Is Amika’s Dry Shampoo Your Hair’s New BFF for Skipping Wash Days?
Main Image – Courtesy of writer
When it comes to washing my very long hair, I try and put it off for as long as I can. The time it takes to shampoo, condition, brush, dry, and style is something that irritates me, but God do I love the feeling (and smell!) of freshly washed hair.
I’ve tried various dry shampoos in an attempt to extend the time between washes but the only one that works for me is the OG Batiste Dry Shampoo, which refreshes my hair, adds body, and leaves it smelling cleaner. But there’s one product I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about lately – Amika’s Perk Up Dry Shampoo.
I wash my hair around 2-3 times a week, and I’ve recently been dabbling in the wavy girl method since I realised my hair isn’t actually as straight as I’d always thought. While my hair looks and smells great on day 1, by day 2 or 3 it can start looking a bit flat and the smell of my haircare products begins to wear off.
I wanted to see whether this viral dry shampoo could be a game changer for me, freeing up more time between wash days, helping my hair look fuller, and adding a ‘just washed’ scent.
Here’s how I got on.
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The product details
The brand describes Perk Up as a “lightweight + buildable dry shampoo that lets you extend time even further between wash days.” This “talc-free dry shampoo absorbs oil, reduces odour, and with an invisible finish, all while restoring ‘oomph.’” Sounds just like what I’m looking for.
It’s designed for people who need to wash their hair 3-4 times a week and is infused with a gentle AHA (AKA mandelic acid, which helps to remove sebum and dandruff), nutrient-rich sea buckthorn and natural rice starch (that’s right, no talc or white residue!) This is a plus point for me because my hair is darker at the roots and blonde at the ends, so most dry shampoos show a white/grey cast at my roots.
Rice Starch is often used in dry shampoo because of its ability to add volume and freshen lank hair by quickly mopping up excess oil on the scalp. Studies have shown that Rice Starch may go one step beyond being gentle and could actually help heal a compromised barrier function.
It comes in 3 sizes – 1.8 oz/64 ml travel size (£13 from Amika UK /$15 from Amika US), the regular 5.3 oz/189 ml (£25 from Amika UK /$28 from Amika US) and the large 9.5 oz/358 ml (£37 from Amika UK /$40 from Amika US). Considering the Batiste dry shampoos cost just £4.99 for 350ml, Amika’s is very expensive. Especially as someone who loves affordable beauty and haircare products.
The brand also has an Ultra Oil Control Dry Shampoo in their range, which costs slightly more than Perk Up (£28 from Amika UK /$30 from Amika US for the regular size) and Perk Up Plus Extended Clean Dry Shampoo (£28 from Amika UK /$30 from Amika US for the regular size).
Image – Courtesy of writer
First impressions
First off, I LOVE the packaging! The bottle is a funky orange, pink, yellow, and blue colour with a 70s-style pattern. It looks nice on my shelf and it’s super lightweight to carry on the go.
It smells divine. The signature Amika scent – an intoxicating blend of warm vanilla, spicy sweet clover, and fresh citrus – is strong enough to leave my hair perfumed without being too strong.
Amika says to shake the bottle well, hold it 8 inches away from the hair, spray onto the roots in a “sweeping motion”, wait for 30 seconds, and then massage or brush it through.
The spray mechanism is really easy to use and the bottle is lightweight – although I’m not sure how long it will be until I need to replace it, it’s not particularly big.
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My results
Before applying the dry shampoo my hair felt and looked greasy and stringy at the roots and around my hairline, it was very flat, and I could only smell a faint hint of product.
I’m more of a massager than a brusher when it comes to using dry shampoo, so I followed the instructions on my 2-day-old hair, also lifting sections up and spraying on the roots underneath.
Then I went in with my fingers to massage – and wow, my hair didn’t feel greasy at all! The only thing I will say is that I could feel a powdery dry shampoo texture on my hair (and fingers), but, it smells amazing and does a great job of mopping up grease, so I can take the hit.
I also noticed that if the spray gets onto my forehead it leaves it feeling dry and powdery too though. Something to watch out for when you use.
Before and after using Amika Dry Shampoo. Image – Courtesy of writer
Overall though, I like a fluffy hair look, and Amika’s dry shampoo has provided that for me. My hair has more volume, looks thicker, and the stringy greasy strands disappear into the rest of my hair when I use this.
There is a slight white cast when I apply, but it disappears once massaged it in.
I also like applying this dry shampoo at night before bed – without brushing or rubbing it in – and leaving it to soak up grease and smells overnight! Others have mentioned applying their dry shampoo on freshly washed and styled hair to prevent greasiness and promote texture/body.
What other users are saying
Most of the reviews I’ve seen for this dry shampoo are really positive, however, some users aren’t convinced of its grease-eliminating powers.
One customer on MakeupAlley writes “I received a trial size of the Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo and I DID NOT LIKE IT! I have medium/fine hair that is light brown and I found that it just did not work well.
“It absorbed a bit of oil when my hair needed a wash, but it left my roots a dusty greyish colour unless I really brushed it through. I also found it to be heavily fragranced and quite drying for my scalp. I much prefer the Briogeo dry shampoo. This product has made me reluctant to try other Amika products.”
However, I have to say that negative reviews of this product are few and far between.
One customer on the Amika website who also uses my overnight dry shampoo hack says “I love this dry shampoo. It makes my hair feel clean and doesn’t leave any residue behind. I do spray it the night before.” While another writes “Absolutely the best dry shampoo. Doesn’t leave white residue and smells fantastic”.
And while I love the smell, some people don’t. One user on TikTok writes “This scent always triggers a migraine for me”, which I can understand since it’s quite a strong fragrance. Not everyone (including me) is offended by the scent, though, another TikToker says “Amika products always smell amazing”.
So the jury is out on the scent, but most people seem to think this is a very effective dry shampoo.
@mattloveshair @love_amika NAILED IT with this #dryshampoo totally refreshed my hair without leaving behind any white cast #amika #hairproducts #ad
Overall value for money
For me, even though I like the product and I really enjoy the scent, it’s not necessarily worth the money since it provides the same grease-eliminating power as Batiste (and Batiste is obviously a lot more affordable).
I really like the volume is gave my hair but, again, Batiste also does the same for me.
Lots of people swear by Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, (£25 from SpaceNK UK /$30 from Sephora US) however, the price tag is pretty much the same as Perk Up.
Another cult fave is Briogeo’s Scalp Revival Charcoal + Biotin Dry Shampoo (read our honest review here), which is slightly cheaper than Living Proof (£22 from Boots UK /$25 from Sephora US) but still expensive for a dry shampoo and it comes in a much smaller 50ml bottle.
In all honesty, Batiste is the go-to for me. If you like your dry shampoo on the bougie side though, Amika’s Perk Up is a good way to go.
The takeaway
While I really like this product, as a budget beauty lover, I’ll probably end up sticking to my trust favourite Batiste for its price point, fragrance, and effectiveness.
If you’ve got a bit of spare cash then this is a great treat, and if you don’t use dry shampoo very often you could just purchase the smaller travel size which is cheaper – but it’s still much more expensive than the full size Batiste!
Get Glowing!
