| Dry Clean Your Hair: Instant Shampoo Formulas |
| Karen Marie Shelton - Copyright 2002 - All
Rights Reserved |
| Revised Date: 02/10/2008 - Original
Publication Date: 7/8/2002 |
Introduction
 OK, so you hit the snooze button just one too many times and you
convinced yourself that your hair really didn't need a shampoo.
Once you've stumbled into your bathroom and faced the harsh daylight of
your mirror you realized the error of your dirty hair challenged ways.
What to do? You can resort to the old stand-by ponytail,
banana clips or quick chignon bun to hide the evidence of your encroaching
greasies. Some hair styles like braids and buns actually hold
better and style faster on "day old" hair.
Or you can use some hair care secrets to dry clean
your strands for the next best thing to suds. Depending on the condition of your hair you have several options.
For bad bedhead hair,
wild cowlicks or pillow bends grab a misting bottle.
Fill with water and then spritz lightly over the problem areas.
Use a boar's head paddle brush and your friendly blow dryer to spot
straighten.
If your hair is flat use a round brush to add fullness and turn
ends up or under. Speed up the drying process by using a metal
core brush that retains heat.
 If your morning hair involves that dry scrunchy feeling, add a
little leave-in conditioner to your spray bottle and mist lightly over
the dry areas. Blow dry briefly using a cold shot or cold
setting.
Whatever you do, don't panic. Remember that giving your hair
a day off from shampoo can actually offer a good rest for your
roots. Although some people have a hard time going a day
without shampoo, when you can do it, your tresses will love you for
it.
Shampoo Myths & Facts
Hair washing with water and shampoo only became popular in
the early 1900s due to the increase in air pollution from factories
and other industries. Modern plumbing added to the overall
popularity of daily hair washing with water and soap.
For many centuries prior hair was only washed when absolutely
necessary and was avoided like the plague. During the Middle
Ages washing the hair with water was detested and considered an actual
health hazard. It is rumored that in the 18th century men and
women actually carried antiseptic fluids on their person to help kills
any bugs that might fall from their pest infested
scalps.
Missing one or even two days of wet hair washing with warm water
and your favorite shampoo is definitely safe when compared to ancient
standards for hair care.
Eliminating Oil & Dirt Slicks
When your hair is a major oil slick you have several dry shampoo
options. These will take a little more time but can still save
you time.
1. Cornstarch
 Store some cornstarch in a glass jar in your bathroom. Keep
in mind that cornstarch can be messy. Use as little as possible.
Pour a little cornstarch into a saucer. Dip the tips of your
fingers in the powder and then dab on the oily areas of your hair.
Fluff gently. Use a paddle brush to remove. Don't forget
to rinse the brush after use.
Cornstarch or any dry shampoo can be very messy. Remember
that a little bit goes a long way so limit your use of the powder as
much as possible.
 While cornstarch will remove the oils and grease, it also tends to
be somewhat drying. If your hair is naturally dry, consider other
alternatives to prevent static electricity from forming.
A few drops of jojoba or Vitamin E oil rubbed into the palms of
your hands and then smoothed over the tops of your strands will
prevent frizz from the dry shampoo treatment. A dab of
Phytodefrisant will do the same thing form most hair.
Note: A great dry shampoo spray to try is
Rene Furterer's Naturia.
2.
Alternative Aromatherapy Cornstarch Recipe
 Pour 1/2 pound of cornstarch in a beautiful clean glass container
that has a tight lid. Place your favorite dried flowers or herbs
on top of the cornstarch. Try lavender, dried rose petals,
hibiscus or violets. I personally love dried rose petals for a
fabulous aroma.
Close the lid tightly and let the mixture set in a dark cupboard
for 2-4 weeks. Remove the first batch of dried flowers and add
new ones. You can also add your favorite dried herbs.
Use this fabulous aromatic mixture on your hair for a wonderful dry
shampoo treat. You may be in a hurry but your hair will smell
wonderful.
3. Cornmeal
Or Cornflower
Keep some fine powdered cornmeal or cornflower in a glass jar in your bathroom.
Remember that cornmeal is just as messy as cornstarch. Use as
little as possible. Pour a little cornstarch into a saucer.
Dip the tips of your fingers in the powder and then dab on the oily
areas of your hair. Fluff gently. Use a paddle brush to
remove. Don't forget to rinse the brush after use.
While cornstarch will remove the oils and grease, it also tends to
be somewhat drying. If your hair is naturally dry, consider other
alternatives to prevent static electricity from forming.
4.
Aromatherapy Cornmeal Dry Shampoo
This recipe takes a lot more time than the simple cornmeal dry
shampoo. The main benefit of this recipe is that it allows
someone to "clean" their hair without water. This may
be required due to recent plastic surgery to the face that prevent
getting it wet or other similar situations.
This recipe will require the use of a food processor or blender to
make sure that everything is well blended. Double the
ingredients amounts of you have long or thick hair.
Add 6 ounces of coarsely milled corn flour to your blender.
Add 20 drops of extra virgin olive or castor oil. Add 30 drops
of lemon or grapefruit essential oil. Blend until well
mixed.
