Late last year I was hearing about dry shampoo everywhere I went. It intrigued me, especially as I went through my detox period in my no-shampoo period. I thought I’d look it up and see if it would help me save some time in the mornings. When I did look it up I was astonished at the price tag! It can run upwards of $15-$20 for a can that will last you for a couple of months, when used once a week. To me, that’s pretty pricey! The budget versions by Tresseme and Suave don’t have the greatest reviews, so I didn’t want to risk it with those, even though their pricetag was more reasonable. The benefits of dry shampoo though had me wanting to try them–the added time in the mornings when I’m running late; not to mention my hair stylist is always telling me that too frequent hair washing can damage and dry out my fine blonde hair.
So I set out to see if I could find a homemade recipe for dry shampoo, and what I found was a wealth of information. As I was reading I noticed that many of the higher-rated shampoos had several common ingredients–ingredients I had around my pantry. After researching how they work and what ingredients are in most of them, I decided to make my own and try it out the next morning before I went to church. Worse came to worse, I could hop in the shower before heading out!
Dry shampoo works by absorbing excess oil and dirt in your hair. Here’s my recipe:
- 3 tablespoons oatmeal
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal (substitute cocoa powder for brunettes)
- 3 tablespoons epsom salts
I put the oatmeal in a cup and chopped it into small pieces using my little hand blender. Then I mixed in the other items and put it in a small airtight container. I dropped in an old coffee scoop–which is approximately one tablespoon in size.
The next morning I got up and sprinkled on tablespoon on my hair, along the part and the underneath of my hair. Make sure to keep towards the scalp–not the ends of your hair, as that is where the bulk of the oils are. Let sit for two minutes, then brush vigorously out of your hair. I recommend doing this over a towel or sink, as the mixture can make a mess. Then brush and style your hair as you normally would. I gave mine a quick pass with the flat iron and ran out the door.
How did it work? Well, not only did no one know I hadn’t washed that morning, but I got two compliments on my hair! I did this experiment on Sunday, with my last hair wash having been Friday morning, with a night out dancing in between. Don’t believe me? Here’s some photos I took at about lunchtime on Sunday, three hours after I used the dry shampoo.
Top of my head–no streaks of oil, no clumpy hair, no residue from the shampoo. (Yes, that’s my messy bathroom counter behind me.) It laid well too, and had good movement to it.
Now that my detox period has long passed in the no-shampoo experiment, I don’t use dry shampoo often. I did take it with me when we were camping, and it was a huge help. (I’m not a fan of communal showers. Yuck.) I still hear it mentioned a lot, by people who are spending a lot of money on it, so I wanted to share with you my natural, homemade version! It costs pennies per use and really does work!
