We know baby powder is a fairly foolproof alternative to dry shampoo, but sometimes you’re standing in the kitchen with greasy hair, ten minutes to get out the door, and zero baby powder or bottles of Psssst! So when desperate times call for desperate measures, just how desperate have you gotten? Here’s a list of some of the lesser household ingredients Cut readers have turned to in times of great hair need.
Baking Soda
“It actually worked out okay. I was white-blonde at the time, so that may have helped. It felt clean, but I didn’t love my hair’s texture with it in.” —Crystal
Makeup
“Sometimes I just try to sweep a bit of my foundation and powder into my hairline. It does not work.” —Claire
Hair Spray
“I once had to go to an event immediately after working out, and I timed my workout all wrong so I couldn’t wash my hair and dry it properly afterward. I basically used a mix of hair spray and sweat, and blow-dried the crap out of my roots to get it to dry. You basically spray the hair spray into your hand so it becomes liquid instead of a mist, and then work that through your hair in sections, blow-drying it as you go so it can’t really dry the old-fashioned way. The oil from my workout sweat kept my hair from getting crunchy, and to be honest, I’d probably do it again.” —Ella
Cocoa Powder and Cinnamon
“I have this Oscar Blandi powder that is real dry shampoo, but it makes my roots look whitish, so I tried cocoa powder and cinnamon and it worked on the hair, but it made my scalp look brown and I smelled like dessert.” —Alison
Cornstarch
“When my mom was sick we tried several things because the sprays were too hard on her breathing mask. Cornstarch worked the best; the others were too fine for hair that didn’t really get oily, just dusty.” —Sarah
Flour
“The sweat/oil actually made it all crumbly/cakey.” —Amanda
Kitty Litter
“I once tried to use kitty litter as dry shampoo. It did not work. Yes, it was clean kitty litter.” —Laura