Keep in mind that castor oil is very thick and may darken light
hair. If you prefer, try the extra virgin olive oil as a good
substitute. The lemon and grapefruit oil is wonderful for light
hair but will not alter dark hair in any way. If you prefer,
substitute rosemary oil for dark hair.
Spread out a large beach towel or kneel by the side of the bathtub
to contain the mess. Take small handfuls of the mixture and
massage them gently into your scalp. It is best to bend over to
get the underneath section of the scalp. Separate the hair
into sections and then massage one small section at a time.
After you have massaged the corn mixture into your hair use a all
natural boar's head brush or a wide toothed comb to remove the excess
mixture. Continue brushing and combing until all of the
mixture is removed.
5. White Flour
This is similar to either the cornstarch or cornmeal. It can
be very messy and would provide limited advantages on some hair.
If you are out of cornstarch, cornflower then by all means give good
old fashioned white flour a whirl. Follow the same instructions
that you would follow for the cornstarch or cornflower.
6. Flour Substitutions
If you don't have cornstarch, cornmeal or white flour easily
available you can experiment with similar substances. One
HairBoutique.com visitor wrote and told me that she had tried finely
ground oat bran with good results on her light blonde hair.
Another visitor used wheat and oat flour with good results on her
brunette hair.
If you are willing to try anything, head for the kitchen and try
some of the following substitutions:
- rice powder
- rice starch
- wheat powder
- potato flour
- oat flour
- rye flour
- buckwheat flour
- chickpea flour
- soybean flour
Although most coarsely-milled flour will work, couscous and
semolina are also possible options. No guarantees that they will work
but at least you will have a good time being creative.
7. Japanese Egg White Dry Shampoo
 A hairstylist with a Japanese hairstylist told me that her mother
and grandmother used a whipped egg white shampoo that was a little
more work than the cornstarch remedy, but worked well. (Clip art
courtesy of Incredible Edible Egg
Campaign)
This recipe works well on all hair types since it only uses whipped
egg whites.
Depending on the length of your hair separate the white from the
yolk on two to four eggs. Take the whites and using a blender
whip the whites until they form stiff peaks. Using clean fingers
or an old clean pastry brush apply the egg white mixture to your scalp
and your strands. Massage the mixture gently into your scalp and
strands for approximately 5 minutes.
Take an old but clean towel and a bowl of hot water. Dip the
end of the towel into the water and then wipe the egg white mixture
off or your hair. Repeat until you have removed all traces.
While this "dry shampoo" actually uses warm water, it
does provide a gentle and suds free cleansing and softening. It
is definitely not as quick as any of the other ingredients but it does
work.
My Japanese hairstylist informed me that it is possible to use just
one egg and apply a small amount of this formula to just the scalp for
oil buildup. This would save time by skipping the rest of the
hair.
The best way to try this formula is to allow a lot of time the
first time and experiment with the number of egg whites for your hair
thickness and type as well as figuring out whether this dry formula is
really worth all the effort. Only you can be the judge.
8. Egg Yolk
Hair Masque
And what to do with those leftover yolks? Save them in a
glass jar in the refrigerator and on make a "hair masque"
for your next long shampoo treatment.
For each egg yolk add 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) of a light
carrier oil like almond, sesame or jojoba, 5 drops of rosemary, 3
drops of bay or Swiss pine and 1 dash of lemon, grapefruit or
lemongrass oil. Multiply this recipe for each additional yolk
added.
Add each egg yolk to the oil and mix well with a fork or wooden
spoon. Add all the egg yolks to the carrier oil mixing
completely. Once you have a creamy egg and oil mixture add the
rosemary and then the bay or Swiss pine. Mix well. Finish
with the lemon or grapefruit splash at the end. Of course you
can experiment with your favorite essential oils. Sometimes I
like to also add a dash of vanilla or ylang ylang which are two of my
favorite scents.
Apply this masque to freshly washed hair that is still damp.
Leave the mixture on your strands for approximately 30-45
minutes. Wrap hair in a plastic shower cap or plastic
wrap. Add a towel over the plastic to add a layer of warmth to
help the mixture penetrate. Shampoo hair to remove the
mixture.
9. Old
Cheesecloth Technique
One of my great aunts was a big fan of cheesecloth. When I
was a little girl I used to watch her wrap a piece of cheesecloth cut
from her stash in the kitchen around her big antique paddle hair
brush. She would then brush her hair while bent over. She
claimed that the cheesecloth would remove dust and surface dirt and
help to "dry clean" her hair. She often substituted
the cheesecloth treatment for a shampoo and her hair always looked
healthy and shiny.
10. Dry
Clay Mixture
Powdered clays or kaolins can be used for a variety of beauty
tasks from dry shampoos to face masks to full body packs.
Experiment with the following "dry" options:
- agar agar
- white clay
- red clay
- green clay
- powdered orris root
Summary
When you are pressed for time to clean your hair only your
imagination stands in the way of creative cleansing.
Set some
time aside every weekend to experiment and practice quick dry
shampooing recipes and techniques so are prepared during a hair
emergency. Then relax and punch in that snooze button one more
time.
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