A VERY Simple DIY Vanilla Dry Shampoo Recipe

This easy Vanilla Dry Shampoo is a great way to maintain your hairstyle between washes. Use it to get rid of oily spots or to refresh hair after a long day.

Tip: try our other homemade dry shampoo recipe or our liquid homemade shampoo.

This winter seems drier than ever, which has proven to be quite problematic for my hair.

I have long, somewhat dry hair that I like to manage naturally with shampoo bars and some jojoba oil or apple cider vinegar as a conditioner. However, lately, that has been leaving the ends of my hair very dry while my scalp gets oily!

It’s been quite a conundrum and I’m trying to shower less as the dry air makes my skin flaky as well. However, I find that I am just getting a shower to wash my hair, which just isn’t working.

That’s when I started looking for dry shampoos and thinking of making this vanilla dry shampoo.

Ingredients in Commercial Versions

I went to my grocery store and started to check out what “natural” dry shampoos were on the market. Most of these are spray-on formulas, although a few came in powdered versions.

The spray-on dry shampoos contained ingredients like fragrance, butane, isobutane, and propane, while powdered formulations contained things like silica, aluminum, and fragrance.

Personally, synthetic fragrances are something I just cannot stand and they are often way too overpowering. I don’t mind natural fragrances, but I prefer my personal care products to either have a very mild scent or be fragrance-free.

Instead of spending a fortune on commercial dry shampoos, I decided to buy the ingredients for this DIY recipe, which gave me enough supplies to make several batches of lovely vanilla-scented dry shampoo.

Making a DIY Dry Shampoo

This recipe is SO easy to make, I’m surprised I haven’t tried it earlier! Just two ingredients and about two minutes are all you need. It is also free from essential oils, which makes it easy to store and it will have a longer shelf life as well.

You might be wondering how this dry shampoo is scented without essential oils or fragrance. It’s simple: vanilla bean powder. This powder is pure ground vanilla beans, with no additives. You’ll notice that it is brown in color, however, if sugar or sugar substitutes have been added, it will be mostly white.

While vanilla bean powder is expensive, a little bit will go a long way. I bought just 0.5 ounces, which will last me about one full year. Plus the aroma is just incredible in this vanilla dry shampoo!

The only other ingredient is arrowroot powder, which makes up the bulk of this recipe. Arrowroot powder is a natural starch that can be used in cooking to add texture or thicken recipes. It also does a fantastic job of absorbing oil. It is also used as a base in many other DIY beauty products.[1]

I find that arrowroot powder has a silky texture and does a great job of absorbing excess oil in my hair. Just a little bit does the job quite nicely. If you don’t have arrowroot powder, you can also substitute corn starch.

You can also omit the vanilla bean powder and just use arrowroot powder for an unscented dry shampoo. I would not advise adding any essential oils to this recipe unless you plan on diluting them in a carrier oil first.

Vanilla Dry Shampoo Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground vanilla bean powder
• Mason Jar (pint size)

Instructions

1. Make this vanilla dry shampoo simply by measuring 1 cup of arrowroot powder in a pint mason jar.
2. Add in vanilla bean powder
3. Stir well
4. Store in a cool, dry, dark place

To Use

1. Take a small amount of dry shampoo and place on the roots of the hair at the part
2. Part hair in several different directions and add small amounts of dry shampoo
3. Allow to sit for several minutes, then comb or brush through to fully incorporate into hair
4. Use more as needed

Did you try making this vanilla dry shampoo recipe? Please share your experience.

*******

Sources

1. Leanne Patrick. 5 surprising beauty uses for arrowroot. TheGreenParent. March 2014.