What is dry shampoo? It's the answer to oily hair build up. Do you wash your hair every day? If you do, and it's because your hair is oily, there is an alternative to going through the full shampoo, conditioner & blow dry scenario.

What is dry shampoo used for?

What is dry shampoo?

Dry shampoo is a powder that soaks up excess oil in your hair and scalp, water free. They can also give you hair extra volume and boost. If you're travelling and need a freshen up, it can be done in a rest room or airplane toilet.

How do you apply dry shampoo?

Sprinkle the dry shampoo powder on to your roots either straight from the bottle (if it has an appropriate dispenser) or get a brush from your mineral makeup kit (a foundation brush for example) and use it to apply to the places you need to soap up excess oil.
For hair that's extra oily, apply a little more generously and comb through your hair. Leave for around 5 to 10 minutes and then comb any excess out of your hair.
BIG TIP #1 - you absolutely MUST apply this only to dry hair. If your hair is wet, it's going to clump and you'll have to shampoo it out.
BIG TIP #2 - if you have dark hair and find the light powder leaves some light colour in your hair, mix a little cacao powder in with it before application or choose a brand that does a light and a dark shade and buy the dark one.

Can dry shampoo give your hair volume?

Absolutely. What is dry shampoo if it's not a multi-tasker. Apply the dry shampoo to the roots of your hair, parting it, applying the shampoo, then parting it a couple of centimetres over and repeat the process until you have covered your scalp. Brush through your hair and then blow out and style as usual. When used this way, dry shampoo will extend the life of your blowout.

Can I use dry shampoo every day?

It's not a good idea. While you're not going to cause any harm, with daily use, dry shampoo will build up on your hair and also on your scalp. It will make your hair look dirty as it builds up. It's effective when used once or twice in between washes, but not every day.

What is dry shampoo residue and can it harm my scalp?

If you use dry shampoo all the time and don't wash it out, over time, not only will it build up, but you may get rashes, inflammation and/or dandruff from the build up. Dry shampoo is effective when used once or twice in between regular washes only.

Make your own dry shampoo

If you like to DIY your beauty products, this is one that's pretty simple to make on your own. We've found a couple of recipes online to do this. The one on the doTERRA blog is the simplest, so we'll start with that one as the basis for the recipe.

They suggest 1/4 cup of powder* to 6 drops of essential oil. Place it in a food processor or blender and mix well. We recommend using a small bullet blender and keeping a dedicated cup for essential oils use.

For the powder, you can use arrowroot, corn starch or even a splash of rolled oats which will turn in to oat flour. If you have brunette hair, allow anywhere up to 1/2 of the powder to be cacao powder.

For the essential oils, doTERRA suggest 2 drops of Lavender, Rosemary and Peppermint each. We also think something citrus like Lemon or Wild Orange would work well too.

Shop Naturally is an official doTERRA Australia stockist.