I’m Calling It: Micellar Water Dry Shampoos Are the Next Big Thing

I’ve been a dry shampoo enthusiast for about 15 years. In my first job as a beauty writer, I lost the kind of college-era free time that previously allowed me to wash and style my hair every single day and promptly discovered Batiste at the drugstore. I’ve sworn by the aerosol-powered blasts of powder since then, but a newly growing category of what I’m calling “wet dry shampoo” is changing my mind.What is a “wet” dry shampoo?When I was in cosmetology school, I learned about rinseless cream and foam shampoos as a cleansing tool hairstylists could use in hospitals or nursing homes where their clients, for myriad reasons, might not be able to get into the shampoo bowl. Plenty of these types of don’t-add-water cleansers still exist, but they’re not what I’m talking about here. (And, in my experience, don’t work super well for me.)These wet dry shampoos are true liquid form, with many being marketed as “micellar water for your hair,” much like the gentle toners we use to remove makeup. “They’re basically absorbents that are suspended in a liquid medium (usually a blend of water and alcohol),” cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam says. “Not all of them are micellar waters, but they all need to have alcohol to provide that fast weightless dry feel on the hair.”She explains that the absorbents are the same ingredients found in traditional dry shampoos: things like silica, rice starch, and magnesium sodium silicate. Those ingredients are insoluble in water or alcohol, “so it just kind of sits there” until you spray the product on your scalp and the liquid part of the formula absorbs, Lam explains when I ask why the solids don’t just dissolve in the bottle.The idea that liquid might work as a between-shampoos scalp cleanser has been bubbling up for a while. R+Co launched its Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist—a micellar water with “suspended cleansing powder”—all the way back in May 2018. People on TikTok have used regular micellar water to replace dry shampoo; it got so big that even the New York Times wrote about the hack.Now, it seems that everyone’s getting on the wet dry shampoo train. K18 called AirWash “the reinvention of dry shampoo” when it launched in March 2024; although it didn’t make a “micellar for your hair” claim, Lam says it definitely falls into this category. Iles Formula launched Rinseless Root Refresh in April 2025 with the promise that it would never leave a white cast, even on dark hair. And in August 2026, both Kenra Professional and Living Proof launched “micellar-powered” dry shampoo formulas, the Micellar Cleansing Mist and Perfect Hair Day Sheer Clean Dry Shampoo Mist, respectively.“When a wet dry shampoo claims to be micellar, it means [the brand has] added a mild surfactant to the formula,” Lam explains, noting that she finds this a little bit gimmicky. “Just spraying a micellar water on the hair/face/scalp doesn’t necessarily clean it. It still needs to be rinsed/removed to clean the area.”Who are wet dry shampoos best for?Since the oil-absorbing ingredients are so similar to traditional dry shampoos, they should work just as well and might even be better for people with dry scalps, Lam says. “Since these wet dry shampoos contain water, [it’s possible] to incorporate water-soluble ingredients into the formulas… that would not be found in traditional dry shampoos,” she says. For example, AirWash contains an algae extract the brand says helps with long-term sebum control. Lam says they also might be a better option for someone who prefers a more natural look, since the wet versions don’t often contain the styling qualities (like volumizing effects) that traditional dry shampoos can add.They’re also often billed as great for people with curly hair or people who wear protective styles. Garren, a hairstylist and co-founder of R+Co, says Spiritualized can be used to cleanse the scalp if you have your hair braided, a claim Iles Formula also makes about its version. “It gets rid of all the flakes,” Garren says.Testing Wet Dry Shampoos for MyselfIn order to test a few of these wet dry shampoos, I followed Garren’s application recommendations: Lifted my hair in sections, sprayed the shampoo at my roots, flipped my head upside down to massage the product into the roots, and then restyled my hair with a blow dryer. I tried them all on both second- and third-day hair.My three favorites of the bunch were from R+Co, Living Proof, and Kenra Professional. In terms of application experience and results, I found them all pretty comparable: I don’t think you could go wrong with any of these three, but I’ll break down the minor differences in case it helps you make a choice.R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist Before applying the R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo MistAfter applying the R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo MistI started with the oldest of the bunch, R+Co Spiritualized Dry Shampoo Mist. It comes in a compact bottle with a fine mist sprayer nozzle that distributes the product pretty easily. It uses silica as an absorbent, and I thought this one gave me the most volume. It’s not a TSA-friendly size, but, as the shortest bottle out of these three, would be the one I’d pack for any ground-travel trips. This one also has the least fragrance to it, so would be good for anyone scent-sensitive.Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Sheer Clean Dry Shampoo MistBefore applying the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Sheer Clean Dry Shampoo MistAfter applying the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Sheer Clean Dry Shampoo MistThe Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Sheer Clean Dry Shampoo Mist launched most recently, and got a decent amount of buzz online—probably because the brand’s classic dry shampoo is such a fan-favorite. It also uses silica as an absorbent, but has more oils in the formula than the R+Co. That could be why it was maybe 5 percent less effective at soaking up grease, but I still loved the way my hair felt after I used it. If you want an option that leaves your strands with plenty of movement, this is probably the way to go.Kenra Professional Micellar Cleansing Mist Before applying the Kenra Professional Micellar Cleansing MistAfter applying the Kenra Professional Micellar Cleansing MistUnlike my other two favorites, Kenra Professional Micellar Cleansing Mist uses rice starch to soak up grease, which my hair seemed to really like. It has a thin, precision nozzle applicator, which makes it easier to get right up onto your scalp. The brand has included niacinamide in this one, for a little added scalp-care benefit. It’s the most fragranced of the three, with a blend of jasmine, lavender, pear, and sandalwood that I really love but could be too much for anyone who isn’t into scented hair products.Final verdictYou can officially consider me a micellar hair mist convert—for most situations. The formulas I tried were all lightweight and didn’t dry out my hair. They absorb oil, though perhaps not quite as well as my aerosol-powered powder dry shampoos, especially beyond day three. If I’m really in a pinch and need to look super clean for an event and, for some reason, haven’t had time to wash my hair for the past four days, I’m going to stick to my faithful Batiste. But for everyday purposes, wet dry shampoos are likely to be my new go-to—particularly come wintertime, when I’m not so sweaty and my hair is already stressed from the dry, cold air.Why trust Cosmopolitan?Kara McGrath is a writer and editor with over 15 years of experience covering the beauty space. That job includes testing as many hair products as possible, especially dry shampoos because she has better things to do than wash her hair every day.Kara McGrath is a writer and editor with over 17 years of experience covering the beauty industry, women’s health, and a wide range of other lifestyle and wellness topics. After most recently serving as content director at Allure (2019-2025) and executive editor at Bustle (2014-2019), she is now fully freelance. In addition to Cosmo, her writing has appeared in Allure, The New York Times, Marie Claire, Business of Fashion, Playboy, NH Magazine, and more. Kara lives in New Hampshire with her dog, four cats, and a rotating cast of foster animals. You can find more of her work at karamcgrath.com.