I will be reviewing both of the new-for-2014 Suave dry shampoos in the near future, and I'll probably review at least one of the three new Pantene dry shampoos soon as well. Today, I'm reviewing one of the three new Herbal Essences dry shampoos. I haven't been able to find the Body Envy Dry Shampoo in my area yet and, unfortunately, I won't be reviewing the Color Me Happy Dry Shampoo because I strongly disliked the scent (sorry). So let's take a look at Naked, which is the third new dry shampoo formula from Herbal Essences:
NEW Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo
(retail: around $4.99, 4.9 oz)
I found this dry shampoo at my local Target a while back and the first thing that drew me to this can was the sleek packaging. I don't know why, but I love the matte white finish on the bottle and I love the clean, simple graphics:
Most dry shampoos contain a key ingredient that absorbs oil. The most common oil-absorbing ingredients in drugstore dry shampoos seem to be rice starch (Batiste and got2b), aluminum starch octenylsuccinate (Dove, Suave, Psssst! and TRESemme) and tapioca starch (Herbal Essences and Pantene).
Personally, dry shampoos that contain rice starch tend to work the very best for my oily hair (which is probably why some of my favorite dry shampoos of all-time are Batiste and got2b). I also have had good luck with products that use aluminum starch octenylsuccinate (I adore Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo). But I can't recall ever using a dry shampoo with tapioca starch before (I may have, but I just can't remember it since I've used so, so many dry shampoos over the years).
Some dry shampoos require you to leave the product in your hair for a few minutes before you work it in, but this one makes no mention of that. I have not been letting it "set" before I start to work it in--I just work it in immediately after application, as directed.
I don't know why or how this happens, but whenever I test a dry shampoo for review, it always seems to coincide with my need to COLOR my hair. In other words, the gray at my roots is crazy right now, but I didn't want to color my hair before taking these photos, so I'm sorry you have to deal with it (and for the record, I'm coloring my hair immediately after I finish writing this review).
Before, during and after:
My greasy, disgusting bangs after two days without shampooing.
Immediately after applying Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo.
After working Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo into my roots,
and then combing my bangs into place.
I know that the gray is distracting (again, I'm coloring my hair the moment I'm done writing this review!) but if you can look past that, I think you can see that this product did a decent job at absorbing the oil in my bangs.
Fragrance: The best thing about this product, in my opinion. I LOVE the scent of this dry shampoo. It's clean and fresh and it has a "sweet mint" note. It's not minty in a I'm-chewing-on-a-fresh-stick-of-spearmint-gum way, but you have to trust me--the soft sweet-and-minty undertone is just so lovely.
Ease of use: I love that the nozzle twists to close. I hate lids on dry shampoos (I always lose them) so I'm glad this doesn't have one. I have had zero issues with the nozzle clogging (I know that's an issue with certain brands).
Oil Absorption: I have to use a lot of this product on my hair before it becomes effective. But it does eventually get there. I'm used to only having to apply a few quick bursts to my bangs before, voilà! No more oil. But for this product, I find that I have to apply a good amount, work it in, then apply some more and work it in again to get results that truly satisfy me.
Residue: This product leaves no white cast on my dark-blonde hair. It does "dull" my hair after the initial application (see middle pic above) but that goes away almost immediately when I work this product into my hair. A few hours after application, when I touch my hair, there's a slight powdery residue on my fingers, but it's not abundant.
Longevity: This dry shampoo can extend the time between washings by one day for me. In other words, my hair is back to greasy about 24 hours after application (but it's not as greasy as it was prior to application!).
Shine: This product leaves a moderate amount of shine behind. I'm happy with that because, as long as a dry shampoo doesn't make my hair look like I had a fight with a bottle of baby powder, I'm OK. I'm not looking for dry shampoos to add a lot of shine because then they wouldn't be absorbing much oil.
Volume: I know that many of us use dry shampoos on CLEAN hair, just to add a bit of volume (I remember a reader commenting here a few years ago about being an extra on the set of Mad Men and how the hair stylists used Psssst! to add volume before styling everyone's hair into 60s-era hairstyles). Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo doesn't add as much volume as some other dry shampoos I've used, but it certainly makes my hair look a little fuller than before I use it. I would give it a 4 or 5 on the volume scale.
FINAL VERDICT: I like it, but I don't love it. I do love the smell (oh the fragrance is just so lovely!) but it's not a potential holy grail dry shampoo for me. I need to use a lot to absorb the oil in my hair, and it doesn't add the amount of volume that I'm used to from other dry shampoos. Because of that, Batiste and Suave Professionals are are still my two favorite dry shampoos. I'm afraid that the new Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo will be a back-up for me when I'm out of my favorites, but it won't be replacing them. Would I repurchase? Only if it was on sale and I got it for a fantastic price. But if I could get this fragrance in the form of a body wash and/or body mist, I'd buy it by the case.
Have you tried any of the Herbal Essences Dry Shampoos yet? Thoughts?
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
I go through tons of dry shampoo also. I'm always happy to see reviews before I go and try something new. I personally HATE the body envy dry shampoo. It leaves a terrifying white cast on my hair that the blow dryer couldn't even get out...and it made my hair look flakey! No thank you.
ReplyDeleteLove your dry shampoo reviews!! Dry shampoos seem to be everywhere now. I agree my faves are also the rice starch ones, Batiste and got2b rock star, they work best for me.
ReplyDeleteI found the Body Envy version on clearance at Target last week. It was marked down from $3.99 to $3.38 Woo hoo! LOL. Aside from all the mint stuff, the ingredients are exactly the same as the Naked version so I assume it would work the same. The Body Envy is more of a citrus smell. I agree with everything you said. It's just ok. It won't be replacing my Batiste any time soon.
