DIY dry shampoo has always eluded me in one way or another. It’s either too opaque, stains your clothes various shades of brown, or just plain doesn’t work as well as you hoped it would. When I came across a few dry shampoo sprays, I knew I didn’t feel like shelling out $10 for a tiny bottle that wouldn’t last long (I have extremely oily hair) and was full of nasty chemicals. 

So I started looking around for an alternative I could make at home that used better and safer ingredients and was actually effective. Lo and behold, this homemade dry shampoo spray fits the bill perfectly!

Not only does it soak up oil like a champ, it also adds tons of volume at the roots making it look like I have way more hair than I actually do – WINNING!

DIY Dry Shampoo Spray for Oily Hair

In my online search, I actually came across this lovely post which uses vodka as the base and ya’ll know how an herbalist feels about vodka 😉 Since I didn’t have any lying around due to using it up for tincturing herbs, I decided to use everclear instead. It worked quite well because of its higher alcohol content, so if you have some high proof booze lying around (preferably a clear one) then give it a try and see how things turn out.

I’ve posted a pic below to give you a good idea of what my hair looked like before and after using the spray with everclear as the base. This was second-day hair (yes I know, so oily already!) and after a good workout.

Without further ado, here’s the recipe for homemade dry shampoo spray:

• 2oz spritzer bottle
• 3 TB high proof alcohol (at least 50%. The everclear I used is 75% – apparently they can be different proofs in different states)
• 1 TB distilled water
• ½ tsp arrowroot starch (this is the star ingredient that sucks up oil)
• 5-10 drops lavender essential oil or other non-phototoxic essential oil you like the scent of (perhaps even try some EOs good for hair health like rosemary and cedarwood!)

After some more research, I am considering trying other forms of oil absorbing powders to see if I can make one without the calcium carbonate for those of you who are asking. 

I’m thinking of trying zinc oxide, kaolin clay, or rice powder to see how that goes, so stay tuned!

Loving Preparation – DIY Dry Shampoo Spray for Oily Hair

• Using a small funnel, add each ingredient to the 2oz spritzer bottle.
• Cap closed and shake well to combine.

To Use

Shake well to mix, then hold a small section of hair up and away from the roots. Spray the dry shampoo near the scalp/roots of the hair, then use your fingers to tousle things around a bit. You could even use a fine bristle brush to comb through the hair as it dries to distribute it evenly

Allow the spray to dry and see if you need more. Continue until you get the results you’re looking for.

After everything’s dry, style as usual. If you have ever used dry shampoo sprays before, then you will notice a similar texture in your hair that’s characteristic of those sprays – sort of draggy feeling in texture – not my favorite, but it gets the job done.

The spray will at first smell like alcohol but dissipates quickly and will leave behind the scent of the essential oil you used instead.

This DIY dry shampoo spray has been great to use between washings and after a good workout to keep things looking and smelling fresh! I hope you give it a try!

What has been your favorite dry shampoo recipe? Please let me know in the comments below!

You may also enjoy reading:

Conditioning Hair Serum Recipe
DIY Coconut Oil Hair Treatment
Essential Oils for Hair Loss and Alopecia
Essential Oils for Dry Hair

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