Dry Shampoo -7 Ingredients for Amazing Hair

Finally it’s here! My recipe for DIY Dry Shampoo that is an absolute staple in my routine and I simply cannot live without (ok- dramatic!;). If you have read the article detailing the NO Poo technique that gets you away from toxic chemicals and washing your hair everyday with commercial soap/shampoo, then you can understand the need for a Dry Shampoo. Generally, I only cleanse my hair twice a week, so I take seriously the products that I use in the in-between times. This Dry Shampoo is natural, smells good, gives good styling texture and can be modified to fit your specific needs.

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How do I use Dry Shampoo?

That is a great question! Using Dry Shampoo is easy to use and can extend the life of a style or increase the time you need between washes. This particular Dry Shampoo is a powder that you sprinkle in your hand (start with about a dime-sized amount and just like cooking, season to taste! Errrr- adjust for your needs ☺). Spread the powder around in your hand covering your fingertips and then massage into the roots of your hair. I sometimes turn my head upside down over the bathtub to catch any loose powder so clean up is as simple as turning on the shower. Massaging your scalp is great for the health of your skin and your hair. It increases the blood flow to your follicles, uses your body’s natural oils to condition the scalp, and helps to strengthen the roots of you hair. Insider tip- it also feels really good. Once you are done massaging the DIY Dry Shampoo into your roots, voila! That’s it, you’re done! Flip your hair over and you will see added volume, less oil, and a pretty nice texture (although it may take a bit of getting used to the feel) for styling.

How do you make Dry Shampoo?

Ok, enough talk already! Where’s your recipe for this magical Dry Shampoo? Well, it couldn’t be much easier to make.

DIY Dry Shampoo recipe:

What you’ll need:

¼ cup French Green Clay
¼ cup Arrowroot Powder
½ T. Chamomile Powder
½ T. Lavender Flowers (ground)
½ T. Oatstraw Powder
Essential Oils
Iridescent Mica (optional)

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Directions:

Mix all of your powders together. I like to do this in a mason jar. It makes for easy mixing of the Dry Shampoo ingredients and you can use it for storing the excess powder until you need it. After it is fully mixed, add a few drops of your essential oils of choice. I would recommend using no more than two. Some of my favorite oils for this Dry Shampoo are Lavender, Rosemary, Sweet Orange, and Jasmine. The last ingredient on my list is optional but plays an important part in doing something that most other Dry Shampoo recipes fail to do, which is keeping your hair looking shiny. Let’s face it, gaining a few extra days in-between washes is great but not at the expense of looking like you are wearing a powdered wig. I add a small amount of iridescent mica to my Dry Shampoo and this keeps your hair looking dimensional and shiny. There are a lot of different options for iridescent powders but the Bare Minerals Clear Radiance would be a good example of one to add. They’ve recently changed their formulation to make it more health friendly. Feel free to experiment with what mica you use if you want to change the color or the sheen of your Dry Shampoo formula.

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The last tip to mention is one that I love- storage! I have kept my Dry Shampoo in cute little containers on my bathroom shelf and in my cupboards but the last discovery was by far the handiest. Take an old, empty spice container that has the shaker top and fill it with your DIY Dry Shampoo powder. It fits with your other products well and seals nice and tight for travel. It also allows you great control in how much you pour out to apply. Remember, a little goes a long way!

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Let me know if you try the Dry Shampoo recipe for yourself. I’d love to hear what you think and any comments or suggestions you might have.

 

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Resolution Time! Stop Smoking and Clear Your Skin

It’s an appropriate time of year to write about one of the best things you can do for your skin that is also a common new year’s resolution: STOP SMOKING! That’s right, smoke can be one of the fastest ways to age your skin. People often focus on its’ countless other harmful effects (cancer, lung and heart disease, expense, smell…. (must I go on?), but rarely think about smoking’s ability to tan our hide! Stopping this one behavior is like finding the world’s the best skin cream.

How Does Smoking Age Your Skin?

Smoking ages the skin making it look droopy, causing wrinkles and can change the color of your complexion. The nicotine in cigarettes causes vasoconstriction, your blood vessels to constrict, which limit the amount of oxygen that reaches the outermost layers of your skin. Without this essential blood flow and oxygen, your cells don’t get vital nutrients they need like vitamin A and C. Additionally, there are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco that can cause damage to the collagen and elastin fibers in your skin. Think of these fibers as the trampoline that holds your face up. Without those taught strings, you lose firmness, elasticity and that’s when you see with droopy skin and wrinkles.

cigarette-and-skin-health

Smoking and Your Immune System

There is also the inner, less visible, way that smoking effects your skin and that is the weakening of your immune system. We are starting to figure it out that when your immunity is alive and kicking, it shows in a glowing complexion and clear skin. Smoking effects your body’s ability to heal quickly and this goes for break-outs and  scar healing too. The slower your immune system, the more likely you are to break out and the slower your blemishes tend to heal.

What Else!?

Those are the biggies, BUT, there are so many other factors! Did you know that smokers are four times as likely to report restless sleep as non-smokers? How much do you think your sleep is affecting your skin? Ahem… Bags under your eyes? How about the effects of the smoke itself next to your skin? Ever take a look at smoker’s hands and see the yellowed stains on the habitual fingers? It’s true! Just like tanning a hide! Smokers also tend to have hair that is thinner and goes gray faster than hair of non-smokers.

Apples to Apples
(Or Marlboros to Marlboros)

Still not convinced? I ran across these interesting pictures the other day from a study on identical twins with different smoking habits and specifically comparing their skin texture.

 

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Smoker on the left (20 year habit).
40-year-smoking-difference-smoker-on-right
Smoker on the right (40 year habit).

Wow. What a difference. You can find more information and pictures in Dr. Bahman Guyuron M.D.’s study: Facial Changes Caused by Smoking: A Comparison between Smoking and Nonsmoking Identical Twins (You can tell it is legit since it has such a long title 😉 ).

Now What? How Do I Stop Smoking?

Ok, there are tons of other things that I could list here but if I haven’t lost you yet, you probably most want to know what to do about it? Quit! And before you jump down to the comment section to rip me a new one on how hard it is… etc., you should know that I am not bagging on you or preaching from an ivory tower. I was a smoker for years! More than I care to admit and quitting smoking was one of the hardest things I have ever done but also one of my proudest accomplishments (I always think that is a little funny but it is really true!).

There is no magic formula. You have to try several things and find out what works for you. I tried a number of ways to quit smoking from the patch to hypnosis. My grandfather (like a badass) just went cold turkey! It takes different things for different people. The thing that finally worked for me was a book that made me mad. Wait, what? Yes, you read that right. One day I was in the bookstore (back when bookstores were a thing), and I saw a book on the shelf called “The Easy Way To Stop Smoking” and man was that title infuriating! Oh Yeah! The easy way! But, based on anger alone, I picked up the book and read it cover to cover.

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It worked. It was the only thing that had ever worked for me. I’m not going to say that it was completely easy or that I’ve never had a smoke or two since, but I can honestly say that I am a happy non-smoker now AND my skin thanks me for it. I have better skin now as a thirty something non-smoker than back in my twenties with a nicotine habit.

Give it a shot. Reading a book is about the least expensive smoking cessation program you can find and you can quit that at any time too! Psst- There’s also an audio version! Think, compared to one bottle of moisturizer, this skin treatment is a steal! Believe me, I do know how hard it is to stop smoking but if for no other reason than your skin’s health (and I’m assuming that is why you’re here on this website), give it a shot and clear the air. You will clear your skin in the process. Good luck!