It’s time to ditch chemical-rich dry shampoos and make one at home. Here’s how

Due to the fast-paced lives we live, there are plenty of instances where your hair might be greasy because you haven’t had the chance to wash your hair. And since nobody likes dirty, greasy hair—that’s when we women start cursing the effort we have to make for washing, drying, and setting out hair!

Dry shampoos can come to the rescue and take care of the problem by saving you a lot of time as well as effort as you kiss oily, limp hair a great goodbye.

“Dry shampoos are fine powders that can be sprayed on to the scalp to absorb oil and impurities, leaving it clean and dry while also adding volume to your otherwise-limp hair—without having to use water and spend time on drying like in the case of regular shampoo,” explains Shahnaz Husain, founder, chairperson & managing director of The Shahnaz Husain Group, India.

However, there is a downside of using dry shampoos that might discourage you from using them in the first place.

“Dry shampoos contain chemicals and their repetitive use can be harmful. They are not easily washed off and may accumulate on the scalp, even clogging the pores,” she says.

“Many of them contain alcohol and excessive starch which can reduce the natural oils of the scalp, making both the scalp and hair very dry,” she adds and warns that it can lead to brittle hair, hair breakage, and even hair loss.

But, what if we told you that you can make an all-natural dry shampoo at home and spare your scalp the horror of the harmful chemicals? Yes, you read that right. Check out Husain’s recommendations as per your hair and scalp type:

For normal to dry hair: Take two tablespoons of cornflour and two tablespoons of cocoa powder. Add 10 drops of rose oil. First, mix the two powders in a bowl and then, add the essential oil. Use a make-up brush to apply this on the hair. Massage gently for a few minutes. Then brush the hair and style as you like.

For normal to oily hair: Take 2 tablespoons of oats and mix with 2 tablespoons of fine rice flour. Add 5 drops of eucalyptus oil. Apply as mentioned above.

For dandruff-prone scalp: Take 2 tablespoons of arrowroot, one tablespoon of methi seed powder, and one tablespoon of active charcoal powder. Add 10 drops of Tea tree oil. Apply as explained before.

For itchy scalp: Mix 2 tablespoons of bentonite clay with one tablespoon bicarbonate of soda. Add 10 drops of lavender oil.

For greying hair: If you wish to darken dull brown/grey hair, mix two tablespoons arrowroot and one tablespoon each cocoa powder with activated charcoal and use the mixture as a dry shampoo.

There you go, ladies! The expert has revealed to you how you can make your own dry shampoo sitting right at home and keep your hair healthy.