DIY Dry Shampoo
This DIY Dry Shampoo is easy to make, SO EFFECTIVE, and made from 3 all natural ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Easy homemade dry shampoo
I don’t know about you, but next to coffee and leggings, dry shampoo might just be the lifeblood of motherhood for me.
Truthfully, I was never much of a dry shampoo lady in my younger years. I grew up washing my fine hair on the daily as I relaxed in long hot showers. However, in my older, wiser years where I have added motherhood and a full-time job into the mix of life, I understand that none of that is particularly good for my hair, skin, environment or time management.
So out with the daily hair washing…in with the dry shampoo! I tried the powder kinds. And then the aerosol kind. I even got so sick of it all that I resorted to using only talc-free baby powder for a while…but that ended up looking like I had just dumped a bowl of flour on my hair. So I finally decided to walk the natural DIY route with dry shampoo…..and I LOVE IT!
Why this dry shampoo recipe is so great
- Tried-and-true. I have literally used this DIY dry shampoo for years. And so have many of my followers. It is a naturally living beauty staple in my book!
- Made with stuff you might have in your kitchen. I don’t bother with the store bought stuff, since many of them don’t work and are expensive…instead I just hit my kitchen cupboards and mix up this dry shampoo.
- Quick to make. 3 ingredients mixed in a container to minutes and you are good to go.
- All natural. Since it is made with kitchen staples, there are no sneaky chemicals and yuck ingredients that you feel iffy about putting on your head.
- Adaptable. No one has exactly the same hair color, so you can adjust the cocoa in this recipe to match your unique color. I’ve included the measurements I use for my naturally dark blond hair, but you can add more or less based on your hair color.
How do I apply this homemade dry shampoo?
The key to this DIY dry shampoo, I have learned, is the application. You can’t just dump it onto your scalp, as you will end up with clumps and chalking looking hair.
The secret, I learned, to applying DIY natural dry shampoo is using a makeup brush. It doesn’t have to be a special makeup brush, just one that you can dedicate to your dry shampoo so that you don’t find yourself with clumps of makeup in your hair or dry shampoo in your makeup. I just use an old one I had kicking around.
So why is this the way to go for dry shampoo application? Applying dry shampoo with a make-up brush allow you to “paint” the dry shampoo onto the greasy sections of your hair without overloading your locks with powdery product. When you dump large amounts of the powdery dry shampoo onto your greasy scalp, the shampoo is going to clump and look like dandruff (that’s no good).
Other DIY natural recipes you might like
- Homemade Fruit & Veggie Wash
- 2-Ingredient Snow Dough
- Elderberry Syrup Recipe
- Natural All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
- DIY Natural Foaming Hand Soap
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This post contains affiliate links, though all opinions are my own.
DIY Dry Shampoo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon baking soda heaping
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder OR cornstarch heaping
- cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder Adjust as needed for your unique hair color. Leave out for light blond hair or add more for dark hair.
Instructions
- Mix baking soda and arrowroot powder/cornstarch in a small bowl until all clumps are broken down.
- If you have light hair, you can stop there! If you have darker hair, add cacao powder/cocoa powder a little at a time to the dry shampoo until you reach a tone that will disappear into your hair. (I use 2 1/2 teaspoons to make a shade that matches my light brown/dark blond hair). Mix cacao/cocoa powder in until dry shampoo is all one color and there are no clumps.
For application
- Once your dry shampoo is all mixed up, dip a makeup brush into the powder.
- Tap the side of the brush on the side of the container your dry shampoo is mixed in to shake off excess powder.
- Apply along your part and roots, “painting” the dry shampoo along the greasy sections of your hair. Apply throughout hair wherever needed.
- Rub the dry shampoo into your hair and scalp a little with your fingers. Give a little shake to get excess powder out and style as usual!
I have yet to try this recipe. The one I tried before is activated carbon for dry hair and it didn’t worked on my hair. Hopefully this recipe works on me.
For dark hair such as brown hair or black hair to mix the cocoa powder? I have a mix of auburn and brown for my hair color.
You might need to just add a little extra cacao powder at a time until it until you find the right shade for you.
Hello! Can you add an essential oil to this dry shampoo? If so, which one(s) would work best?
Thanks!
Yes! I would say lavender or peppermint would smell great and benefit the hair!
“Hi Taesha,
I read your blog, and enjoyed the content as well as the DIY recipe. One thing I want to ask is this safe for newly rebonded hair? I think it’s almost a month, trying not to use shampoo, but my hair is an oily type, so it’s prone to dandruff and falling hair. Can you please enlighten me on this? Thank you in advance for the feedback. By the way, this might be helpful for the other readers I found this a while ago https://juvetress.com/shampoo-recipes/, thank you.”
Hi Angel! I’m actually not sure how this would impact rebonded hair. Just sharing a little DIY hack that I found. I would touch base with a trusted stylist to find out what to use and what to avoid for that particular situation.
worked great
I love this for my hair in between showers. Also, wanted to let you know that I use this on my dog between grooming appts and it makes her smell so much better! Thank you!
I never thought to use it to freshen up a pup!