When your hair is greasy and you don’t have time to wash it, dry shampoo is an effective remedy. But if dry shampoo isn’t available or it’s too expensive, baby powder is an alternative. Let’s refer to this article to know how to use baby powder as an alternative to dry shampoo.
Can you use baby powder as dry shampoo?
The short answer is Yes. Dry shampoo is an effective saving time solution for people with oily hair or dirty hair. However, in the case you don’t have any dry shampoo with you, Baby Powder is an ideal alternative option that we highly recommend.
Dry shampoo is a waterless hair cleanser. The active ingredients of dry shampoo help absorb excess oil on the scalp and hair, which offers your hair a less greasy and much more bouncy look.
Meanwhile, according to dermatologists and hair experts, baby powder is one of the quick solutions for oily scalp. The reason is that this product has the ability to absorb excess oil on the hair and scalp. From there, it can reduce the shine of your hair and is useful for cases of oily hair.
As a result, Baby powder makes the hair no longer sticky and becomes more bouncy. Therefore, you can use baby powder as an alternative to dry shampoo.

An effective alternative to dry shampoo is baby powde
How to use baby powder as dry shampoo?
The ingredients you need are just a jar of baby powder. It not only helps you deal with oily hair, but also helps to save time to wash your dirty hair on busy days. You’ll appear with hair that doesn’t look flat and greasy in just a few minutes. Here are some home remedies for oily hair with baby powder as follows:
Method 1: Apply directly by hand
- Step 1: Coat your hairline with baby powder
You put baby powder in the palm of your hand, then divide the hair into several small sections.
Coat your hairline with baby powder one at a time. You should start at the top of your head and then go to the back of your neck.
- Step 2: Brush the excess powder out
After you have covered the powder all over the hairline, you toss your hair forward. Gently scrape your hair to brush the excess powder out, you could use your hands or a wide-tooth comb to do that.
In the end, you have clean and bouncy hair right away.
Using your hands directly to apply baby powder to your hair is very simple and convenient as you can do it everywhere.
However, there are still downsides is that the amount of powder you apply to the roots will be uneven.
There are parts of the hair that are not oiled and still sticky, so the amount of powder you use on hair may be too much and leave it white. Note that this issue might cause an unsightly look for girls with black or dark hair.

You can apply baby powder directly to your hair with your hands
Method 2: Apply baby powder to the hairline with makeup cotton
Other than by hand, applying baby powder with makeup cotton is a more effective method. This way helps to overcome the limitation of applying directly by hand. The method is also very simple as follows:
- Step 1: Use makeup cotton to take baby powder
Divide your hair into small sections and space them about 5cm apart, then use makeup cotton to take a little baby powder.
Dot the hairline section by section similar to the way you apply facial makeup.
- Step 2: Brush the excess powder out.
You can use a comb to brush up your hair. This will help powder to cling to all hair and absorb fluid faster. There will be no curls that are missing when you use a comb.
This way will help the powder to cover the hair roots more evenly with the right amount. The oil absorption effect is also better.
What are the notes when using baby powder as dry shampoo?
Baby powder really helps if you have an oily scalp and greasy hair. However, when using it, you should pay close attention to the following:
- For girls with dark hair, they don’t like the white powder on their hair. Therefore, mixing baby powder with cocoa powder would be ideal for it.
- Baby powder or dry shampoo is for emergency use only, when you can’t wash your hair right away. Therefore, you cannot replace wet shampoo with baby powder or dry shampoo.
- The overuse of baby powder can cause a series of consequences for your health such as respiratory problems and cancer diseases.
- Combined with natural hair care treatments. This helps limit the side effects of talcum powder or dry shampoo.
Some other things to treat greasy hair like dry shampoo
In addition to baby powder, you can also replace dry shampoo with several other methods. You can easily implement these methods with only natural ingredients that are easy to find.
Cornmeal and Cocoa Powder
Mix together 1/4 cup cornstarch and two tablespoons cocoa powder. Then use a small brush to brush the hair evenly.
Don’t worry about the dark color of cocoa powder. After you have covered this mixture on the roots of your hair, you just need to comb your hair again with a comb. You won’t be able to see the color of the cocoa powder on your head.
Cornmeal and salt
Prepare a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of cornstarch. Mix them together into a paste. Apply this mixture to your hair and wait a few minutes. Then use a comb to clean your hair. The dirt and sebum will follow this mixture that falls down.
Oatmeal and baking soda
Mix the oatmeal and baking soda together in a small bowl. Then, apply this mixture evenly on your hair. Wait a few minutes for the oil in your hair to absorb. Finally, comb the hair again with a comb.
Vinegar
Dilute vinegar with water. Put this mixture in a small spray bottle and carry it with you. Every time your hair is greasy, you just spray it on your hair. Vinegar is acidic in nature, so it will remove dirt and sebum in a matter of seconds.
Activated carbon
Activated charcoal has the ability to effectively absorb excess oil from the scalp. Mix some activated charcoal powder with a few drops of lavender essential oil. Place this mixture in the shaker container. Whenever your hair is greasy, just sprinkle a little of this mixture on your hair. You should use your hands or a hair dryer to disperse the mixture throughout your hair.

Activated charcoal has the ability to effectively absorb excess oil from the scalp
Some other uses of baby powder
Helps lipstick to last
Baby powder has a hygroscopic effect that will help remove oil on the lips and lip balm. It helps the lipstick layer stick better and last longer. The white color of the baby powder will help the lipstick to be more accurate and beautiful.
Oil-control powder
If you are an oily skin girl and always suffer with shiny oil on your face. Baby powder will replace white powder and even oil-control powder for you. It has the effect of absorbing moisture from creams, foundations and oil control which is very good for you.
Deodorizing body
The main use of baby powder is to absorb moisture and control oil. This is also a perfect suggestion for people who have problems with body odor. It both helps to absorb sweat well and removes all unwanted scents.
Acne mask
Baby powder mask helps to gently exfoliate and absorb oil for the skin. It helps the skin to effectively treat blackheads. You can apply this mask twice a week for the best results.
Soothes skin when waxing
Baby powder is famous for its oil-control ability. In addition, it can be very good at lubricating and soothing the skin. To make the waxing process smoother, apply a thin layer of baby powder before waxing.
Instant skin whitening
You can whiten your skin with baby powder by applying talcum powder to the dark skin. You will see your skin tone whiter and smoother. At the same time control oil and reduce sweat more. Remember to apply sunscreen before applying baby powder to protect your skin.
In Conclusion
Nowadays, Dry shampoos are common and favorable as they could temporarily clean your dirty hair in a short time. And surprisingly, Baby Powder works the same with a smaller budget.
Therefore, in case you don’t have dry shampoo around, baby shampoo would be a great alternative option at that time. Hope this tip would be useful in your hectic daily life.
Leave a Reply