Photo: Mary Nevezhyna
As someone with an oily scalp, the days I don’t wash my hair are disastrous. My hair looks limp, oil is visibly weighing down my roots, and I appear disheveled and unkempt. And since I’m not the biggest fan of dry shampoo sprays, I had to turn to something that would give my hair life again. That’s where hair texture powders come in.
Vogue’s Favorite Hair Texture Powders
- Best Overall: SexyHair Big Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder, $22
- Best for Updos: Oribe Swept Up Volume Powder, $44
- Best Dry Shampoo: Bumble and Bumble Prêt-À-Powder Dry Shampoo Powder, $35
- Best Volumizing: Moroccanoil Texture & Volume Hair Powder, $30
- Best Tinted: dpHUE Camo+ Tinted Dry Shampoo Powder, $29
Aptly named, hair texture powder is a powder that instantly adds volume and texture. It oftentimes can act as a dry shampoo and absorb oil and keep hair looking fresh in between those wash days and make it easy for you to style it. “Hair texturizing powder is one of my favorite tricks for creating instant volume, grit, and separation,” says celebrity hairstylist Clayton Hawkins. “It gives hair that effortless, lived-in texture and helps styles hold without feeling stiff or sticky.” Everything you need to know, below.
- What does hair texturizing powder do?
- What are the cons of hair texture powder?
- How to Use Hair Texture Powder
- How We Tested
- Meet the Experts
Best Overall: Sexy Hair Big Sexy Hair Powder Play
SexyHair
Big Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder
- Why We Love It: Hawkins’s current favorite is this texture powder from Sexy Hair. It’s a lightweight and fragrance-free formula that blends in easily to give you added volume at the roots. Especially for anyone with fine or slippery hair, he says this is a must. “It gives incredible lift at the roots, adds texture exactly where you need it, and a little goes a very long way,” he says.
- Key Ingredients: Rice bran oil
- Size: 0.53 oz.
Best Dry Shampoo: Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-Powder Dry Shampoo Powder
Bumble and bumble
Prêt-À-Powder Dry Shampoo Powder
- Why We Love It: We love an OG. This classic dry shampoo ticks off all the right boxes: It’s lightweight, absorbs oil, adds volume, and keeps hair looking—and feeling—fresh. And as an added bonus, it works on pretty much everyone.
- Editor’s Experience: Full disclosure: I don’t typically like dry shampoos. I have a very oily scalp, and I look like I dunked my head in oil batter when I don’t wash my hair—and dry shampoo usually makes my hair look a lot worse. So I was pleasantly surprised with this. It not only absorbs the excess oil but also gives my hair added volume on those non-wash days. It’s also lightweight and blends seamlessly into my black hair, leaving no residue. For the few times I need a dry shampoo, I reach for this. —Audrey Noble, contributor
- Key Ingredients: Silica, corn starch, tapioca starch
- Size: 2 oz.
Best for Updos: Oribe Swept Up Volume Powder
Oribe
Swept Up Volume Powder
- Why We Love It: Celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims likes this hair texture powder because it gives you a lift without weighing the hair down. It’s also a buildable formula to fit a wide range of hairstyles to lend added grit—perfect for updos or dramatic volume. Special occasion or red carpet? This one’s your go-to.
- Key Ingredients: Antioxidants, vitamin E, aloe vera, tapioca starch, hydrolyzed quinoa
- Size: 0.21 oz.
Best Volumizing: Moroccanoil Texture & Volume Hair Powder
Moroccanoil
Texture & Volume Hair Powder
- Why We Love It: If you worry about a hair texture powder leaving your hair sticky and/or stiff, turn to this. It’s a lightweight non-aerosol formula that gives your roots an instant boost without leaving residue behind. Plus it comes with the signature sweet Moroccanoil scent that’s so lovely. To use, just spray at the roots and style to your desired volume.
- Key Ingredients: Argan oil, mineral compound
- Size: 0.28 oz.
Best Tinted Texture Powder: dpHue Camo + Tinted Dry Shampoo Powder
dpHUE
Camo+ Tinted Dry Shampoo Powder
- Why We Love It: What’s better than a dry shampoo? A tinted one. This one not only gives you an instant lift and refresh, it comes in different hair color shades to blend in seamlessly with your natural hair and cover any grays you want to hide. And the built-in powder brush makes application super easy, which is always an added bonus.
- Key Ingredients: Rice starch, avocado oil
- Size: 0.49 oz.
Everything You Need to Know
What does hair texturizing powder do?
Sims recommends using a hair texturizing powder to build volume and fullness while also adding some grip. It can absorb oil and give your hair a more matte finish. Hawkins adds that a powder formula is much more concentrated than a spray, which lends itself to a more precise application.
What are the cons of hair texture powder?
Hawkins says that overusing it can leave your hair feeling dry and chalky. This is especially true with already coarse or very dry hair. Sims agrees and says he doesn’t typically use texture powder (or spray for that matter) on clients with 4A, B, or C hair. So when you are using it, Hawkins says to start small as you can always go back in to add more if you need to. “A little goes a long way,” he says.
How to Use Hair Texture Powder
Sims likes to lightly sprinkle texture powder at the roots and then massage it into the scalp to make sure there isn’t any buildup. For added texture, Hawkins will work some product through the mid-lengths and ends. But remember: “Less is definitely more,” he says.
When we test and review a product, we take a holistic approach to deliver well-rounded product recommendations. First, we lean on Vogue’s vast network of experts—from board-certified dermatologists to celebrity aestheticians—to gain professional acumen on the industry’s standout products, ones these specialists would actually use on their clients. We pair their expertise with our editorial best practices to curate the thoughtful edits you read on our site.
As it relates to hair texture powder, we selected the best based on the following characteristics: ingredients, powder type, ease of application, powder tint, texture, finish, and the hair-care concerns they address. To do this, we paired our own personal tests of each formula with expert guidance and reviewer insights to determine which we would recommend to you. Read more about our testing methodology here.
- Larry Sims is a celebrity hairstylist whose clients include Gabrielle Union, Zendaya, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
- Clayton Hawkins is a celebrity hairstylist who often works with Olivia Rodrigo, Addison Rae, and Jenna Ortega.