ReplyDeletethanks so much for posting! I bought this a week or two ago, and I was disappointed in that it left my hair feeling really stiff! didn't hate it, but definitely wasn't my favorite. although yes, the smell of it was wonderful! Going to be sticking with my all time favorite Batiste "paisley" dry shampoo i think for now!!
ReplyDeleteI purchased this dry shampoo after finishing the Suave dry shampoo, & I haven't gotten to use it a lot, I've really been liking it. I find that it doesn't feel as heavy on my hair as the Suave does. However, my nozzle seems to be broken, it now sprays in more of a jet which makes it impossible to use. I'm not sure if it was dropped by someone or just a minor malfunction, but I think I'm going to pick up another bottle and try it again.
ReplyDeletewill you be reviewing the herbal essenses cleansing conditioner?
ReplyDeleteWill you be reviewing the new herbal essenses cleansing conditioners?
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding how it acts as a volumizer on clean hair. I use tresemme for that. I tried 5 or 6 other dry shampoos for flume but tresemme was the best. If you find one better I'll try it.
ReplyDeleteAs for using a dry shampoo on dirty hair... I'm not into it. My oily hair needs to be washed daily or it looks hideous. I don't think a dry shampoo can work on my hair. If I can't wash my hair I'll use powder.. gold bond ultimate body powder comfort with aloe. My hair becomes stiff when I use dry shampoo, it doesn't with the powder.
Aw, I was hoping this was going to be awesome :( Oh well, at least now I know that I need to try Batiste at long last!
ReplyDeleteI was checking out the two new Suave ones at Walmart last week, and, unless I read it incorrectly (don't think I did), the ingredients are EXACTLY the same. I was so annoyed that the Moroccan one didn't even have Moroccan oil in it! They are different from the regular one though (the main thing I noticed is that the original has kaolin and the new ones do not).
I appreciate your comparison to Batiste and Got2Be! I will unfortunately pass on this. But it's good to know in a pinch it would work. I just tried the Tresame one and it made my hair greasier than before I put the dry shampoo in.
ReplyDeleteG. after reading your review, I'm very excited to give this product a try. I have THICK hair, so looking for a shampoo that adds volume isn't a deal breaker for me. Actually I would prefer it didn't add the "va-voom" LOL Loving the no CAP on this! Genius HE!!! Thanks for the review! -Leslie
ReplyDeleteI didn't have luck with this one because the nozzle on mine broke the second time I used it. Back to the store it went but hopefully mine was just a fluke.
ReplyDeletehappened to me too!
DeleteMe three. It worked great the first time but the second time it came out in spits and spurts and the third time it wouldn't work at all :(
DeleteSame here! I'm thinking it is poor nozzle design
DeleteMe too!! It must be a poor design! Now I know to just get my money back, because I don't want that to happen again! Thanks!
DeleteThis looks really good stuff. I get oily roots but the ends are always dry so like the dry shampoo for a quick pick me up the day after washing. I might just give this a try x
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that you like the scent, I actually really dislike it! That's why I havent touched it since, will probably give it to my sisters.
ReplyDeleteI've been using the Pantene blowout extend dry shampoo and I really like it. So much so that I repurchased it after the first can was done. When I initially purchased it, I saw only the blowout extend and the original formulas (not the third root boost one I see on the link you included). I was curious as to the difference, so I compared the ingredients between the two and they were exactly the same! This leads me to believe the "different formulas" is just a gimmick. As I haven't seen the third version, I can't say for sure they're all the same, but the other two certainly seem to be. That said, I do really like it and find it adds a nice volume boost to my hair. I had previously tried the Pssst! brand dry shampoo and I wasn't impressed, my hair never felt clean with that...I find the Pantene absorbs oil much better.
ReplyDeleteI got a free trial size with the purchase of a Naked shampoo and conditioner at Target. Didn't even really get to use it besides spraying a little to see how it smelled before the dispenser stopped working. Boo. Reading your review makes me believe I would've only liked the scent.
ReplyDeleteI recently got a couple of Sauve dry shampoos and really like them. I did, however, smell the new HE and it IS nice!
ReplyDeleteSuave is probably my favorite and I have used many different ones!! I like the smell and its cheap!
DeleteI got this recently and only gave it a half-assed go at first. The next time I went to use it (on a day when I REALLY needed it!) the spray nozzle died! Now it just squirts a feeble little stream of stuff. I threw away the receipt so I probably can't return or exchange it. Sadness :(
ReplyDeleteI actually REALLY dislike the smell of the Suave one, so that puts me off using it. When the Herbal Essences one bombed, I finally bought the Batiste dark brown dry shampoo and I've been loving it so much! Love at first spray. So worth the few extra dollars. It smells like something delicious, absorbs oil really well, doesn't weigh my hair down, and doesn't make my hair look as dull as the Suave does.
Scent is a big issue for me, I can't use most brands of hair products simply because the scent makes me nauseous. Of all the ones (that work) which has the faintest scent?
ReplyDeleteI have literally bought five bottles of it because I love it and have gotten two or three uses out of every one because the damn nozzle always died!!!!! I can't finish a bottle - can't even come close! I won't be repurchasing - I have leaned my lesson, but that makes me sad, because I did really love it.
ReplyDeleteI loved it but I have bought it five times and can't make it through a bottle because it keeps dying super fast. I have never even come close! The nozzle is absolutely shit.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually my favorite dry shampoo and I've many that were pricier (Oscar Blandi). I've gone through 3 bottles without a clog problem. I have dark brown hair and love that it doesn't have any white residue. For this lazy girl, it's a must!
ReplyDelete