Dry shampoo. Have you tried it? Its what you use when you need to wash your hair yet don't have time to take a shower. I think everyone has encountered this dilemma once or twice.
Today, I'm going to teach you my rendition with 3 simple ingredients you should already have. If you don't, then they can be found in any grocery store.
This recipe came to my mind a couple days ago when I realized my hair needed a spruce up, yet I didn't have the time for an actual hair washing. It felt like a AHA! moment, as a little lightbulb turned on in my head.
I have to say that this Dry Shampoo isn't dry at all. But like the name says, it's a spray. I kept the dry part in because its a familiar name/product and it gives the same results.
What you need:
1 tbsp of cornstarch
4 tbsp of water
1 tbsp of rubbing alcohol ( I used ethyl, found it at Walgreens)
small measuring glass, cup, bowl...whatever.
a small spray bottle (shown in first picture)
Mix it all together, pour it into your spray bottle and shake it up!
To Use:
Spray in on your scalp, in your hair and anywhere the your hair needs to be de-greased. You do not need to drench your scalp, just dampen it up.
Side note: cover or close your eyes, alcohol in eyes is not fun. Also, if you don't like to the use of alcohol in your hair products( i.e. hairspray) then this DIY might not be for you.
Run a comb or your fingers through your hair to distribute it evenly.
Let it air dry or quickly blast your scalp with a hair dryer, which is my favorite method. We are going for speed here.
Repeat if necessary.
All done. Rejoice! you can go another day without washing your hair, and no one will notice.
Why it works,
Both alcohol and cornstarch are de-greasers. Cornstarch does not dissolve fast so you will notice that after the water has evaporated the cornstarch will still remain. Pretty neat, huh!
I hope you like this. Let me know how this worked out for you.
After-thought: I only recommend using this at max once a week. You know, for the day you really should've taken a shower but didn't. We've all been there.I'm also working on a couple of different versions of that don't include the alcohol, so stay tuned, or come back again.
Geesh... is there ANY?thing you can't do! MUST try this! :)
ReplyDeleteRach, Try it! its easy and gives you instant gratification.=)
ReplyDeletesahweet! i have all this on hand! =)
ReplyDeleteI have the mint smelling rubbing alcohol...do you think I can use that?
ReplyDeletedoes this make your hair smell bad?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ehow.com/how_5610841_add-fragrance-isopropyl-alcohol.html
Deleteyou can make the alcohol smell better! :)
could to make a larger batch to have on hand, or would it evaporate too much?
ReplyDeleteDoes the cornstarch still dry white. I have brown hair, I don't want to have white stuff all over in my hair!
ReplyDeletei doubt it would make your hair smell bad. alcohol has a strong smell but it is used to sterilize the skin and i think it would kill odor. I will have to find some of the mint rubbing alcohol jessica mentioned. I think that will be perfect. thank you for this idea. I have oily hair and skin and i will def try it out! i have used baby powder as a quick fix before and now ive been using fresh start by tresseme but it is expensive compared to this!
ReplyDeleteJust fork over the cash and buy dry shampoo at the store. It smells good and you don't need a hair dryer. The BEST is Big Sexy Hair's dry shampoo. I feel like this recipe would just be a big hot stinky mess on your head.
ReplyDeleteTo answer questions:
ReplyDeleteIt does not stink after it evaporates First: Your only using a faction of alcohol to water, so its not like your putting straight alcohol on your hair.
Second: If you've used alcohol you know that it evaporates as does the smell. Since there is no fragrance in it, your not going to smell it after it evaporates.
When I put straight cornstarch in my hair it does make my hair look lighter at first , but eventually it soaks up the oil and you can't tell a thing. Because you are spraying a fraction of the cornstarch on your head your not going to be left with cornstarch dandruff. This, of course, has been based off of my experience in using it.
You don't need a hair dryer for this, but it will speed up the process. I've used this several times and I think I only use the hair dryer for 30 sec-1 minute.
Ok for a big batch, I would have to experiment with how long it would last. This recipe will last a while because you really don't need that much on your hair.
I hope this helps!
is there a substitute for cornstarch? I'm allergic to corn, baby powder makes blisters on my feet, so I'm leary to try this.
