Review: Batiste Dry Shampoos

Dry shampoo: the best product I've discovered in the past two years. What is it, you ask? A lazy girl's pipe dream come true. A product that refreshes your hair the moment you feel it gets greasy without requiring you to constantly strip your hair by over washing. This stuff is great for everyone. I love it as I am one with crazy thick, dry hair that frizzes if I wash it too frequently, and takes at least three or four days to start getting noticeably greasy. 

And out of the dry shampoos I've tried, I've preferred the ever-classic Batiste over all of them.

Now, living in Canada, Batiste isn't the easiest to come across. I've seen some Shoppers Drug Marts carrying the travel-size of the original Batiste, and Rexall carries maybe three or four scents? And, most recently, I've seen Marshall's carrying Batiste for different hair colours. But that's pretty much it.

So this past summer my entire immediate family went on vacation to the United Kingdom, aside from me. Who was stuck working for the summer and wasn't able to take time off. As a consolation, my family offered to pick up some stuff from the UK for me that wasn't as easy to pick up in the Great White North. My requests? Batiste in some scents and a Revlon Lip Butter in the UK-only shade, Macaroon. And my family went NUTS. There were a few scents that I wasn't really interested in that they of course didn't get, but as they explained when they got back, "Boots was having tons of sales! How could we not?" So, ten points to Gryffindor. They got me... 10 bottles? I now own doubles. Ridikulus.

If you were ever curious to get your hands on some Batiste, I'm sure at least one of the scents I'll be describing below would interest you! So on we go!

Disclaimer:  In attempting to swatch these I realized that yes, it is  possible to give oneself a minor burn from spraying a compressed product so close to naked skin. So, I think  we can all agree that me describing the product's  consistency via text is adequate? They all spray white and I'll mention if the formula is  drastically different from all the others if applicable.

(If it hadn't healed so fast, I was going to tell people I got this from a battle with a small dragon. Sounds much cooler.)

Batiste Original - Clean & Classic

This scent is the first from Batiste I had ever tried, being that this is probably the easiest one to get a hold of in Canada. I saw them in Shoppers Drug Mart in the travel-sized section over a year ago now, and since then my love for Batiste grew! I had tried a couple dry shampoos before it, but none could compare. The others either did nothing for my hair, or would clog only after one or two uses. Not too impressive. Now, this guy does have a scent, but it's not the easiest to describe. Let's see what Batiste says about this formula? "Are you a one off? Then get to grips with Batiste Original. Adored by innovators and originators, it’s the classic dry shampoo that instantly makes your hair feel clean, fresh and full of body and texture." I have no idea what they mean by 'one off', but fresh is definitely one good descriptor for this scent. It's a light, water-y sort of unisex scent that is really difficult to describe. But if you're not looking to have any crazy scents in your hair, try this one! The spray for this, like most Batiste, is white. So make sure you brush it out well!

Batiste Tropical - Coconut & Exotic

This bottle is something I'm not reaching for very often now being that it's winter, but I can definitely see myself loving it in the warmer months or on a tropical vacation! "Caribbean heat, coconut aromas and party vibes are locked into this Tropical edition. It’s the instant, deliciously exotic way to get clean, fresh hair full of body and texture. And there’s no need for water!" Coconut is definitely spot on for this one, so if you don't like coconut, I'd steer clear. To be honest before owning this I didn't particularly like coconut scents very much. I like fruity drinks with coconut in them, maybe some foods with coconut when I'm on vacation, or if it's a coconut macaroon. But I found coconut scents a bit too strong for me, like I needed another note to cut through it. This has that. I get the strong, warm coconut-y scent for sure, but I also get this clean seawater note to it which I really like! This one has a normal spray to it, works just fine in comparison to the other scents. I'm not a huge fan of the packaging for this one, but I suppose it fits the scent. It's also pretty unisex so I can't imagine a guy being too embarrassed to purchase this one, especially since I do find Batiste markets mostly to girls.

Batiste Cherry - Fruity & Cheeky

I think out of all the Batiste I own, aside from maybe the original one, this one is the one I'm most 'meh' about. While I'm a fan of fruity scents for things like lotions, bath products, and even occasionally makeup, my hair is not something I ever really cared to add a fruity scent to. "Cherry is for anyone that loves their look sweet, smooth and full of luscious retro flavour. Our fun new fragrance delivers a rich cherry scent as it livens up your locks, and looks just as great on your dressing table as in your vintage handbag." Does this smell like cherries? I suppose so. I get more of a sugary cherry scent though, maybe a cross between Maynard's Sour Cherry Blasters and Cherry Halls lozenges. Is this an incredibly offensive scent? No. But it's not exactly for me. The cherry pattern on the bottle is also very sweet, and does have a retro/rockabilly feel to it. However, it's just another part of the product that just doesn't appeal to me. I'd probably love it more if I was in my early teens, but now it's just too... sweet of a pattern for me? However, if you love the pattern, enjoy! I find things like this are very individual. This formula I find to be a bit lighter than the others as well, so it takes a bit to get it to do what it's supposed to. But, hey, I'll still use it up. EDIT: After finishing this bottle over the summer, it actually became one of my favourite scents! Both the packaging and smell grew on me, and now the scent reminds my a bit more of fruit punch/cherry kool-aid... not for everyone, but I'll be picking up a fresh can once the weather warms up again!

