If you want your wedding hairstyle to hold even in high humidity, this homemade dry shampoo is my secret weapon. Okay okay, before you roll your eyes about the fact that dry shampoo is yesterday's news, read on. This isn't just any dry shampoo, this is totally my favorite that I stumbled on, and it has only one ingredient.
Wait for it…
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The one ingredient is diatomaceous earth. Yep, say that three times fast! Di-A-To-Ma-ceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth is defined as a soft, powdery, porous sedimentary deposit formed from the fossil remains of diatoms. There are tons of uses for it, but we're going to use it to absorb oil with low buildup.
Using diatomaceous earth as a dry shampoo was actually a total accident! I would love to say that I came up with a hypothesis based on its porosity levels and molecular structure, but the truth is just not so. About three years ago I broke my ankle. I had to figure out how to make my hair look presentable after laying in bed all day recovering. I couldn't drive, even to the drugstore.
Must make dry shampoo… must make dry shampoo…that was my new mantra. I tried all the Pinterest advice: from cornstarch to arrowroot powder, rice flour to cocoa powder. They all did about the same thing, absorbed oil (which was good) but it just didn't give me the result I wanted.
I am not saying that store-bought products are bad, but if I can make my own and know exactly what's in it, that's a huge bonus for me. I was about to give in and stick with the rice flour because it did the trick of making my hair look fresh, until one day when I was applying diatomaceous earth to our dog's coat to keep pests away (yep, it's also a powerful organic anti-pest anti-parasite treatment), and I realized his coat had that feeling I was after — almost a tacky feeling, but still dry and not heavy at all. I went for it and tried a little on my part line. Then more and more until my hair had essentially doubled in size and was feeling so ready for a good curl.
Since then, I've used it any time I really want my curls to last (like my wedding day!). Simply apply with a large makeup brush from roots to ends on dirty or clean hair, style as you like, add a little more in hands and crunch into cooled curls if needed, and you're ready.
You can snag some food grade diatomaceous earth on Amazon, Etsy, health food stores, or pet supply stores.
There are health risks to DE inhalation. And getting it on your skin. I would check with a doctor. The way it kills fleas is it breaks their shell and dries them out. I don’t know if I would want that on my head.
As long as you use food grade DE the risks are minimal. It is even found in some natural beauty products (facial scrubs, tooth paste, deodorant). It’s even found in food supplements for its silica. But their should be a disclaimer to only use food grade DE. Any other form of DE is toxic.
Oh wow, my heart definitely skipped a beat reading this (since I’ve already tried it once and ended up putting way too much on), but sure enough the DE I got from the co-op, while not food-grade, was clearly labeled as non-toxic and safe for use as a skin mask, etc. Good to know!
Ok this is interesting! So many questions… Does it irritate your eyes or skin? Same question for the dogs. Does it wash out of thier coat well? Does it just feel tacky forever? We want an alternative to the terrifying chemicals in Frontline-type product but furry friend and I have really sensitive skin. I love diatomaceous earth and I use it all the time for pest repellent around the house, but do you grind it up to be more fine or just brush it in as is? The food grade DE is a good suggestion. I’m naturally curly so dry shampoo is my BFF.
I used to use baby powder, just be careful not to inhale the stuff. Sprinkle it in, brush it out, and it smells nice.