Qualities of the Best Natural Dry Shampoos + Recommendations
Written by Ajay Chohan, Founder @ Small Batch Goodness
The allure of a dry shampoo that works is undeniable. Its ability to freshen up our hair and extend hairstyles invaluable. Unfortunately, most drugstore dry shampoo sprays contain toxic and in general subpar ingredients. We want a non-toxic dry shampoo that’s actually good for our hair. A plant based powder that will refresh our limp hair on those no-shampoo days…and nourish at the same time.
When selecting a dry shampoo, the next time we find asking ourselves questions like “what’s the difference between cheap vs. expensive dry shampoo,” know that what actually matters is the full ingredients list. And that means every single ingredient, not just the one or two that a dry shampoo brand might highlight on its packaging.
Let’s now get right into my essential attributes of the best natural dry shampoos and my recommendations based on those attributes.
cocoa powder is a common ingredient in natural dry shampoo concoctions along with arrowroot powder, cornstarch powder and clay
Here are my 4 essential attributes when selecting a dry shampoo:
The Dry Shampoo Can Not be Toxic.
It’s unfortunate this even has to be the first point, but given all the toxic ingredients used in dry shampoo sprays, it’s essential we know what to avoid. The best dry shampoos do not have harmful ingredients like the below which pose health risks + are bad for the environment.
Avoid ALL aerosol dry shampoo sprays: Aerosol dry shampoo sprays use the toxic LPG, or Liquefied Petroleum Gas, to propel their synthetic ingredients onto your hair and scalp. LPG is comprised of the gasses Butane, Propane, and Isobutane. These have been tied to headaches, nausea and respiratory issues — it’s basically our body’s way of saying keep this nasty stuff away from me. Enjoy deep breathing some liquified petroleum gasses next time you are spraying dry shampoo. Not.
Synthetic Fragrance: The mystery ingredient Fragrance can essentially denote any number of over 2,200 chemicals used by the cosmetics industry with varying levels of toxicity. Fragrances are often tied to respiratory problems and can trigger allergic reactions
Aluminum: Heavy metals like aluminum should not be in our dry shampoo, especially a spray, that ends up in the air we breathe. Heavy metals can be toxic to our health when they accumulate inside our tissues
Does the Natural Dry Shampoo Perform?
Alright, now we can move to the fun parts. The best natural dry shampoos should:
Freshen-up and Absorb Excess Oils + Odor: Take away that icky feel of hair that hasn’t been washed for a few days
Provide Volume + Thickness: Especially if you have thin or limp hair, a dry shampoo can help add thickness and volume
Extend Hairstyles: This ties in with the above point, the added thickness aids in definition and helps extend hairstyles
Stimulate + Rejuvenate Scalp: A dry shampoo that nurtures while doing its job? Essential. Look for a natural dry shampoo with plant extracts + essential oils that stimulate and soothe our scalps
The Goodness Within: What are the Best Ingredients in a Dry Shampoo?
Also the fun part, since we have covered ingredients to avoid already. Common ingredients you will find in high quality natural dry shampoos include arrowroot powder, soothing aloe vera powder and corn starch powder for providing absorption & texture minus the scalp irritation. You will also find plant extracts such as lavender oil to help soothe and nourish the scalp
Founders + Pricing
I focus on finding small companies making body care the right way. I want to know who the founders are and why they started a hair and skin care company in the first place. Are they passionate about understanding the healing power of nature and its role in high quality body care?
When it comes to pricing, as I wrote in my best natural shampoos article, small batch goodness that’s made with plant based ingredients — and without the cheap synthetics — will come at a higher price point. But…the pricing still needs to be accessible and justifiable.
Based on the above points, here are my best natural dry shampoo selections:
# 1
Beauty by Earth: The Best Natural Dry Shampoo - my overall choice
Beauty by Earth’s organic dry shampoo is my overall favorite to refresh hair from the roots up and provide volume + life to hair that hasn’t been washed in a day…or few.
This dry shampoo is crafted with only 6 natural ingredients. The effective absorption abilities of this dry shampoo are powered by organic corn starch and organic arrowroot powder to take away the excess oils. It also has the antioxidant rich lavender oil to soothe and moisturize dry scalp. All the while the exfoliant baking soda helps to remove dirt and open up the pores.
Beauty by Earth’s dry shampoo is ideal for fine or thin hair given the volume it provides. I have this as my overall favorite as it’s an easy to use dry shampoo that will extend hairstyles without any of the concerns around toxic dry shampoo sprays.
Beauty by Earth was founded by Prudence Millsap and Ryan Greve with a focus on crafting natural and non-toxic hair + skin care at an affordable price. Other Beauty by Earth concoctions I love include their flower and fruit extract based face wash, their actually natural tanner and mineral facial sunscreen.
# 2
Prose: The Best Custom Dry Shampoo
If you are looking to take your dry shampooing ritual to another level, may I suggest Prose? Prose crafts their custom dry shampoo based on *your* hair type. Prose determines this with their questionnaire which includes aspects such as your hair’s thickness level, oiliness level and even your environment. This allows Prose to deliver custom amount of oil absorption, volume boost and even adjust for things like how frequently you wash your hair.
The Prose dry shampoo is translucent powder goodness which leaves no residue and allows it to blend in different hair colors. Let’s talk ingredients. The dry shampoo uses natural ingredients like corn starch and rice powder to gently absorb oils and dirt. Every Prose dry shampoo concoction also contains aloe vera powder to provide a touch of hydration + life. Depending on your custom concoction, Prose dry shampoo also has extracts such as witch hazel which naturally soothes and cleanses scalp, and also gives our hair shine.
The most important reason Prose is on my best natural dry shampoos list is due to their ingredient focus and quality...the customization is an added benefit. Prose lists all their natural ingredients here and even has the EWG scores next to them.
Other Prose hair care products I recommend include their custom shampoo (of course) and their custom conditioner — all made with the highest quality natural ingredients for *your* hair and scalp.
# 3
EcoRoots: The Best Natural Zero-Waste Dry Shampoo
EcoRoots specializes in crafting zero-waste body care that comes in plastic-free shipping. This dry shampoo is another all-natural alternative to toxic dry shampoo sprays for revitalizing your hair, absorbing odor and adding volume on those no shampoo days.
EcoRoots’ dry shampoo starts with a base of organic aloe leaf powder. Aloe vera naturally cleanses greasy + oily hair and soothes an itchy scalp. The green clay in this dry shampoo is also good for cleansing dirt and toxins from our hair. EcoRoots’ dry shampoo rounds off its ingredients with provitamins to replenish the hair + scalp.
All in, EcoRoots’ plant-based dry shampoo will freshen your hair from the roots up while adding volume to help extend your hairstyle until you get around to shampooing. This goodness comes in a glass jar and plastic-free shipping.
Other products I recommend from EcoRoots include their healing + moisturizing lotion bar — made with only 6 plant-based ingredients including wild-crafted candelilla wax and jojoba oil. Like all their zero-waste products, this lotion bar comes in plastic free packaging. Another customer favorite is their natural deodorant cream. All of EcoRoots’ hair + skin care is made in small batches with the highest quality natural ingredients you can recognize.
And that does it for now! We all deserve a little break on those busy, or lazy, no-shampoo days and these natural dry shampoos give you just that =)