ReplyDeleteI doubled the recipe only because I wanted to somewhat fill my 6oz spray bottle ;) I also went ahead with the mint rubbing alcohol...I'll report back after tomorrow morning...I fully planning on being lazy and not washing my hair ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso...I just gave my 65 lb Boxer a bath and I wish I would have thought about it earlier, but I bet this would work great on animals too??? At least to freshen them up in between baths or grooming sessions ;)
ReplyDeleteJessica- please let me know your results, also where did you get your mint alcohol?
ReplyDeleteArrowroot might be a good substitute for cornstarch, but I would have to get some to test it out. Cornstarch does not de-solve fast in cold water. So it has a consistency that is different then flour ,which would not be a good wet substitute.
ReplyDeleteI would have to play around and get to you on this one.
Just made some and tried it! So gad I repinnedit for all my friends! Lol
ReplyDeleteYou can buy menthol alcohol at CVS!
ReplyDeleteI have seen cornstarch alone used the same way - use a big make-up brush to apply it to the roots and then towel out to remove the white powder. Seemed to work, without the alcohol.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol is terrible for your hair. It dries it out and damages it. I wouldn't recommend using this often, if at all.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a perfect alternative to the store versions which are filled with chemicals and things that really shouldn't be inhaled.
ReplyDeleteI also have oily hair and skin, even with regular and proper hygiene practices. Because of this I think using a bit of alcohol would help give your scalp a refresh and break down a little bit of oil build up.
I say well done Danielle!
Baby powder does the same thing. Sprinkle on.... brush out. :)
ReplyDeleteI have dark hair and baby powder makes my hair look weird. This doesn't because of the water involved.
DeleteAlcohol is really bad for your hair!! I would just use baby powder!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate! And I think you hit on the mark, this is a different alternative to the store bought product that has way more chemicals then just alcohol.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try this. My daughter has extremely oily hair and have used many store bought products that are full of.chemicals.
ReplyDeleteMy hair gets greasy when i flat iron my hair! Just made some up and going to flatten my hair tomorrow! Hope it works!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea! I have been using baby powder for those lazy days but was confused as to why my hair hasn't grown much in the past couple of years... Figured out the baby powder clogs the hair pores and prevents growth!!!! Thanks for this idea :) will be trying tomorrow!!!
ReplyDeleteRachel- I didn't know baby powder did that! I personally can't handle the smell of baby powder so that's why I've never used it.
ReplyDeleteI have really curly hair, so when I straighten it, I like to keep it for more than a day, this helped soooo much with the extra grease! love it!
ReplyDeleteAlcohol in the hair is not a good thing. It dries out the hair leaving it brittle and frizzy. Don't use this!
ReplyDeleteSeriously? People that are saying that alcohol is bad for the hair because it dries it out: That's sort of the point here! As someone who really can't go a day without washing because of the oil, I'm all for completely drying out my hair every once in a while. This isn't meant to be an every-day thing. It's meant to be a substitute in a pinch. It's not the end of the world to use this once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%!!!! I have very oily hair, and I love the idea of something that will dry my hair out a little bit now and then.
DeleteAlso, I use all Bumble & Bumble products, and I checked the labels and they ALL have alcohol in them. They're the best products I've ever used, and I pay a pretty penny for them. So I don't see how this could be that bad for your hair, as long as you're not doing it everyday.
Theres alcohol in majority of shampoos...so whats the diffrence? Like it says above...if u dont like using alcohol then product may not b for u.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. My hair is so greasy after one day, usually by evening, truth be told. I hate it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good alternative, considering what a lot of people purchase in the store has way more than alcohol (unsafe chemicals). As for baby powder, done that and it is not as convenient as it sounds. My hair looks really gray when I use it. Not to mention baby powder has it's own problems, if you breathe it in it could cause serious lung damage! Talc based is worse. But either way it's easy to inhale and a little alcohol in the hair is preferable to lung damage.
