Best Homemade Dry Shampoo Recipes

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Homemade dry shampoo has saved me from major hair crises many times and I’m sure it will be just as reliable to you in your time of need. From tangled and greasy or dull and lifeless to refreshed and fabulous, here are few of my secret weapons that will pull your do through the worst of days, in between washes, or for a last-minute cleanse.

What is Dry Shampoo?

Hair can get greasy even if it’s clean. Over-washing your hair will leave it dry, lifeless, and unable to absorb the strengthening and nourishing benefits of its naturally created oils.

Dry shampoo is a combination of a dry, powdery starch and other beneficial ingredients that will bind to dirt, sebum, and oil, absorb it, and shake it free from your locks without completely stripping it. This leaves hair feeling lightweight and refreshing.

You may not be too concerned with oiliness and just want an added boost of volume. Dry shampoo can add depth and density to hair strands making it appear fuller, thicker, and bigger for a serious va-va-voom effect.

How to Apply Dry Shampoo

Homemade dry shampoo recipes will work for all hair types including extensions. Apply the shampoo powder onto fingertips and work from scalp to tip. If your tips tend to be drier, focus on the scalp, if your scalp is too dry, focus on the tip and hair strands. Homemade dry shampoo recipes are buildable, so start with a small amount and keep applying until you achieve your desired result.

Another way of applying homemade dry shampoo is by tapping a dense kabuki brush into the powder formula and dusting it from the scalp to the root. Once applied to the entire head, use a comb or brush to style as normal. Or you can use dry shampoo a few hours before bed and wake up with a clean do. Some recipes will require just a few minutes to fully absorb and be brushed out, others may need at least an hour to be most effective.

[Read: 6 Tips on How to Use Dry Shampoo]

For fast and easy application, apply ½ a teaspoon at a time into your hands, dust it entirely over your hands, pat onto the scalp, oiliest areas, or where you want added volume, tousle the mixture into your scalp and hair for quick absorbency and you’re good to go.

Never dispense dry shampoo directly onto your hair to avoid clumping or a powdery finish. Always apply it using your hands. For the spray formula in the list, keep the bottle at arm’s length so the shampoo hits the air before reaching your hair.

To get an idea of how the recipes will work with your hair color, apply the recipe to a small section of hair and wait a few minutes. Each recipe will indicate which hair colors it’s more suitable for.