DIY Dry Shampoo for Any Hair Color

I wash my hair, at most, twice a week (and usually just once—on Sunday nights). Back in the days when I was a daily washer, my hair would end up looking quite greasy within hours. But now that I’m washing less frequently, my hair doesn’t get greasy nearly as fast.

In fact, I can go 2-3 days after washing before I even notice any sheen. And when that first greasy day happens? That’s when my dear friend dry shampoo comes in!

I’ve been a loyal dry shampoo user since way back when it was so obscure you had to go to a specialty beauty supply shop to find it. And even before that, I stocked a bottle of baby powder in my bathroom as a teenager to accomplish the same thing!

Now, it’s just about on every store’s shelves (yay!), but unfortunately, finding non-toxic, natural versions of dry shampoo is still quite a struggle. I have tried a few natural brands, but most of them are pure white in color—which, considering the fact that my hair is about as dark as it can get and still be brown—doesn’t work for me. And they are expensive. Holy cow, are they pricey!

A few years back, I started wondering if I could DIY my own dry shampoo for my dark hair at home. Of course, I can’t pump it into an aerosol container at home, but I can definitely replicate the basic premise of natural dry shampoo, which is some sort of powder that absorbs the oil.

I started playing with different absorbent powders, and the combo I figured out for my hair was arrowroot powder (or cornstarch works equally well), cocoa powder, and touch of activated charcoal for my hair. Bonus: I smell DELICIOUS.

I use an old kabuki makeup brush to apply it to my roots liberally, and because it comes pretty close to matching my hair color, I don’t need to brush or comb it in (which I don’t do because of natural curl anyway). I do use my fingers to massage it in, which is always a nice little self-care moment! You can also add the mixture to a shaker bottle and apply it that way. And, if you prefer, brushing and combing through will do the trick to get it mixed in, too.

It really does blend right in. This is after applying without any brushing or combing. I dare you to see the dry shampoo!

Customizing Your DIY Dry Shampoo For Your Hair Color

So what if you don’t have dark brunette hair like I do? Well, it’s time to get creative and make your own perfect mix. Here are some suggestions:

• For light and medium blondes and gray hair, straight arrowroot or cornstarch should work well. If your roots tend to be on the darker side, adding just a touch of cocoa powder can help it blend a bit better. If your hair tends to have gray/blue tones in it, then a little bit of bentonite clay or activated charcoal added can help. And if your hair tends to be more strawberry blonde, add a little bit of cinnamon.
• For redheads or red-toned brunettes, start with your base of arrowroot or cornstarch and add cinnamon and cocoa powder until you get a shade similar to your hair color.
• For medium brown to dark brown, add a good amount of unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder to your arrowroot/cornstarch base. If you need to darken it more, activated charcoal can be added in small amounts. A little activated charcoal goes a long way!
• For black hair, just a small amount of activated charcoal added to the base of arrowroot or cornstarch will help it blend a lot better.
• For bright/vivid hair, I’d recommend sticking with just the arrowroot/cornstarch. Depending on the darkness of your color, you might need to work a bit to get it blended in, but so often vivid hair is extremely porous from the bleaching process, and I wouldn’t recommend using anything like activated charcoal for fear of it (temporarily) staining. Unless that’s what you’re going for, then rock it out!

The key to finding your perfect homemade dry shampoo is a little bit of trial and error. In the chart below, you’ll see my general suggestions for different hair colors, but you are going to have to roll up your sleeves and start mixing to figure out what’s perfect for you!

Some people also use essential oils in their homemade dry shampoo, and you absolutely can if you enjoy the scent (and some, like lavender, can also be soothing to your scalp), but I usually don’t. Since I use cocoa powder, the chocolate smell tends to overpower any essential oils, and it just seems like a waste! I’ve still included it in the recipe below so you can make the decision on your own. Happy experimenting!