DIY Dry Shampoo

[Mellifluous]

Hey guys, so recently I've seen some recipes for DIY dry shampoo online, they mainly consist of equal parts corn flour to some other natural powder. Generally it is cocoa powder for brown hair, charcoal for very dark hair, cinnamon for redder hair and arrow root for blondes. I'm quite interested in this as dry shampoo is a staple in my life and I don't find that store bought dry shampoo sprays work on me (my hair is super flat and oily so powders that can provide volume are often best for me). I have been using baby powder for as long as I can remember but I know the safety of this is questioned, plus, its pure white and makes my hair look grey! I'm super interested in the idea of cocoa powder and cornstarch as dry shampoo, has anyone tried this? I know a lot of DIY natural products are frowned upon because they don't contain preservatives to stop them fermenting, but surely its okay with powder? What is everyones thoughts and experiences with this?

[Laurab]

I've seen a few videos online about it, it seems like it works well enough.
The only real criticism I've heard is that food starches aren't as finely milled as things made for cosmetics, so you'll have bigger particles of the starch in your hair. But it might be worth experimenting with a little bit!

[MusicalSpoons]

What colour is your hair?

I personally use either talc (baby powder) or cornflour (corn starch) on the rare occasion I'm desperate enough* to have to use dry shampoo. It works best for me if put on overnight then brushed or combed out the next day.

*That's not a slight towards dry shampoo itself but my scalp has Very Strong Opinions and would very much rather I didn't use it :wink:

I cannot see any problem with the longevity or safety of powder :confused: not even if you add in essential oils as some people choose to do.

[SleepyTangles]

Hello! :)
Most DIY dry shampoos recipes I know are starch based (rice starch, mais starch, potato starch... You name it), or with arrowroot powder.

Just a warning: if you suffer from certain kinds of dermatitis, or of you have dandruff, flours and starches can aggravate the problem :flower:
Starch is basically sugar, and sugar is very yummy for bacteria!

Talc Is more drying but also less prone to cause such issues :).

[Mellifluous]

Thanks for your replies! I have used talc as a dry shampoo for a while now but I used to be blonde and have recently gone dark. I don't have a particularly irritable scalp, it's just super oily. I'm defo gonna give the DIY dry shampoo a try!

[Kat]

I've used cornstarch mixed with red powdered clay-- I figure the clay would do a good job of absorbing the oil plus would add the color. (Only in a true emergency, though, as I don't like the effect of dry shampoos on my hair; they don't make my hair look *clean*, just not quite as nasty-greasy. But my hair is still flatly stuck together just as if it's greasy anyway.)

Do NOT, however, use cornmeal! Yes, there was a time when this was recommended. I tried it once. I was picking cornmeal off my scalp all day because no way could I brush it all out...

[RunOnCaffeine]

I've used both cinnamon and cocoa powder with cornflour. I didn't like the cocoa powder smell; I came to associate it with dirty hair. The cinnamon I preferred, but the best base I found was arrowroot powder. It didn't stay as white as the cornflour and seemed to absorb better.

Trial and error!