This Is the Dry Shampoo InStyle's Associate Beauty Editor Swears By

I have this long, ongoing love affair with dry shampoo. My hair is pretty thick and takes some time to style, so I try to wash it as little as possible. Hairstylists will tell you that this is a better route, but I'll be real with you, dear reader—I'm just really, really lazy.

It's rare that I actually blow-dry it, and I usually just fall asleep on it wet so I can kill it with my flat iron in the morning. Certainly not the most arduous task since I've gotten a bob, but it's a task, and sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with it. That being said, I rely on dry shampoo as heavily as I rely on my iPhone, and I used to hoard bottles upon bottles of different formulas so I'd never run out. R+Co's Death Valley Dry Shampoo ($29; nordstrom.com), however, has become my long-term steady after the brand's initial launch years ago. I haven't looked back since.

I'm very discriminating when it comes to dry shampoos—I don't want to feel like I actually have anything in my hair, but I want it to restore volume and soak up any of the dirt and oil weighing it down on contact. I have to be able to run my fingers through my hair without resistance, and I don't want to have to reapply later in the day. I also have dark hair, so anything that leaves behind a chalky film gets a no from me. Additionally, the scent can't clash with whatever I'm already wearing. I'm really high maintenance, y'all.

R+Co's dry shampoo won me over in every category. A few blasts at my root area brings my strands back to the clean texture it held two days ago, and it doesn't add any additional weight or make any areas too stringy, as some formulas tend to do. It's easy to blend out and adds just enough texture, but not so much that my hair gets sticky or stiff. Additionally, the scent is fresh enough to make me feel less gross about the choice I made not to wash my hair the night before, but doesn't overpower or clash with the fragrance I wear daily. The cool, photo-adorned bottle also doesn't hurt.

VIDEO: How to Properly Apply Dry Shampoo

Now, I'm stashing bottles of R+Co's formula everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I have one in my desk for when I roll into work and realize my hair is disgusting, one in my bathroom, one underneath my boyfriend's bathroom sink that probably needs to be replenished, and at least five travel sizes stuffed into overnight duffels, gym bags, and suitcases stacked in my closet. I mean, I'm basically like a Boy Scout and stay prepared with this stuff.