Why Dry Shampoo?

  My sister was the one who always hauled dry shampoo around on camping trips because she cleaned her hair every day.  I'm the one who just pinned it up until I couldn't stand it any longer, trudge off to find water, and wash it maybe once a week.

I couldn't see how shaking powder on your hair could clean it as well as regular shampoo but my sister swore by it.  Basically it works by absorbing excess oil and debris from your scalp.  After a certain period of time, you brush it out and voila, clean hari.

Although there are indications dry shampoos have been around since the 1500's with a surge in the late 1700's when women used dry shampoos to color and deodorize their mile high wigs. This product did not really become widely known until the early 1900's when the American Journal of Pharmacy described it in 1918. 

It wasn't until 1940 that the first commercial dry shampoo, Minipoo, hit the market. Minipoo was originally marketed as the 10 minute shampoo that could be used when you were sick in bed or if you needed to spruce up your hair for a last minute invite to something.  It lasted into the 1960's.

From then to the 1970's the demand for dry shampoos grew because it provided busy homemakers a way to quickly clean their hair and stay fresh.  The first real ad didn't appear till the 1960's when model Twiggy appeared using it, thus increasing demand again.  By the 1960's other dry shampoos appeared on the market such as Mini-Mist and Pssssssst. Now dry shampoos can be found in powder, spray, foams, and paste forms.

Many of the early dry shampoos contained Fuller's earth which is a natural absorbing ingredient found in kitty litter.  Ingredients have changed over the years. However, there are reports that when this product is over used it can result in scalp problems or hair loss.

You can make your own dry shampoo from simple ingredients such as 1 tablespoon of baking soda added to one quarter cup of cornstarch. If you have dark hair you might want to add two tablespoons of cocoa powder to the mix.  You can use other ingredients such as oatmeal but all you need to do is to check on the internet for ideas.

Let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear.