DIY Dry Shampoo For Dark Or Light Hair

Update: This post originally ran on September 6th 2012 but we can’t get enough of this awesome homemade remedy so we wanted to share it again!

I don’t know about you but when I discovered dry shampoo it was like a whole new world… just a quick spray and your hair looks clean and fresh. It’s a live saver if you’re short on time or traveling, but as we all know it can be pretty pricey! Fortunately you can get the same results by using household items to make your own dry shampoo – for dark or light hair. It works like a charm and I know I’ll be taking it everywhere I go!

What you need:

For light hair – corn starch, baking soda, essential oil (optional)

For dark hair – cocoa powder, corn starch, essential oil (optional)

For Light Hair: Combine a ½ cup of corn starch with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. You could use just corn starch on its own but if you’re worried about the scent, the baking soda absorbs it and makes this concoction scent-free. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to give it an aroma of your choice – I used peppermint oil and I love how fresh and clean it smells!

diy dry shampoo

diy dry shampoo

For Dark Hair: If you have darker hair, and are concerned about using a white powder in your hair, you can make dry shampoo for dark hair by combining ½ cup of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of corn starch! Again, you can add a few drops of essential oil or you can leave it as is – it has a lovely chocolaty scent :)

diy dry shampoo

diy dry shampoo

Re-use old spice containers as your dry shampoo shakers! To use the dry shampoo, sprinkle a small amount on your hair at the scalp area. Let the powder absorb the dirt and oils from your hair for a couple minutes and then comb it out – your hair will feel as good as new!

Photos by Julia.

More beauty tips from the BLDG 25 Blog.

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11 years ago

wooooow!!!!

DIY and more:
http://diyearte.blogspot.com.es/

11 years ago

Cool tip… have you tried cinnamon for redheads rather than cocoa powder? I think the cocoa would probably muddy my (totally not natural) ginger hair, but I’d be curious if cinnamon would work the same way.

Emily
11 years ago

Oh my gosh I so needed this!!!

11 years ago

Baby powder is a good alternative, too! :))

Muri
11 years ago

Great idea!
But, with cocoa powder you mean like the cocoa powder we use to make chocolate milk or desserts?

ava
11 years ago

Cassie.. cinnamon can burn the skin and is dangerous if left on for too long! be careful, maybe test it out first or try a different powder??

steph
11 years ago

i use cinnamon and i am very brunette. will try the cocoa!

11 years ago

maybe paprika for redheads? that doesn’t cause skin irritation like cinnamon does.
love dry shampoo. so handy when you’re on the go!

Nicole
11 years ago

I just use Lily of the Valley scented talc from Yardley… haha

11 years ago

Can’t wait to try this. I’ve heard about baking soda, but I like the idea of cocoa powder for dark hair–it won’t look dandruff-y and it smells good! :D

http://yungstyle.blogspot.com/

eli
11 years ago

Natural powedered clay works great – i have black hair and use beige clay but you cant see it. It only cost about $12 for 300g and ive barely used a third of the tub. Ive had it for about 9 months. It barely smells so i guess you could add scent to it.

jenn
11 years ago

where do you get natural powdered clay?

11 years ago

Good to know about how to make it! I love the aerosol stuff, especially while living in Europe because the water here is so full of minerals it makes my hair all weird! Plus it gives a lot of volume. :)

Ladaisi Blog
Ladaisi Etsy

Bear
11 years ago

Baby powder has mineral powder in it and will clog your hair follicle causing instant breakage. It is not really a good alternative.

Jane
11 years ago

Can you use a home fragrance oil? Or is it different from an essential oil? I was planning to use the body shop’s strawberry scented home fragrance oil and add it to the mix.

11 years ago

I never knew there was a DIY for dry shampoo. Fantastic idea! Looking forward to trying the cocoa mixture.

Elise
11 years ago

I have blue hair… I figured that the light powder would fade my colour. Really love the blog and the DIY stuff on here, this is my favourite blog! This is great, thank you for posting it!

Courtney
11 years ago

This sounds cool I’m gonna try this :)

Carrie
11 years ago

Muri – yes that kind of cocoa powder… Slightly obvious.

I’ve been using baby powder for the last few months. It’s pretty good except it gives me white roots haha. Glad I’ve come across this to try the cocoa version. Thanks :)

johndaddy
11 years ago

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11 years ago

good

Annie
11 years ago

Tried it… Worked okay to remove excess oil but I noticed that my scalp was brown from the cocoa powder lol… So I guess be careful to apply it only on the hair and not dump it like I did ahah!!

10 years ago

I do this all the time with just cocoa powder! My boyfriend always asks me if I have any chocolate. I don’t think he realizes it’s in my hair. lol

But just so you know, the research I’ve done claims that peppermint can actually impede hair growth. I’m not sure how by how much but personally I don’t mess with the stuff on my scalp.

Jennifer
10 years ago

Soo glad I found this! Life saver

Samantha
10 years ago

what about leave in conditioner? have a diy for that?