Dry Shampoo
DIY Dry Shampoo for Any Hair Color
This DIY dry Shampoo works well for dark hair, light hair, and even vivid hair colors – no more powdery white sheen left behind!
Ingredients To Make Dry Shampoo
The ingredients used in my dry shampoo recipe are multi-purpose. This makes the ingredients cheap since one bag of powder or clay will last you months (or longer) and can make multiple batches of dry shampoo and be used in other ways: cooking, a natural face mask or to make a homemade foundation powder, homemade hot chocolate, and in natural cleaning products.
- Arrowroot Powder: Similar to cornstarch this natural starch is a lightweight, white, powdery substance that’s generally used to thicken sauces in cooking recipes (like this stir fry recipe). This ingredient works to absorb excess oils in your hair. Many people swear by baking soda but I find arrowroot powder works better as it doesn’t leave hair starchy and stiff.
- Bentonite Clay: This naturally-occurring, organic powder is commonly used to make a soothing face mask (good for acne and breakouts). In this recipe, it’s used for oil absorption. Just like with arrowroot, this ingredient won’t leave your hair feeling starchy or stiff.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: To tint the dry shampoo, add cocoa powder or cacao powder (yes, the stuff used to make hot chocolate and chocolate cake). Not only will this ingredient add a natural tint to the powder, but also leave your hair with a pleasant and very subtle chocolate scent.
- Essential Oil: If you’d like to add a natural fragrance (without potentially harmful chemicals) to your dry shampoo, sprinkle in a few drops of your favorite essential oil. I love lavender essential oil as it has a calming scent that is perfect for a busy morning (ah, feel the zen) and some say that it has hair growth properties (I’m not sure about this claim, but the smell is amazing). Other options include: rosemary essential oil or tea tree essential oil (essential oils also work as a lice repellent which is just an added benefit if you have young kids at home and don’t want to partake in the yearly classroom lice “party”).
How to Make DIY Dry Shampoo for Any Hair Color
- For blondes and gray hair, combine arrowroot powder and bentonite clay. Depending on your blonde shade and if you have really light hair, you can use just arrowroot powder on its own if the clay has too much of a silver tint for you.
- For brunettes and red hair, combine arrowroot powder, bentonite clay, and a touch of cocoa powder to darken the tint. I know some blogs recommend cinnamon powder for a darker brunette shade but I would avoid cinnamon as it may burn your scalp if too much is applied.
- For black hair, combine arrowroot powder, bentonite clay, cocoa powder, and if you’d like a small of activated charcoal to darken the mixture.
Here’s how to make your own custom DIY dry shampoo…
Step 1: Combine the dry shampoo ingredients.
Step 2: Store the homemade dry shampoo for up to 6 months.
Store the dry shampoo for up to 6 months at room temperature. Play around the ingredients and create a custom shade based on your hair color and shade.
How To Use Dry Shampoo The Right Way
Hair naturally produces oil called sebum. The sebum provides a barrier to the hair and skin and also moisture. When hair is washed every single day, shampoo strips the hair of the natural oils which can result in very dry hair or the overproduction of sebum.
Even my hair stylist has commented that she doesn’t wash her hair every single day and instead uses a dry shampoo in between washes.
For in between days, you can use dry shampoo to keep the grease from building up. Personally, I go about 3-4 days between washes and use dry shampoo, as needed, in between wash days. The less you wash your hair, the easier it becomes to go a few days between washes as the oil production slows down.