Dry Shampoo Recipe

This easy dry shampoo recipe lifts excess oil to gently clean hair and scalp, plus gives your roots some volume!

Dry shampoo is a great alternative to the synthetic detergents found in many commercial shampoos.  They are gentle powders that are applied to hair and/or scalp to clean surface dirt and junk without stripping oils or nutrients like stronger cleansers can sometimes do. Dry shampoo can be a great option for dry, sensitive, or flaky scalps that are irritated by traditional shampoo, or you can try a combination of both and alternate throughout the week. You can use dry shampoos in place of a traditional shampoo by applying in the shower, combing through, and rinsing as you would a commercial shampoo. You can also use it to extend the length of time between using traditional shampoo, reducing the frequency of use. 

This is a great method to try if traditional hair care products are causing irritation on your scalp. Commercial shampoos and conditioners can be drying for hair, upset pH balance, and cause scalp irritation, so sometimes cutting back your use on products can mean a healthier scalp!
Besides being an obvious cleanser, dry shampoo can also be used as a styling product. Most products weigh down my hair, making it look sad and limp versus giving it lift....which makes styling pretty tough. That being said, generally my hair care library is slim-pickins.
I wanted to give dry shampoo a try as a volumizer since I've heard it can be used in place of traditional hair sprays or other lifting products. After giving this dry shampoo recipe a try, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked! Starches just absorb excess oil making hair look and feel cleaner, so it's a simple and straightforward process. To use your dry shampoo as a styling product, just apply powder at roots and comb through.
This is not so much a recipe as it is a matter of ratio. I used 100% plain arrowroot starch for this dry shampoo recipe, but you can also try making your own blend with equal-parts arrowroot or clay to rice, potato, or tapioca starches. These starches are all natural and have gentle, absorbent qualities that will help remove surface junk from hair and scalp without being too harsh.
If you have very dark hair, you can mix in a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder to dark the mix just a bit. I tried it with a ratio of 3 parts starch to 1 part cocoa, and without - did not notice a difference besides my hair smelling like chocolate. Whether that's good or bad, up to you. :)
(Be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder - no sugary mess!)

Check out the video for a quick demo: