DIY Dry Shampoo For Brunettes and Blonds

We’ve all had those moments when we’re in a hurry to head out the door but don’t have enough time to shampoo. In moments like these, your best friend is a trusty DIY dry shampoo – quick, easy, and super effective!

Unfortunately, commercial dry shampoo has recently developed a reputation of being loaded with hazardous chemicals. So I was eager to indulge in a new DIY experiment; one that has, to my delight, deemed to be very successful!

Here is my DIY dry shampoo recipe with arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, and essential oils that will leave your hair refreshed, voluminous and that will help to prevent damage from over washing.

Benefits of DIY dry shampoo

• Absorbs oil and impurities to avoid odor buildup.
• Refreshes all hair types, enhancing the volume and texture even for very fine and limp hair.
• Prevents damage from overwashing and prolongs color-treated hair.

How to make your own dry shampoo at home

All you need to do is mix clay, arrowroot powder, and a few essential oils to make your own dry shampoo. It can be applied with a makeup brush, left overnight, or for 15 minutes if you’re in a rush. As with all DIYs, the best part is that the dry shampoo can be customized according to your hair color – for instance, if you’re a brunette, you can add cocoa powder to the mix; likewise, ginger or auburn women can opt for cinnamon powder.

How to apply

The cleanest, personally tried-and-tested application for dry shampoo is using a makeup brush. Using the makeup brush, gently tap the dry shampoo into your roots and follow it with a massage. Based on how much of a hurry you’re in, you can leave it overnight or for 10-15 minutes. Once the dry shampoo has settled, shake off the excess over the sink or bathtub (another tried-and-tested word of advice!). Brush thoroughly and style as usual.

When to use it

Dry shampoo can be used when your hair feels greasy, or when they need a little help to bring on the oomph factor. Not only does dry shampoo absorb the excess oil, but it can also help add volume and texture to your hair. So for the days you can’t shampoo, use dry shampoo as your saving grace! Not only will your hair look clean, but it’ll also be bouncing with joy!

How often should I use DIY dry shampoo?

Quite simply – when your hair starts to feel or look greasy. For some, that might happen after 2 days, and for others, 3-4 days.

An important thing to note is that dry shampoo essentially absorbs the oil in your hair. Therefore, it should not be used if your hair isn’t oily, as it’ll strip the scalp from the natural oil that’s necessary for healthy hair.

What’s wrong with commercial dry shampoos?

As with most commercial, mass-produced products is the inclusion of hazardous ingredients and chemicals.

Most commercial dry shampoos include the following dangerous ingredients:

• Butane: A flammable gas and a fire hazard, butane have been known to cause headaches, drowsiness, and a lack of oxygen.
• Isobutane, Parfum (Fragrance): Isobutane, mainly a refrigerant is a branched isomer of butane. Similarly, it is also linked to inducing light-headedness, convulsions, and coma.
• Distearyldimonium Chloride: Known to be an asthma sensitizer and irritate sensitive skin.
• Cetrimonium Chloride: Known to highly cause allergies and immunotoxicity. Reports have also discovered that it can cause reproductive toxicity in animals.

Dry shampoo recipe ingredients

• Arrowroot powder
  The star of the show, arrowroot powder is a 100% natural ingredient that can be used to effectively absorb excess oil, resulting in softer, shinier hair.
• Kaolin clay
  Great for improving hair strength and repairing damaged hair. Moreover, kaolin clay can help soothe an irritated scalp and treat dandruff.
• Peppermint essential oil
  Apart from making your hair feel fresh, peppermint essential oil can increase circulation, improve hair growth and even prevent hair loss.
• Lavender essential oil
  It would be a sin to not mention just how calming lavender essential oil is. Apart from making you feel stress-free, it’s antimicrobial properties can help treat head lice and soothe skin inflammations.
• Rosemary essential oil
  Promotes a healthy scalp and helps stimulate hair growth. It’s anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties are great for scalp cleaning and scalp irritations.

For Brunettes

• Cocoa powder (my blonde friends can simply omit this)
  Rich in magnesium, cocoa powder can help fight hair loss as well as add a natural shine and volume to your hair.
• Cinnamon powder
  Helps remove build-up from the scalp, leaving behind healthier follicles that result in better hair growth. Great if you have auburn or ginger hair.

Can you use baking soda as a dry shampoo?

Although it can be used, I personally like to stay away from baking soda as it can be an irritant, and if there’s something I absolutely hate, it’s an itchy scalp!

Can you use cornstarch as a dry shampoo?

Once again, yes you can, but you need to make sure it’s organic. Cornstarch is usually GMO (genetically modified organism), which makes it dangerous to our health. It’s always safer to use arrowroot powder.

How to customize your homemade dry shampoo depending on your hair color and type

As I’ve already mentioned, the best part of making a DIY is the ability to personalize it to what suits you best. Here’s a list of how you can customize your DIY shampoo to your preferences:

• Blonde Hair
  Don’t add cocoa powder, as it will show prominently within your hair
• Black Hair
  Add a tsp of charcoal powder to the mix
• Auburn/Red Hair
  Add a tsp of cinnamon powder
• Dandruff
  Add a drop of tea tree essential oil, as its antifungal properties help treat dandruff. Otherwise, powders of Neem, Brahmi, Tulsi and Palma Rosa essential oils can be added.
• Oily Hair
  Horsetail Powder, Nettle, Multani Mitti, Rhassoul Clay and essential oils such as grapefruit and rosemary will work best for oily hair, as they all have great absorption elements
• Hair Loss
  Amla, Atlas cedar, essential oils of clary sage and grapefruit
• Growth Stimulation
  Powders of Kapoor Kachli, Kachur Sugandhi, Bhringaraj, vegetable oils of Mustard, Castor, Coconut.

While some of these ingredients must sound completely foreign to you, they are easily available online.

I hope you try out my recipe for this perfect DIY dry shampoo!