Shampoo Detox

For many of us, our ears perk up at the word 'detox' - we envision clean diets, yoga sessions, and vegetables. All of these things have a detoxing effect in their own right, but have you ever thought about detoxing your beauty routine? As in, most of us use a great deal of chemicals and toxins on our skin daily in the form of soaps, shampoos, deodorants, and makeup. In search for a dry shampoo recently, I was stunned at the ingredient list - it read more like a recipe for an explosive than something that would go on my skin. The good news is you can make easy chemical-free swaps for your most-used beauty products, such as this recipe for healthy dry shampoo...

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I love having long hair, but I do not always love the upkeep. For me, too much washing and styling leaves my hair dry and frail. But I exercise daily, so if I don’t wash my hair frequently, it gets greasy and limp. What a paradox! Everyone keeps telling me I should try dry shampoo - spray it on, brush your hair, and voila - it promises beautiful non-greasy hair without having to go through the water/shampoo/styling ordeal that can be so harsh.

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So, I decided break down and buy some dry shampoo. Until I looked at the ingredients - talc, isobutane, propane, limonene, parabens, geraniol - it sounds more like fireworks than a beauty product. What’s more, many popular dry shampoos score over a 6 on the Environmental Working Group’s database - meaning they are moderately to highly hazardous to health. Um, no thanks. I figured I could make some myself and it would be healthier (not to mention less expensive) than the $10 can of chemicals on the shelf at my local market.  Here I share with you here my recipes for dry shampoo. Made from only a few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, these dry shampoos are toxin free, chemical free, and non-flammable ;) 

INGREDIENTS - BLONDE HAIR

• 1/2 Cup organic cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 3-4 drops essential oils (I like lavender or rose)

DARK OR BRUNETTE HAIR

• add 2TBS cocoa powder to the blonde hair recipe

RED OR AUBURN HAIR

• add 2TBS ground cinnamon powder to the blonde hair recipe

DIRECTIONS

• Combine all ingredients and mix well
• Store in a glass jar, or a large unused glass salt shaker (or glass parmesan cheese shaker)
• TO USE:
  • Separate your hair into sections and shake a small amount of powder onto your scalp. Try to get the powder as close to your scalp as possible (i.e., more on scalp, less on hair). It is better to start with a small amount of powder and add more if needed, rather than use a large amount all at once. 
  • Massage powder into the surrounding hair and let it sit for approximately two minutes
  • Brush the dry shampoo through your hair until it is no longer visible - if hair still looks a bit oily, repeat the process.