I’ve never been a wash-my-hair-everyday kind of girl. Quite frankly, between the shampoo and the conditioner and the blow-drying and flat-ironing, it is just way too much effort. But it’s not just laziness–over-washing and too much blow-drying or straightening is also really hard on your hair.
Thus, unless I am doing a lot of sweating (which isn’t often), most of the time I usually only wash my hair about twice a week. In between washings, I keep any greasy roots at bay with this super easy homemade dry shampoo.
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I actually used to use baby powder, but over the years I have found that this combination seems to work the best, especially for my dark hair. It also smells fantastic! You can also buy an aerosol version, but honestly, this works just as well and is SO much cheaper!
Step 1: Place 1/4 cup of corn starch into your container. (Mine was a small glass mason jar from Wal-mart.)
Step 2: Add 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder and mix well. The cocoa powder is used to darken the corn starch, so if your hair is very light you may want to add less cocoa powder, or if your hair is very dark, add more.
Step 3: Next add 2 drops of your favorite essential oil. I personally like the way cinnamon smells with the cocoa powder, but peppermint is nice too.
Step 4: Place lid on container and shake until all ingredients are combined.
Step 5: Apply to scalp using a dry brush, then brush through hair.
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Can’t wait to try this! I have dark brown hair and most Dry Shampoos only make my hair turn white. Thanks!
This is great, thank so much for sharing. I am looking forward to giving this a try. Have a great week. 🙂
What could it hurt? I have all of this on hand 🙂 I love my Paul Mitchell dry shampoo… but I love the idea of a cheaper version, too!
Love the idea that it won’t be such a pain to blend b/c of being darker.
I’ve used the aerosol kind. I have straight hair that I need to wash daily, which is unfortunate. But this looks worth a try. I wonder though, doesn’t this combination of ingredients make you smell like a cookie? Not that that’s a bad thing… just wondering. 😉
Thank you for this! I have super curly hair, and I’ve learned very specific ways to care of it, but both of my girls have stick straight hair. I have no idea what I’m doing! I’ve been thinking of trying a dry shampoo for them for a while, and this recipe looks so simple. I’m going to try it this week.
Hi! I have curly hair too. What is your routine? Is there a dry shampoo that you use? If I don’t wash my hair, I have to pull it up or at least wet it and do my normal routine. Most mornings it looks like a rats nest when I wake up. TIA!
Any tips for curlies? One of my new daughters has beautiful curls but I haven’t found a healthy way of keeping it from being a knotted mess. I just brush a braid it so often. It’s so damaging.
I think I might try this! Can I just skip the essential oil?
Thanks for posting this! I use dry shampoo all the time. My favorite and the one I have found to work the best is Suave, and it’s the cheapest! Now, I’m excited to try this at home version! 🙂
Is the essential oil just for smell? Can it be skipped?
Yes you can skip the essential oil I have tried both ways, and it works just as good.
This is awesome. I’ve used a couple dry shampoos from the store and they just don’t do the job for me. How often I wash my hair depends on the week – If I am going on a date with my hubby I will wash it even if I washed it the day before. If I am running errands all week and have nothing “official” to do as my very important job as a SAHM, then I will wash it Sunday for church and not wash again until it needs it.
Do you have any recommendation for what to use in place of cocoa for us red heads?
Jean, what about cinnamon or paprika?
I have red hair and cocoa works just fine!
Your post could not have come at a more perfect time! I was just telling my SIL how I hated washing my hair everyday, but hadn’t found a good solution yet. I am all about making my own products. Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely be pinning this! Have a great day 🙂
I’ve never used dry shampoo and only just heard about it a couple of years ago. My hair is pretty lightweight and gets oily if I don’t shower every day. It’s never been color-treated. I use shampoo and conditioner every day, and blow dry my hair most days. I rarely curl it. No stylist has ever suggested that I use a dry shampoo, so I have no clue if it would be good for me or not.
I have very straight hair too. If you do highlights it helps with the oily part tons!!!! But this dry recipe is great for touch ups. You can always use other essential oils. Lavender is great for your hair and rose too. It’s a great pick me up!
Neat idea about the cocoa for color! For my oily scalp, I have used baby powder and brushed it into my scalp at night, and it is pretty absorbed by morning. The cocoa should finish the look. Thanks.
I’ve never tried a dry shampoo but recently I have wanted to. So happy that I don’t have to buy one. Gonna try this soon!
I need to try this to see how it works with blonde hair. Would it make my hair dark blonde? Any other suggestions instead of cocoa?
Just skip the cocoa if you have light hair. It is just used to darken it.
We use the baby powder. Will have to give this a try since my hair is a little darker.
Thanks for sharing!!
I am a redhead and made this mixture just to try it and the cocoa is fine on my hair, it blends in when you comb it. My concern is when it gets wet it does look like chocolate. I sweat a lot and if I used this in the summer I might have chocolate dripping down my face
If your hair gets damp it makes your hair smell like a cup of hot chocolate
I am from India…. we usually have lots of home made sampoos but this one is new for me too……
I’ll try this one.
I would absolutely love to try this and although my natural color is very dark brown my hair is currently purple. Any suggestions to help it blend?
I do the same thing only I add cinnamon instead of cocoa powder for darker color.
I will try the cocoa powder too. Thanks. It works well for me also.
I have tried several kinds of store-bought dry shampoo and Suave is also my favorite. It smells good and it’s cheap. I am excited to try this DIY version though!
Reading thru a couple other comments, I’ve never used a dry shampoo….I guess my big question here, is what’s the use for dry shampoo?? Is it better for the roots?? I have problems with my hair staying hydrated, or soft…but then someone introduced me to that Moroccan shampoo (Suave has a cheaper option than what I was suggested to buy), does wonders. So, can someone answer me the question: WHY dry shampoo??
