If I had to describe what I want from a dry shampoo in one sentence, it would be this: make my hair look fresher without making it feel coated, chalky, or strangely stiff.
That’s exactly what Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo is designed to do.
Unlike the Beach Babe version, which focuses more heavily on texture and beachy volume, Clean Freak is positioned as the straightforward everyday option in the range. Its main purpose is to absorb excess oil, refresh the roots, and help hair look cleaner between washes.
It’s also inexpensive, widely available in the USA, and has thousands of customer reviews behind it.
So is Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo actually worth buying?
I think it’s one of the better budget choices if your main problem is oily roots and you simply want a reliable, easy-to-use dry shampoo.
Looking for more options? Read our Guide to the Best Dry Shampoo
View more Dry Shampoo Reviews >
What Is Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo?
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo is an aerosol dry shampoo designed to refresh oily hair without water.
The formula uses rice starch and barley seed flour to absorb excess oil around the roots. The brand says it leaves hair feeling soft and refreshed without powdery buildup or visible white residue.
It also has a fresh citrus fragrance, so this is not a fragrance-free dry shampoo.
The biggest difference between Clean Freak and some of Not Your Mother’s other dry shampoos is simplicity.
Clean Freak is primarily about making second- or third-day hair look fresher rather than dramatically adding texture or changing your hairstyle.
At a Glance
Best for: Oily roots and extending time between washes
Main benefit: Fast oil absorption
Finish: Fresh, soft and cleaner-looking
Fragrance: Fresh citrus
Main absorbing ingredients: Rice starch and barley seed flour
Vegan: Yes
Cruelty-free: Yes
Silicone-free: Yes
Paraben-free: Yes
Sulfate surfactant-free: Yes
Aluminum-free: Yes
Suitable for color-treated hair: Yes
Not Your Mother’s also describes the product as dye-free and phthalate-free.
How Does Clean Freak Dry Shampoo Work?
Like most traditional dry shampoos, Clean Freak doesn’t actually wash dirt and oil away.
Instead, the starch ingredients absorb some of the excess sebum sitting around the roots.
The current ingredient list includes both Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch and Hordeum Vulgare Seed Flour, or barley seed flour.
That can make greasy hair appear fresher surprisingly quickly.
It is particularly useful when your hair isn’t necessarily dirty enough for a full wash but the roots are beginning to look oily.
Does Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo Work?
The customer ratings are certainly encouraging.
Ulta currently gives Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 from more than 6,100 reviews, with 82% of reviewers saying they would recommend it to a friend.
Some of the most frequently mentioned advantages in those reviews are:
Thorough cleansing effect
Extra volume
Gentleness
Pleasant fragrance
Fresher-looking hair
Oily hair is by far one of the most common hair types mentioned by reviewers.
Walmart feedback is similarly positive, with the 7-ounce version sitting at around 4.5 out of 5 stars from more than 5,000 ratings at the time I checked.
For an inexpensive drugstore product, that’s a considerable amount of customer feedback.
How Good Is It for Oily Hair?
This is where I think Clean Freak makes the most sense.
If your hair becomes oily fairly quickly around the parting, temples or crown, a light application can absorb some of that excess oil and make the roots look noticeably cleaner.
Ulta’s customer data also backs this up: oily hair is the most frequently listed use case among reviewers.
I wouldn’t expect it to rescue hair that’s gone many days without washing.
But for second-day or third-day roots?
That’s exactly what it is designed for.
Does It Leave White Residue?
Not Your Mother’s advertises Clean Freak as leaving no white residue and no powdery buildup.
In practice, customer experiences vary.
Some reviewers with darker hair report that it works very well when brushed through properly, while others say it can still leave a visible white cast if too much is sprayed on.
I don’t find that particularly surprising.
Any pale starch-based dry shampoo has the potential to become visible if you apply enough of it.
For dark brown or black hair, I’d definitely recommend:
Using small amounts
Holding the can the correct distance away
Letting it absorb briefly
Massaging it thoroughly into the roots
Brushing it through well
Not Your Mother’s also makes a dedicated Clean Freak Dark Hair Dry Shampoo, which may be worth considering if white residue is one of your biggest concerns.
Does It Add Volume?
Although Clean Freak isn’t primarily marketed as a volumizing dry shampoo, absorbing oil naturally gives the roots more lift.
Ulta customers frequently mention added volume as one of its benefits, with more than 1,200 reviewers identifying volume among the product’s pros.
So I would expect some extra body.
However, if volume and texture are your main goals rather than simply removing the appearance of oil, I would be more tempted by Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Dry Shampoo.
Clean Freak is the simpler everyday refresher.
Beach Babe is the more styling-focused option.
What Does It Smell Like?
Clean Freak Original has a fresh citrus fragrance.
That makes it fresher and less tropical than the toasted coconut scent of Beach Babe.
Fragrance is still quite subjective, though.
While “great smell” is one of the most commonly reported pros in Ulta’s review summary, some reviewers specifically list the smell as a negative.
If you’re particularly sensitive to fragrance, the good news is that Not Your Mother’s also produces a Clean Freak Unscented Dry Shampoo.
I’d choose that instead if fragrance is an issue.
Is Clean Freak Good for Fine Hair?
Yes, I think fine hair is a particularly good match.
Fine hair can become visibly oily quite quickly because there isn’t as much hair volume to disguise oil around the scalp.
Removing some of that greasy appearance also helps the roots regain a little lift.
Fine hair appears among the most commonly mentioned hair types in Ulta’s customer reviews.
The only thing I’d avoid is constantly layering large quantities onto very fine hair.
Eventually, dry shampoo itself can start making the hair feel coated.
What About Thick or Curly Hair?
The manufacturer describes Clean Freak as suitable for all hair types, and customer reviews include substantial numbers of people with thick and curly hair too.
