Tried and tested: good, bad and downright terrible dry shampoos

Kardashian Beauty Take 2 Dry Shampoo €13.95 

If anyone knows how hair should look surely it's the Kardashians and their glam squad. As Kim only washes her hair every five days I reckoned dry shampoo was something she'd be quite familiar with. I expected big hair from this can but instead it delivers a good dose of de-greasing with a natural effect. cloud10beauty.com

L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay Dry Shampoo €5.99

Did you know we’ve been washing our hair all wrong for thousands of years? Me neither. The Extraordinary Clay range attempts to right this terrible wrong with a pre wash masque but fails miserably. The blue masque did nothing but make me look like an extra from Braveheart. Oh and strip the colour from my hair. Never mind. These things happen. However the dry shampoo is fine in the degreasing stakes and will give you another day or two until your next blowdry.

Shu Uemura Color Lustre Dry Cleaning €23.95

I was so disapointed by this product. It was the worst of the lot by a country mile. It did absolutely nothing. Actually it did worse than nothing as my hair looked better before I applied it. This was probably due to the fact that brushing the product through dispersed oil from the roots throughout my hair. Tears, tantrums and a painfully tight ponytail to hide the oil slick ensued.

CoLabs Sheer + Invisible Dry Shampoo €4.50

I really rate this dry shampoo. Not only did it produce a just washed look , it “embiggened” my hair wonderfully. I have a lot of hair that’s prone to frizz but in texture it’s actually quite fine. I need something to pump up the volume or it will lie as flat as a pancake. Now that I’ve finished my can of Kerestase Powder Bluff this will be a go to. It creates volume, hides the fact that you’re overdue a hairwash and smells lovely.

Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo €6.49

Now the salient point about this dry shampoo is that it isn’t actually a dry shampoo. It’s a styling aid to make your hair tacky so that it can be styled and backcombed more easily. Pass on this. That’s what hairspray is for.

Aisling loves . . . Batiste €3.99

I was in hospital for about a week and really needed to wash my hair. With a drip attached it was proving logistically impossible. One of my sisters was sent to the chemist with an urgent mission. “Batiste” I croaked weakly “And don’t spare the horses”. (I may be slightly exaggerating here for effect, but who lets the truth get in the way of a good story? Not I). About half a can later and lots of sisterly brushing, I was a new woman with a huge Dynasty style hairdo. White powder aside, for the money it’s still the best out there.