We've pretty much all just accepted the pitfalls of dry shampoo at this point, right? Like, it's dry shampoo—it's gonna leave a chalky white cast on your roots, cover up your unwashed hair's stench with a fruity scent, and make your scalp feel itchy and gunked with powder. It's just the way of the world, and there's nothing we can do about it... or there wasn't, until K18 got on the case to find a way to make dry shampoo a little less, you know, blah. The result? K18 AirWash, a non-aerosol dry shampoo that claims to eliminate odor, as well as soak up and prevent oils, all without the dreaded product buildup.
Of course, in true Cosmo editor fashion, we had to give it a proper test. So with our secret bottles of dry shampoo in tow, three of us participated in a v sweaty workout, followed by some time in the sauna to really get our scalps producing oils and sweat. Then, we spritzed our roots with K18 AirWash—and magic ensued. Let us explain.
Pros
- Left our hair smelling and feeling very clean
- Didn't have any white residue whatsoever
- Kept hair from feeling greasy for a few days
Cons
- Doesn't add as much volume as others (womp)
- Probably one of the most expensive dry shampoos we've ever tested
- What it is: A non-aerosol dry shampoo spray that helps soak up oils and sweat and eliminates odors
- Key ingredients: Peptide complex, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid
- Hair types: All* (*but likely will be too drying for 4c hair)
How K18 AirWash works:
AirWash Dry Shampoo is actually a liquid in a mister bottle, like a leave-in conditioner or setting spray—and not the usual starch-filled formula in an aerosol can. The liquid is filled with porous, translucent microbeads that soak up scalp oils and sweat, but don't turn into a powdery, white substance that leaves a ghostly cast on strands or buildup on your scalp. The liquid dries on your hair—no added greasiness, FYI—and claims to continue absorbing those oils for up to three days.
The formula also incorporates a patented biotech ingredient called OdorBind, a brand new technology that actually gets rid of odors, not just masks them with heavy fragrances like other dry shampoos. This tech is said to recognize odor molecules in your hair, bind to them, and then eliminate them—and continue fighting off odors for three full days.
And, of course, it's filled with good-for-scalp ingredients, such as peptides that help strengthen your skin barrier and encourage collagen production, lactic acid to gently exfoliate your scalp and break down product buildup, and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate your skin. So instead of leaving your scalp with a gunked-up, irritated situation, AirWash actually helps to improve your scalp's health. Now that you know how it works, let's get into what we really thought about it...
Our K18 AirWash Reviews:
Daisy Maldonado, associate shopping editor
I consider myself to be a bit of a dry shampoo skeptic. Having fine, thin, hair and an oily scalp means daily hair washes are the norm (I can possiblyyyyy stretch this out for three days, max). No tea, no shade, but I’ve found that dry shampoos just don’t work for me. They leave a hard-to-hide white cast on my dark hair and barely give any lift. So when I tried this K18 dry shampoo, I had doubts… but I found myself pleasantly surprised.
I tried this one out right after an intense workout, which usually means hopping in the shower asap. First thing I noticed (and absolutely loved) was that it came in an innovative liquid format—game. changer. It instantly felt different and was easier to rub in versus the powders that usually make my hair feel crunchy, although I didn't love that it took at least a minute to dry. But it's worth waiting for: As you can see from the photo, my hair doesn’t look completely flat, which is a majorr win in my book (and no pesky white cast!).
The volume and lightweight feeling is unlike the results from any other product I’ve tried, and I’ve tried lots as an editor. I went out to dinner directly after my workout without feeling incredibly insecure about the state of my greasy hair. All in all, I will def be using this bb again.
Rating: 4/5
Beth Gillette, beauty editor
The gasp I gasped when I opened this package at my desk and discovered the dry shampoo I was about to douse my hair with after a whole damn workout was a LIQUID. Like... this what the convo we had when it arrived at my desk:
Once I got over the initial shock, I was pretty damn skeptical. I've tried liquid dry shampoos before, and they just make my extremely oil-prone scalp and baby-fine hair feel even greasier. I have blonde hair, so I'll just deal with a white cast if it means that powder will act like a sponge to my oily roots. But I trust K18 with my life (their Molecular Repair Mist—which is sadly only available for pros or during a K18 service—legit saved my hair from hard water, and I've gone through an entire jumbo size of their Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo), so I was willing to give it a shot.
I'm used to liberally dousing my hair in dry shampoo to soak up my oils, but I quickly learned I need about a quarter of that amount with AirWash. Just three spritzes about an arm's length from my scalp was all it took. At first, yes, this does make my hair feel a bit wet, but as it dries, it really does absorb the sweat and grease on my scalp with a powdery feel that doesn't look powdery. And it did keep my hair looking less greasy for an entire day (which for a person with a more normal scalp would probably equate to two to three days).
After using it a handful of times, I've found my favorite way to incorporate this into my routine is misting it on my scalp, then using a hot air brush (hi, Dyson AirWrap, ily) to blow dry it into my hair. This helps give me a lil extra volume too, since the dry shampoo itself doesn't do all that much in the oomph-giving department. I also will spray it on my hair while it's clean and wet to help keep my roots feeling clean longer, and this actually has stretched my wash day to every other day—a big deal for me, k?!
Rating: 4/5
Jasmine Hyman, assistant shopping editor
As someone who tries to limit her wash days as much as possible—but hates the grainy texture and residue of typical dry shampoos—finding a refreshing product for my hair has been quite the struggle. I usually wash my hair every three days, but by day two, my front pieces become visibly oily. I’ll usually end up reverting to a slicked-back ponytail, so I was super excited when I found out that K18’s dry shampoo was a completely different formula than the typical ones I’ve tried. In the past, hairspray-esque canisters or powder-based products have left my hair overly brittle or chalky (or both).
After just a couple of sprays, K18’s liquid formulation surprisingly absorbed my hair’s grease in minutes. I was in utter shock. Who knew a water base could somehow soak up oil!? Not only did the formula immediately make my hair look actually clean, but it also boasts a fruity fragrance that made it smell clean too. One application kept my hair looking and (smelling) fresh for an extra two days. Oh, and the best part: no white residue! I'm a convert, tbh.
Rating: 4.5/5
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