I'm going to have to try this out.
you can also use baking soda, water, and vodka or diluted apple cider vinegar
ReplyDeleteAs a stylist this saddens me that stylist are not doing their job to educate their clients. An oily scalp is caused by overactive glands when you use a product with some kinds of alcohol (not all alcohols are bad; suchas grain alcohols) or anyother
ReplyDeleteDrying agent, is a fix that may appear to be temporary butactually those glands are working even harder now to soften the scalp, which then tends to make hair even oilie. There are some good professioal lines that do not add all the chemicals that the store boughten products do. Most products contain petrochemicals in them which causes build up on the hair and scalp. There is some good dry shampoos out there that do not have the harsh chemicals . The line I would recommend looking into is Eufora, no petrochemicals or other harsh chemicals. You can find Eufora.net and go to salon locator for a Salon near you. These salons usually have educated stylist that know how to assist you in giving you beautiful, healthy hair and scalp.
ReplyDeleteI came back on to get the "recipe" for making this. My comment is directed at the stylist. Some of us use no products in our hair at all. And our hair still gets the greasies. Certain things can make it worse, like fidgeting with your hair a lot during the day. This can stimulate the oil production from what I was told. However, my oldest has the same issues and he doesn't wear any hair product at all. We usually use Organic hair shampoos with no alcohols or any other bad stuff. We have switched shampoos many times. He also doesn't mess with his hair the way I do. His hair is just plain oily no matter what, and so is mine. So, I'm definitely down for trying this!
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or are all of the negative comments posted by "Anonymous" ??? ;) Just sayin'... Lol
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought! I thought comments left were to add something they've tried or maybe just tonsay thanks! I needed something like this!:) it's inexpensive and useful! Baby powder does dry it out.
DeletePs,I have tried this DIY,and I love it! I used to get bed head,rock star,$18? But it sprays outmore whitish tint I'm sorry I can't backspace for some
DeleteReason:( I have bought very sexy Victoria secret 2 for $22 I think Amd they have lasted me a year!:) I send them
Over sees to my navy BFF:) I like very sexy"if you can't do the DIY :)
Check your settings in blogger, you can block anonymous commenters and require everyone be signed in.
DeleteI am definitely going to try this. As for all the comments about whether it is harmful or not, I'm not planning to use it everyday for 2 weeks straight. Once in a while when you're in a time crunch shouldn't be that big of an issue...
ReplyDeleteThis looks interesting, thank you! You can also use plain corn starch the NIGHT BEFORE, just put it into your roots with a powder brush and the whiteness should be gone by morning! Just refresh your roots with hairspray and off you go :)
ReplyDeleteI have dark hair so using it in the morning left the white/gray hair that several people mentioned. Good luck!
If I am working outside in the yard or cleaning inside and don't have time to wash my hair b4 heading out to work, dr. app, or shop I will spray my scalp with Bactine and use towel to scrub then blow dry. I like the fact that it is an antiseptic and halts the growth of microorganisms from perspiration and how it feels BUT it doesn't absorb excess oil...
ReplyDeleteSoooo I was thinking of adding some Bactine spray to the formula to add an antiseptic quality to the "Dry" shampoo...what do u think about that?
Wonder if I could take this
sounds good, but if you have colored treated hair I would reccomend substituting the alcohol as it will strip away color ( try BED HEADS DIRTY SECRET - dry shampoo $19 @ most salons- It rocks! )
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't the exact same thing... but I used to have extremely oily hair. I would sometimes wash it twice a day even because it bothered me so much. Then I found out that the more you wash it and dry it out, the more oil you produce. I started doing an olive oil treatment once a week and I can even go two days without washing my hair now and it looks clean still! All you do is take a couple tablespoons of olive oil and massage it into your scalp for a few minutes. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes, and then shampoo and condition as normal. I do this about once a week, although you could do it twice a month too. It also leaves your hair feeling so soft. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI agree that dirty secret is awesome! This is for that morning when u wake up late and need a quick fix cause there's no time for that shower...lol. For the people with constant oily hair you should try Joico treatment shampoo. I have quit a few clients that have had oily hair problems and u just start with the shampoo and eventually u will need conditioner. This shampoo balances the PH in your scalp. Pretty amazing stuff!!
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I think I will try this with Witch Hazel instead of alcohol, though. I'll let you know how it works!
ReplyDelete