Batiste Wild - Sassy & Daring

This is actually the second scent of Batiste I've ever tried, and I have to say it's one of, if not my absolute favourite! Are you ready for Batiste's extremely vague scent description? Because here it is: "Wild is for daring girls who are in touch with their animal instinct. A feisty Oriental fragrance with loads of personality, it's the perfect partner when you’re out on the prowl." I'm going to make this really simple... this smells like a warm vanilla scent. With a slight spice undertone, perhaps chai? I don't know where the "oriental" part of the description came from, but this smells lovely. If you like Bath & Body Works' 'Warm Vanilla Sugar' scent or Lush's 'Butterball', you'll likely enjoy this. I find I'm drawn to this more for the colder months because of the warm scent, but that's just me. I got this and tried it first in the summer, and I loved it then too! The spray is just the standard white, nothing too special. Works great, and the packaging is pretty sweet too! I was never an animal print girl before owning this, but I have to say I like the look of this on my bathroom counter!

Batiste Fresh - Cool & Crisp

Finally, a Batiste product marketed to both genders! "Contemporary, tantalisingly, cool & crisp notes make this unisex dry shampoo as liberating for blokes as it is for babes. It’s the ideal way to instantly clean and freshen up your hair between washes, whilst making hair feel thicker too! Just remember to share nicely." This scent I think is fairly similar to the original Batiste scent, but with a bit of a twist. I do like this one better though, and the smell reminds me of fresh air by the beach. Or a breathe of cold air in winter. It's a very inoffensive clean scent, with a slight cologne-y undertone to it that I don't mind for myself or on a 'bloke'. I actually had left this at my last boyfriend's apartment for him to use, and for me to have around whenever I would stay over and we both liked it. The packaging for this is nice, nothing too special. But it's very gender-neutral and accessible. While I do think a couple other Batiste scents would appeal to a lot of guys, I'm happy to see they're at least marketing one of the scents to men! This one works just as well as the original, and I love the scent for lazy days where I just want to smell nice and clean.

Batiste Lace - Seductive & Elegant 

Out of all the Batiste I own, I would say I reach for this bottle the least. It was probably one of the Batiste's I was most excited to try, but I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would. "Lace is for ladies that love the vintage look. Oozing pure elegance and style, and with an oh-so-sophisticated scent, a few quick sprays instantly leaves locks feeling clean, fresh and as lush as lace itself." Would I say this has a vintage look? Sure. The packaging is hyper-feminine and pink which I don't mind, but isn't my preference. I also found the proper scent description for Lace, which Batiste markets as more of a perfume scent: "The scent offers base notes of white musk, cedarwood and sandalwood which are complimented by top notes of citrus fruits, nutmeg and pink pepper. The heart of the fragrance contains stylish floral tones of rose, orchid and iris with jasmine and ylang-ylang." I can pick up the pink pepper and maybe the jasmine, but the rest is just gibberish to me. To my nose, this is just a very head-y perfume scent that gives me a bit of a headache when I use it. It's a very strong scent, so when you spray it, don't expect to be able to layer it with anything else. I also think the concentration for this product is much more dense than the other versions. It was originally marketed to be a clear spray, but that is just not true. If anything, it sprays out more like a white foam which does admittedly give a bit more volume than the others. All in all, I wouldn't repurchase this. But, if you try and love the scent... more power to you!

Where to buy (in Canada):

Shoppers Drug Mart (Original travel-sized)

Rexall/Pharma Plus (Blush, Tropical, Original, XXL Volume)

 Marshall's/Winners (Luck of the draw.)

nailpolishcanada.com (They keep on expanding their scents. And bundle packs!)
London Drugs
Sally's Beauty Supply (Original scent)
Loblaw's/Superstore

Now you would think this would be enough dry shampoo for one person to not want to try any more of it... but sadly that would be incorrect. I want to try more of the scents, specifically the new LE Floral - Pretty & Delicate and some of the hair colour specific ones!

So I'm curious, what are your thoughts on dry shampoo? Have you tried Batiste before and did you like the scent you had tried? Have you tried another brand you loved? Let me know!

Stay sweet.

x,
Mickie

(Disclaimer: All products in this video were purchased with my own money. Or gifted to me from my family.)