If you have a problem with dry hair you probably don’t need dry shampoo. This particular version doesn’t actually clean hair, it just helps absorb oil at the roots to avoid greasy-looking hair in between washings. 🙂
I would love it if you had a before and after picture! Great idea but I’m not sure how it really looks when applied and brushed through. Thanks for sharing this!
I have made this, but with some alterations. I have dark brown hair, so I mixed 1/4 cup corn starch and 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa. I omitted the essential oil simply because I don’t have any on hand right now. I must say it works really well, and good for those days when you don’t have the time to wash, dry and style your hair…for in between washes. I usually dust it on my roots with a clean makeup brush the night before, then comb my hair in the morning. It works great! And for those of you with lighter colored hair, I would suggest omitting the cocoa and replacing that with 1/4 cup baking soda.
Your pictures are so cute! Can you please tell me what you use to edit them. By editing, I mean putting the cute titles and shapes on them.
dry shampoo
I have very dark brown hair and I’ve tried this. The problem is that I had to add so much cocoa that there’s more cocoa than cornstarch. I wonder if there’s something else I could try instead? And then when I wash my hair I smell like chocolate pudding. 🙂 not all bad, but a little weird.
I have tried this and the cocoa seemed to make my hair a little bit … I don’t know… sorta sticky or something so I came up with an idea— I went to the dollar store and bought a really dark eye shadow and crushed it up with a spoon and mixed it in– works great! I have also used dark face powder. Either one works well. I wish the cocoa would have worked for me because it would have been less work. 😉
Thanks! I like that idea. I will try it.
Anna
Would this be safe for color treated hair? Mine isn’t, but I reccomend a lot of homemade products to my friends, who do, and I know a lot of it will strip the color.
I don’t even use shampoo very often. some baking soda diluted in some water and poured into my hair during my shower cleans it great and leaves it soft.
My hair is mostly gray, how would it work with the cocoa? Wouldn’t it give it a brown tint? I do like the idea of it. Just wondering how it would work with gray hair.
I would suggest omitting the cocoa and using baking soda instead.
I love love love this and I’m trying it TONIGHT!
I have a question, though…In the past few months I’ve switched to all-natural shampoo and conditioner and no matter how hard I try to wash my hair less and less it just get so oily by day 2. When I first began all-natural I was no-poo, using honey to wash about every 3 days and it was fine. But since the summer months started (and I live in the hot, humid sout east) my hair is just so oily! Do you think dry shampoo could help ease the transition into washing only every 3-4 days, or could it dry out my scalp too much and cause me to overproduce oil, since it soaks up moisture?
Thanks!!
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I was my hair every day b/c otherwise I feel gross. If I train my hair to wash it every other day do you think my body won’t feel gross? Can anyone relate?
I used to feel the same way! If you shampoo/condition one day, dry shampoo the next, and then wash the next day, etc., for a month or so, I definitely believe you can train your hair. I trained mine! Now I wash one day, do nothing the next, dry shampoo the next, and then wash again. It’s great! 🙂
I always use dry shampoo, however, it is so expensive! My favorite is the kind from Big Sexy Hair, but it is $17 for a small bottle. Lately, I have found great success with Dove dry shampoo for around $5 per bottle. It’s definitely worth a try if you prefer the aerosol route!
I made this a few months ago and it works GREAT! I used lavender essence oil. I was sick of using canned dry shampoo. Its gross to admit but with a year old I dont get as many showers as I’d like! I plan on making this for my SIL!
Its time for me to make a new batch! I love this stuff for my dark brown hair! I have found it works very best for me when I put it on before bed and it has all night to work. (But I have very oily hair, especially while pregnant!)
I am wondering if you start sweating or get very hot, will the cocoa melt?
Hi! I just saw this post in Pinterest and it looks great! But I was wondering, Does it work for black hear too if I to put more cocoa powder in it?
Can’t wait to try this! I am having back surgery in two days and won’t be able to shower for NINE days! This should really come in handy considering I have very oily skin and hair! Thanks for the tip!
Does really work for oily hair
Yes, it does. 🙂
I like some dry shampoo, and I wash my hair 2-3 times a weeks. I will try this with a shaker container.
I have scalp psoriasis, focused mainly from ear to ear, following the hair line, and in back, the bridge of bone there. I have used everything I can think of to tame it, and a year or two ago, found an all natural shampoo created specifically for my problem. Well, all good things must come to an end. They changed the formula, so now I need to find something else that will work. I am wondering about your dry shampoo. I know you are not a doctor, I am asking for your experience with dry shampoo, that’s all. Also, if I use your shampoo, what sort of essential oil would work (for medicinal purposes), would you recommend?
Can you tell me if the cocoa would be a problem with sweating? Unfortunately I sweat like a guy, in the summer months, & my head is no exception when the humidity is high. I was wondering if applying it at night would help it absorb better? I’ve been going through a lot of stress lately and my hair is falling out faster than I can grow it so I’m looking at ways to save my hair by not washing it every day like I normally do because it can get oily by the end of the day. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you!
I’m not sure about how sweat will effect the cocoa powder. You might want to contact your physician and ask about other natural solutions. 🙂
I love this! I made a batch and it lasted over 2 years!. No harsh chemicals like the commercial dry shampoos and I think that it works better and does not leave white powder in your hair!
I loved your post, very understanding, always visit behind new information, you are in my favorites.
Hey Ruthi, Thank you for sharing this guide about oily scalp. I am currently facing oily scalp problems. But the tips and remedies that you mentioned it are quite helpful to me. Thanks for sharing keep updating.