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Dry shampoos have been all the rage, and I can understand why… A beauty product that makes your hair look clean when it hasn’t been washed in the past three days that day is a tremendous help! During long days with little ones we are lucky if we get to use the bathroom alone, much less shower every day…
If you use a product (almost) every day, it’s important for it to a) work and b) have safe ingredients! But look at the label on most commercial dry shampoos and you’ll find ingredients like isobutane, butane, and propane… no thanks!
I found out it’s easy to make your own natural dry shampoo from scratch with just a few simple ingredients you might already have on hand. You’ll not only save money since homemade dry shampoo versions are about 95% cheaper, but you also won’t be putting toxic chemicals on your hair!
(And if you don’t have the time or desire to DIY, keep reading for a solution… )
How to Make Your Own Dry Shampoo at Home
The basic idea of a dry shampoo (or wet “dry” shampoo, see that variation below) is to put an oil-absorbing substance like arrowroot or cornstarch on the oily parts of your hair. This absorbs the oil and leaves it looking clean and volumized.
On my hair, I use a light powder (arrowroot) since I’m blonde, but dark-haired mamas can mix cocoa powder in with the arrowroot for naturally tinted (and delicious smelling!) homemade dry shampoo.
Bonus: Dry shampoo is also very helpful if you’ll be styling hair and need it to hold. Dirty hair holds better than clean hair, but it doesn’t have to look dirty! In fact, for an upcoming wedding I’ll be sporting hair that hasn’t been washed in three days (you’re welcome for that visual!) 🙂
Here are the official “recipes” that can be customized to your hair type:
Dry Shampoo Recipe
Materials
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder (or organic cornstarch, for dark hair use 2 TBSP arrowroot and 2 TBSP cocoa powder)
- 5 drops essential oil (optional - I use lavender)
Instructions
- Place the arrowroot, or arrowroot and cocoa powder, into a small jar.
- Add the essential oil and mix to combine.
- Apply with an old make-up brush to the roots or oily parts of your hair. Applying with the brush is optional, but it removes the need to comb through as much and is better for styled hair. If you don’t use the brush, comb the powder through your hair and style as usual.
Notes
If you’d rather have a spray wet shampoo that works as a dry shampoo, you can accomplish this by adding some water and alcohol to the above recipe.
Here’s how:
Wet “Dry” Shampoo Option
A wet-dry shampoo uses the same concept but puts the oil-absorbing substance in a quickly evaporating liquid like vodka or rubbing alcohol.
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch
- 1/4 cup vodka, rubbing alcohol, or witch hazel
- Essential oils or a spritz of your favorite perfume to scent
What to do: Mix all ingredients in a small spray bottle and shake well. Shake before each use and spray on roots or oily parts of hair. Let dry and style as usual.
Bonus Tips
- Arrowroot or cornstarch can also be used as a mineral veil or finishing powder for homemade makeup or as an oil-absorbing powder on the skin. I keep a mason jar filled with arrowroot on my counter and use as a dry shampoo in my hair and to set my makeup.
- If you have dark hair but don’t want to use cocoa powder in your hair, just use plain arrowroot and apply before going to bed the night before or at least 2 hours in advance. With some time to absorb you won’t get the fake-gray-looks-like-a-wig look!
If you decide to go pro and try pre-made dry shampoo, let me know what you think if you try my Wellnesse line! I’ve been working hard to make sure these are the safest, most natural products for moms and families that work even better than conventional options. I’d love to know how they work for you!
Do you use dry shampoo? What is your best haven’t-washed-my-hair-in-days trick? Please share below!
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Thanks for the wonderful idea!! I tried this and loved it! I have two toddlers so getting to wash my hair more than two or three times a week is a huge luxury. I have thin, oily hair so using this in between is wonderful! Oh also..I have red hair so I added a bit if cinnamon to the arrowroot/cocoa powder concoction and it worked out well! I love all of your post! Thank you for sharing such wonderful tips and recipes!!
Does the cinnamon irritate your scalp? I have red hair, too. Just the cornstarch leaves my hair looking funny and I’m afraid the cocoa isn’t the right color family. Any other suggestions?
Pink or Red rose powder. I saw some at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Does cocoa powder become sticky if you sweat? I know that you brush off the dry shampoo first, but of course there is gonna be some leftover powder there. I have really dark hair and other recipes dont work for me, so I wanna know before I try it
I have black hair and it does work for me even when I sweat. That said I don’t use this recipe and feel like I can go hair down and for a few more days, I have been using it and styling my hair up on a messy pony tail/bun and washing the next day so basically it just buys me one more day.
I’ve never had trouble with this… without any type of sugar it isn’t really sticky by itself
I use this trick and do crossfit so I spend a good hour of the day drenched in sweat. It doesn’t get sticky and even by day 3 or 4 of no washing and sweating the trick still does wonders. What’s really fun is that you’ll smell like chocolate (if you use cocoa powder), when you do sweat! Wait, that usually just makes me want chocolate, lol. It doesn’t run or get sticky and works miracles if you only have time to do a quick rinse after a hard work out! Saves me so much time!!!
I just tried this and it really works! I like this much better than the other store brands that i’ve tried. I am blonde so i used just the cornstarch at first but it made me look like i had grey hair so i added a little of the cocoa powder and it was perfect! Thanks!
I just made this dry shampoo using an old Bare Minerals container that I still have and large bronzer brush. It works so great and the container contains the mess very well. Thanks for this post!
Sadly my “best dirty hair trick” is a pony tail and too many bobby pins. I am going to make and try this right now!! Thanks Wellness Mama!
I have medium/dark hair, so i’ll be going for the cocoa powder recipe. My hair is on the thinner side and it also get oily quickly, usually wash every day, though sometimes I can stretch it out to two days. I am VERY new to this dry powder shampoo …. do you ever wet your hair?
I don’t wet it when using the dry shampoo, though sometimes I spray my beach waves spray through and let dry first, as this often dries the oils enough that the dry shampoo is not even needed. Then, just brush on the cocoa powder lightly in the oily areas :-). I do wash my hair 1-2 times a week, but not in between or when not shampooing. The dry shampoo basically just lets me go longer without washing it…
I have dark hair and have used regular old baking soda as a dry shampoo. It absorbs much better and doesn’t show up as gray. I wonder if the cocoa powder would make your hair sticky…?
AFAIK it wouldn’t do that. There’s no sugar in cocoa powder. Or at least there shouldn’t be…
Baking soda is more caustic than your hair is used to and can throw off the pH balance. It’s great if it’s working for you, but a lot of people have had problems with baking soda making their hair very unhealthy and brittle. I know you said as a dry shampoo, but you have to be REALLY careful using the baking soda/vinegar method of no ‘poo because it can be very hard on your hair.
Again- if it works for you, that’s awesome, just be aware that it can cause problems. 🙂
(I know this was awhile ago, but this is more for anyone who happens to be reading the comments in the future anyways.)
Is this safe for color treated hair?
yep 🙂
Thank you!! I rarely have time to shower more then 3x a week and my hair gets oily so fast, I have med/dark hair and never like the corn starch idea (I’ve heard of using talcum powder too) as my hair looked awful, thanks for the cocoa idea! I usually just have a few head scarfs and hats that I wear when showers have been off the to-do list for a while.
I’m gonna go try this now!!! And with the cocoa powder there is no need for essential oils, a nice chocolaty scent!
I’m making this immediately! I just used dry shampoo and had to open the bathroom door so I could breath! Ugh, I was inhaling so many chemicals!