DIY dry shampoo

I'm really excited to share this post as the first of two featuring my (former) college roomies!  They were the most gracious models; I messed with their hair and makeup and they happily obliged to both... and to being photographed throughout the whole process by the amazing Melodie. Thanks, girls!

First off is this simple and wonderful diy dry shampoo. Stay tuned for makeup hacks later in the week.

I am not a person who can get away with anything less than one shampoo a day. Plain and simple, my hair just gets gross. I know that it's not good for your hair to get washed every single day. But I also know how my hair looks when I forgo the shampoo and it's just not good.  So I started looking into alternative options.

Let me introduce you to a beautiful, wonderful thing called dry shampoo. Actually it’s more that I’ve introduced myself to it for the first time. And I love it. There are a lot of different options for dry shampoo and honestly, this is the only one I’ve ever tried. But it works well so I’m sticking with it (at least until this batch is used up). I consulted a few different recipes and ended up combining a lot of the common ingredients I saw used. Needless to say I'm very happy with how this one turned out!

All you need is cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch and lavender oil. Find ingredients and directions at the end of the post. Oh, and meet Hannah, one of my best and oldest friends. As it turns out she's also a willing guinea pig and a great model!

Dab an old makeup brush in the dry shampoo. Rub the brush across a flat surface to get rid of excess shampoo (the brush will pick up quite a lot). Apply dry shampoo along the part so that it extends an inch or two past the part on either side. You can be pretty liberal with this coat; there will be time to incorporate it into your hair. 

 If you have multiple parts or don't have a defined part you'll want to cover all your bases. Use shampoo along your hairline. I like to pull sections of my hair up, towards my part, so that I can cover all the potentially greasy spots underneath. This is especially important if you plan to wear your hair in a ponytail.

Once the shampoo has been applied, use your fingers to rub it into your scalp. You can also use a comb or brush. Afterwards I always wash the skin along my hairline to ensure that I don't leave a weird tan line :)

Doesn't Hannah's hair look great here? No photoshop, no tricky lighting. The great part about using dry shampoo is that it doesn't just hide grease; it absorbs it. So not only will your hair look better, it will also feel lighter. I'm really obsessed.

DIY dry shampoo:

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons baking soda

• 4 drops of lavender oil

Combine the first three ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to break up and then sift 2-3 times or until soft and blended. Add the lavender oil and stir to combine. Store dry shampoo in an airtight container. Use as frequently as you wish :)

*This recipe works best for people with light- medium brown hair. For lighter hair, use 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. 
*Your hair might smell like chocolate when you wash it out. Not a terrible side effect if you ask me!