Pinterest DIY...Dry Shampoo!

What do you think of dry shampoos? Have you ever tried one? When I'm around the lady friends this topic seems to come up with some regularity, usually by a lady friend chagrined by the fact that she can't go a single day without washing her hair. I've used a variety of dry shampoos ever since reading a magazine article outlining a brave American journalist's attempt to beautify like a French woman for a month. (This involved not bathing daily, using copious amounts of kohl eyeliner, and probably wearing a lot of black. I am sure it was written in the early aughts). I'd heard of using baby powder or cornstarch to help extend hair freshness but with my dark hair I am convinced this is a bad idea and haven't tried it! But I was surprised to find I LOVE the extra texture and volume I get by using a dry shampoo spray every other day. And with my long tresses every blow dry skipped is a good thing. 

I was gearing up for a great afternoon of grocery and drugstore shopping today (I tend to get unusually excited about sundry shopping, I can't help it!) and needed a quick spritz of dry shampoo to, well, you know. I reached for my trusty can and nooooo it was empty! Luckily (?) I spent a fair amount of time on Pinterest this morning and happened to have found a recipe for DIY dry shampoo...so I gave it a whirl.

my little friend

 Here is the pin I came across this morning with the simple recipe in the click-through. It involves a tablespoon of cornstarch, a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and four tablespoons of water shaken up in a spray bottle. The tiny spray bottle above was originally used to encourage Tigerlily the cat to stop scratching my sofa! While effective in that use, Tigerlily responds more to my penny noisemaker than a squirt of water. Tiny spray bottle is also awesome for plant-misting, if you're into that sort of thing!

While I wanted to spare my vanity a "before" photo, here is how my roots looked after being dampened with the aforementioned mixture and quickly blow-dried:

 

The best thing about the DIY version is it's super inexpensive. (I literally had everything I needed right on hand). It took care of the oily root situation and was very fast. The not-so-great part is while it's hard to see in the darkness of the photo, the DIY dry shampoo left the lightest dusting of cornstarch behind even after the hairdryer. It's definitely not a deal breaker but was far more noticeable than the drugstore options I've tried. Because of this I would really only recommend it in a pinch for brunettes, but fair-haired ladies can spray away! Another thing to be aware of is the scent of the rubbing alcohol was off-putting for me but happily didn't linger after the blow-dry. Lastly, this will get cornstarch all over the place. It got all over my bathroom surfaces and clothing, so definitely only use while still in your bathrobe! For now, I'm going to be sticking with my Psssssst!