So simple yet so freaking helpful, dry shampoo’s become somewhat of a recent trend. But did you know that this stuff’s been around for centuries? Yea, the first historical reference to dry shampoo dates around the late 15th century with people in Asia using clay powder in their hair.
As for the States, turns out our forefathers were a fan of ground starches to both color and deodorize their wigs.
And the desire for shower-free, hassle-free fresh hair remains strong in our collective consciousness. Want to laze in bed for an extra half hour? Dry shampoo’s got your back. Your hair looking limp and flat? Dry shampoo will lift it right up. Got hair that’s oily on top and dry toward the ends? Dry shampoo to the rescue.
Seriously, when you can simply sprinkle a powder atop your tresses to instantly rid yourself of unwanted oil and odor sans shower – why wouldn’t you jump on that?
Oh right. Toxins.
As crazy convenient as dry shampoos are, the conventional ones are loaded with less-than-savory ingredients like talc, isobutane, “fragrance” and hormone-disrupting parabens. The most popular brands – i.e. Batiste, Dove, and L’Oreal – have an EWG rating of 6, which is between moderate and high hazard. Not exactly the stuff you want to be rubbing on your scalp on a (near) daily basis.
Especially when there are so many options for all natural dry shampoo.
You can always whip one up yourself – and rest assured in the fact that it’ll be a totally natural, cruelty free dry shampoo that’s free of nasties – or if you’re short on time, go for one of the most effective, organic dry shampoo brands below.
They work as well as any of the big brands and the best part is – they won’t damage your hair or body in the process.
Top 3 Organic Dry Shampoo Brands to Go Shower-Free With
Captain Blankenship Mermaid Dry Shampoo
This is my go-to natural dry shampoo. It’s like the ninja of dry shampoos – once you rub it in, it’s totally undetectable, even in my very dark hair. Result: Hair that looks fresh + instant volume sans residue. The stuff is also super gentle and fine for even dry, sensitive scalps.
How well does it work? It’s capable of refreshing even third day hair – haven’t tried it past that (yet). It’s also vegan, cruelty free and has hair-health-boosting ingredients list like essential oils to soften your hair, hydrate your scalp and strengthen your locks.
Also love the fact that the scent isn’t overpowering or too over-the-top – but it must be mentioned that is does have a unique scent that’s pretty subjective. You might love it…or hate it. To me, it’s really just a very clean, fresh scent which makes it the ideal organic dry shampoo for both women and men.
Price: $18.50 for the small, 2 oz bottle, $29 for the full, 4 oz bottle
Ingredients: Organic Arrowroot Powder, Kaolin Clay, Rice Powder, Aluminum Free Baking Soda, Organic essential oils of Rose Geranium & Palmarosa
Lulu Organics Dry Shampoo
Absolutely love the ingredients list and the scent of the essential oil blend in this organic dry shampoo. It’ll leave your hair not only looking fresh, but smelling freshly-washed. And thanks to the simplicity of the ingredients, this is a super light feeling shampoo that really does the trick. It brushes out perfectly – no white residue whatsoever – and breathes new oomph into oily locks.
The downside is obviously the price tag. It’s expensive – but to its credit, a little does go a very long way and the fact that there’s no filler ingredients or anything that’s damaging to hair is a huge perk.
Price: $30 for a full bottle, $13 for the travel size
Ingredients: Organic corn starch, white clay, baking soda, organic rice powder, organic horsetail powder, and essential oils.
Acure Organics Dry Shampoo
Clean and green ingredients and vegan friendly as well as cruelty free? Awesome 🙂
Especially since it also comes enriched with quite a few hair-health-boosting goodies (yay for argan oil!). While it’s not an entirely organic dry shampoo, the ingredients list definitely checks out. The only downside is that it is a bit on the thick side and takes a little more work to brush and rub the white stuff into your hair – especially if you’ve got darker tresses.
Price: $8 for a small bottle
Ingredients: Organic Corn Starch (non GMO), French White Clay (Kaolin), Oat Flour, Slippery Elm Bark Flour, Argania spinosa (Argan) Stem Cells,Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Lavender essential oil, chamomile essential oil
A Few Dry Shampoo Tips and Tricks
Whether you’re new to this stuff or not, a few hacks can be the difference between white blotches in your hair (not cute) and fresh, volumized tresses. So let’s get to it!
- You ever try to gently sprinkle this stuff into your hair and unwittingly let loose an avalanche? Hello, white spot – not to mention that it’s a waste of this precious stuff. So sprinkle it into your hand instead and use your fingers or a makeup brush to apply it to your scalp. You’ll get better distribution and your stash will last you longer.
- Let the powder sit. Yes, we’re all busy and you want to quickly sprinkle, rub, brush and go but these powders work best when they’re given time to sit on your scalp for a few minutes and absorb the oils. So give it a minute or two – your patience will be awarded with better volume. We promise.
- After letting the dry shampoo sit, brush it through your hair to evenly distribute and then gently tousle the top of your hair to shake off any excess.
- If your dry shampoo just doesn’t sit right with your dark hair – add a little bit of cocoa or cacao powder into it for an instant tint.
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