The same principle applies regardless of hair texture: concentrate it on oily scalp areas rather than covering the entire length of your hair.
Dry shampoo is primarily a root product.
Is It Safe for Color-Treated Hair?
Yes.
Not Your Mother’s specifically states that Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo is safe for color-treated hair.
In fact, dry shampoo can be especially useful when you have colored hair because it can help extend the time between conventional shampooing.
Fewer washes can sometimes mean less rapid fading, depending on the type of color you’re using.
Ingredients
The manufacturer currently lists the ingredients as:
Isobutane, Hydrofluorocarbon 152A, Alcohol Denat., Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Hordeum Vulgare Seed Flour, Silica, Isopropyl Myristate, Magnesium Stearate and Fragrance (Parfum).
The formula is relatively straightforward for an aerosol dry shampoo.
The rice starch, barley flour and silica contribute to the oil-absorbing effect.
However, it also contains denatured alcohol and fragrance.
That may not bother most people, but if you have a particularly sensitive or very dry scalp, I’d use it sparingly.
How to Use Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo
The manufacturer’s directions are simple:
Shake the can vigorously.
Hold it approximately 8–10 inches away from your hair.
Spray it onto the roots.
Massage the product thoroughly into the hair with your fingertips.
Brush through.
Style as normal.
I think the biggest mistake people make with dry shampoo is spraying too much too quickly.
Start with less than you think you need.
You can always apply another little spray.
A Little Trick I Like With Dry Shampoo
Rather than spraying dry shampoo all over your head, concentrate on the places where your hair actually looks oily.
Usually that’s:
Around the parting
The crown
The hairline
Around the temples
Underneath the fringe or bangs
This gives you the refreshing effect without unnecessarily coating the rest of your hair.
Can You Use Clean Freak Every Day?
Technically you could, but I wouldn’t personally make dry shampoo a substitute for washing your hair.
Dry shampoo absorbs oil.
It doesn’t remove everything accumulating on your scalp in the way shampoo and water do.
That includes sweat, skin cells and styling-product residue.
So I think it’s much better viewed as a between-washes helper.
If your scalp starts feeling itchy, excessively dry or heavily coated, that’s a good signal that it’s time for a proper wash.
Does It Make Hair Dry?
This is one area where reviews are mixed.
Many customers describe Clean Freak as gentle, but “dries hair out” also appears among the more commonly mentioned criticisms in Ulta’s review summary.
That may partly come down to hair type and frequency of use.
Anyone with naturally dry hair should focus the spray directly on oily roots rather than applying it down the lengths.
Pros and Cons
What I Like
Excellent value
Clean Freak is significantly cheaper than many premium dry shampoos.
Good oil absorption
Rice starch and barley flour give it the absorbency needed for greasy roots.
Very well reviewed
Thousands of customer ratings provide much more useful evidence than a handful of testimonials.
Some added volume
Removing oil gives flat roots more lift.
Suitable for color-treated hair
Useful if you’re deliberately stretching the time between washes.
Vegan and cruelty-free
Both are confirmed by Not Your Mother’s.
Silicone-, paraben- and sulfate surfactant-free
It also avoids several ingredients that some shoppers prefer not to use.
What I Don’t Like
White residue can still happen
Despite the manufacturer’s claims, some customers with darker hair report visible residue when too much is applied.
Contains fragrance
Not ideal for anyone who specifically wants fragrance-free hair products.
Can feel drying
Some reviewers report dryness with regular use.
It’s an aerosol
If you prefer non-aerosol dry shampoo, Not Your Mother’s also offers powder versions within the Clean Freak range.
Clean Freak vs Beach Babe Dry Shampoo
These two look very similar at first glance, but I think they suit slightly different needs.
Choose Clean Freak if you mainly want:
Cleaner-looking roots
Oil absorption
A lightweight everyday refresh
A fresh citrus scent
Choose Beach Babe if you mainly want:
More texture
More styling grip
Tousled volume
A toasted coconut scent
For simply rescuing oily second-day hair, I’d choose Clean Freak.
For making flat hair look more styled and textured, I’d choose Beach Babe.
Who Would I Recommend Clean Freak To?
I think this dry shampoo is particularly well suited to anyone who:
Gets oily roots quickly
Wants to extend time between washes
Has fine or flat hair
Wants an inexpensive everyday dry shampoo
Likes fresh citrus fragrances
Has color-treated hair
Wants a vegan and cruelty-free option
Doesn’t need dramatic styling texture
I would consider another option if you:
Have an extremely sensitive scalp
Dislike fragrance
Have very dark hair and regularly struggle with white residue
Want maximum texture
Prefer a non-aerosol product
My Verdict: Is Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo Worth It?
Yes.
I think Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo is one of those products that succeeds because it doesn’t try to be overly complicated.
Its job is to make oily hair look fresher between washes, and customer feedback suggests it does that very well for a lot of people.
More than 6,100 Ulta reviewers currently give it an average 4.3-star rating, while Walmart’s 7-ounce listing is sitting around 4.5 stars from more than 5,000 ratings.
Its biggest advantages for me are the price, strong oil absorption, availability, and lightweight everyday purpose.
The main drawbacks are fairly typical dry-shampoo issues: possible white residue, fragrance, and dryness if it’s overused.
For oily roots between washes, though, I think it’s a very solid drugstore option.
Beautifully Alive Rating: 4.4/5
Best feature: Effective everyday oil absorption
Biggest drawback: Can still leave some white residue if overapplied
Best suited to: Oily, fine or flat hair between washes
Would I recommend it? Yes — especially if you want a simple, affordable everyday dry shampoo rather than a heavy texturizing product.
Read next: 10 Best Dry Shampoo Options for Fresh, Voluminous Hair
