like you just left the salon.
A version of this story originally appeared in the August 2021 issue of Allure. Learn how to subscribe here.
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A quarter-size sprinkle of Meow Meow Tweet's Rose Geranium Shampoo Powder made our tester's bleached hair feel soft, not stripped. The softening benefits come courtesy of soothing aloe and moisturizing marshmallow extract in the shampoo concentrate. Bonus: The metal vial (with an easy-to-remove label) can be reused as a bud vase.
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Scoop out, then slather on a palmful of the Shaz & Kiks Unearth Yourself Balancing Clay Hair Cleanser. The buttery shampoo lathers up into a foam once you add water and start to work it into your hair. A combination of moisturizing glycerin, oil-absorbing kaolin clay, and coconut cleansers will help get rid of product build-up, dirt, and excess oil while leaving your hair and scalp soft and hydrated.
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As the name suggests, Unsubscribe's No-Rinse Hair Wash is meant to truly work without water. The foam shampoo is made with enzymes to break down bacteria that can cause odor, along with amino acids to strengthen hair, and green tea and chamomile extracts to soothe scalp irritation. Rub four to six pumps of the wash into your roots and through to your ends, then let hair air-dry.
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This Best of Beauty-winning Moondust Hair Wash from Susteau is a water-activated powder made with coconut oil to break down dirt, oil, and debris in hair. The formula also features volumizing rice protein and soothing aloe vera for additional hair benefits. One bottle of this powder is the equivalent of four bottles of an eight-ounce liquid bottle of shampoo.
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If your scalp, and subsequently your hair, lean more on the oily side, then Klorane's 2-in-1 Mask Shampoo Powder with Organic Nettle may be the best hair-cleansing solution for you. The sebum-reducing powder transforms into foam when you mix in a few sprinkles of water. A combination of organic nettle, alongside hectorite and kaolin clays, sop up oil to leave hair light, bouncy, and moisturized — not dry or lackluster.
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Similar to some of the other options on this list, Pantene's Cheat Day Dry Shampoo Foam refreshes hair on contact without stripping away natural oils. This drugstore gem is formulated with tapioca starch to absorb gunk without leaving a filmy residue behind.
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Not only is Cic's Neo Powder Shampoo completely waterless, but it's also enriched with an impressive lineup of hair-nourishing ingredients. Corn starch and apple cider vinegar do the cleansing, while caffeine stimulates the scalp and niacinamide hydrates and retains moisture in hair. There's also hydrolyzed collagen in the formula to help give hair a fuller appearance.
Drugstore wonder Batiste has already aced the dry shampoo game, but this Waterless Cleaning Foam may give that on-the-go cleanser a run for its money. If you prefer a formula that's closer to an in-shower shampooing experience, try this lightweight option. It's made with coconut cleansers, as well as coconut milk, to give hair a volume boost — without leaving any sticky or chalky residue in its wake.
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Coconut-based cleansers in Cocofomm's Hydrating Powder Shampoo help remove sweat and dirt from hair sans sulfates. Rounding out the formula is kaolin clay, which helps absorb excess oil, while coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft for long-lasting hydration.
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