We've all heard that washing your hair everyday isn't good for it. But what are you supposed to do with that greasy, oily hair? Use dry shampoo, of course!

Dry shampoo is a powder that absorbs the oils from your hair & scalp and adds texture giving limp hair more volume. And as an added bonus, it's super easy & inexpensive to make and you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen.

This is a simple DIY dry shampoo that you can make in about 5 minutes with just a few ingredients. This dry shampoo recipe is effective, inexpensive, easy to make, all natural, good for your hair & scalp, and smells great! Plus you can customize it for blonde, brunette, red, dark, and light hair!

The Problem With Commercial Dry Shampoo:

You can buy dry shampoo products at your local beauty store. But they can be expensive and often full of toxic ingredients (including butane, propane, synthetic fragrances, and formaldehyde).

--->>> In 2022, 19 dry shampoos were recalled due to cancer causing ingredients. Read about that here.

Luckily, there's a super easy and inexpensive solution! Make your own from scratch with just a few ingredients.

DIY Dry Shampoo Ingredients

DIY Dry Shampoo Options:

BASE

Arrowroot:
- My preferred base
- Healthy for your scalp & hair and gluten free
Talc Free Baby Powder
Non-GMO Cornstarch
Baking Soda
- Use a natural brand - find out what makes a good quality baking soda here and find it here
- Can be drying so not recommended if you use dry shampoo often
Ground Oatmeal Powder
- Very finely grind rolled oats in a spice/coffee grinder or blender
- Great for soothing a dry or itchy scalp. Mix with arrowroot or corn starch.
Clay: Red Moroccan, Bentonite, or Kaolin
- Use for extra greasy hair at a ratio of about 1 part clay to 4 parts other base (arrowroot or cornstarch)
- Learn about bentonite clay here

TINT (notes about tinting below)

Red hair:
- Cinnamon
  - Use very sparingly since too much can be irritating
- Red Moroccan Clay
Brunette:
- Cocoa Powder

OPTIONAL

Essential Oils
- Get a discount code for essential oils here

how to make diy dry shampoo for brown brunette blonde red hair

Dry Shampoo Recipe

This is an easy, create your own adventure type of recipe! No measuring spoons or cups required!
Grab a cute jar or shaker.
Pick your base from the list above, add some tint if needed, and add some essential oils if your using them.
Mix it up and you're done!

I have dark hair. My favorite combo:

About 3 parts arrowroot
About 1 part cocoa powder
About 20 drops of essential oils per about 1/4 cup of dry ingredients

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A Note on Tint

I have used straight arrowroot on my dark hair with no problem. My hair absorbs most of the powder and a quick brush through knocks off the rest. But I do have to be mindful to apply lightly. Tinting my dry shampoo makes it more fool proof. You can use cinnamon, red clay, and/or cocoa powder to tint your dry shampoo. Add just enough to tint the powder to match the darkness of your hair. Your hair does absorb the dry shampoo so it doesn't have to be spot-on, just close.

Dry shampoo for blonde, light hair

You can omit tinting the powder completely if your hair is very blonde. If your hair is dirty blonde or highlighted, you can add 1 teaspoon or more of tint per 1/4 cup of powder

Dry shampoo for red hair

You can use cinnamon and/or red clay. About 1 teaspoon of cinnamon per 1/4 cup of powder (too much will irritate your scalp). You can use up to a 50/50 mix of base powder and red clay. The red clay also acts like the base powders and helps absorbs moisture & oil.

Dry shampoo for brunette, dark hair

You can use cinnamon and/or cocoa powder. About 1 teaspoon of cinnamon per 1/4 cup of powder (too much will irritate your scalp). You can use up to a 50/50 mix of base powder and cocoa powder.

Essential Oils

Here is a list of essential oils that not only smell good, but are also good for your hair. This isn't all inclusive, you can get creative with your favorite essential oils. Get a discount code here.

Lavender (soothing)
Cedarwood (healthy scalp and promotes hair growth)
Peppermint (healthy scalp and promotes hair growth)
Rosemary (healthy scalp and promotes hair growth)
Clary Sage
Sage
Basil
Juniper
Ylang ylang
Sandalwood (promotes hair growth)
Lemon (photosensitive, if you have sun sensitive skin or plan on being in the sun, don't use lemon)
Cypress
Rose
Melrose
Purification (my favorite essential oil ever!)
Tea Tree (healthy scalp)

coupon code for young living essential oils

How to Apply Your DIY Dry Shampoo

There are several ways to apply your dry shampoo. Concentrate the application towards your roots (but aim for the hair, not your scalp). Less is more. You can always add more dry shampoo as needed. Use as often as needed between washing your hair (learn more about natural hair care here).

Use a shaker like these. Part your hair, shake, repeat with different hair parts. Brush the dry shampoo through your hair.
Store in a jar. Apply with a large, fluffy makeup brush to the roots. Brush your hair.
Put a small amount of the dry shampoo on your palm, rub your hands together, then run your hands through your hair. Repeat several times.
Sprinkle some dry shampoo on your brush and brush your hair. Repeat several times

Cost of DIY Dry Shampoo

A bottle of dry shampoo at a drug or beauty store will cost anywhere from about $10 to $50. A 1 pound bag of arrowroot is under $10! You can make a lot of dry shampoo with that!