Freshly washed hair feels great. But, if you’re anything like us and dread a tedious (albeit, necessary) hair wash, then dry shampoo can be your best friend. The kind of friend that sops up all the oil and sweat from your scalp, while perking it up with volume on days when you’re too tired for a wash. So, if you’re in the market for an eco-friendly dry shampoo that doubles up as a great support system for your hair (and also happens to be waste-free!), keep scrolling.
Dry shampoos have gained a reputation for being one of those holy-grail, time-saving, multipurpose products that not only help you revive your hair on the go but can also extend the length of your blow-dry. However, not all dry shampoos are made equal.
Conventional dry shampoos are typically packaged in aerosol spray cans. These spray cans often contain liquefied petroleum gas, which is usually a combination of propane, butane and isobutane that help spray dry shampoo ingredients out of the cans and nebulize them into a fine mist. These VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are notorious for emitting ground-level ozone that can induce asthma and negatively affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks and wildlife.
What Ingredients Does an Eco-Friendly Dry Shampoo Contain?
On the other hand, eco-friendly dry shampoos contain natural ingredients like arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, rice starch or cornstarch, aluminum-free baking soda, cocoa, or essential oils that don’t have a harmful impact on the environment.
Why Should You Opt for a Zero Waste Dry Shampoo?
When it comes to beauty products that are in constant rotation, looking for items that have low-waste packaging is well worth your consideration. Every year, the personal care and beauty industry generates more than 120 billion units of packaging across the globe — most of which are not truly recyclable and end up rotting in landfills, where they leach toxic chemicals into the earth.
In fact, data shows that environmentally-conscious consumers are increasingly seeking and demanding better packaging from beauty companies. According to consumer insights firm, NielsenIQ, ‘plastic-free’ and ‘zero waste’ beauty items have been gaining a lot of interest since 2021. These are the same consumers who are gravitating toward refillable packaging that won’t end up in landfills and are doubling down on protecting the oceans by investing in reef-safe sunscreens that prevent coral bleaching.
Low waste packaging is often found in the form of glass, cardboard, cork, refillable tins or those made from biodegradable materials.
Below, scroll through to find 12 zero waste dry shampoos that can be recycled, composted, or reused in some way or another.
No matter what you do with the packaging, your hair-wash-procrastinating side will be sure to thank you. (And when you are ready for a wash, we have you covered with a guide to zero waste shampoo bars, too!)
Where To Find Waste-Free and Eco-Friendly Dry Shampoos
Note that the following roundup includes affiliate links, meaning we’ll earn a small commission should you choose to purchase through one of these links. As always, all brands meet strict criteria for sustainability and are brands we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Fat and the Moon
Described as an eco-friendly dry shampoo that’s good enough to eat, Fat and the Moon’s lavender and cocoa dry shampoo contains arrowroot starch and kaolin clay as its key ingredients that absorb excess oil, and leave your hair smelling irresistible owing to its cocoa powder and lavender oil combination.
The packaging comes in a recyclable cardboard container (or a refillable aluminum tin) that dispenses the dry shampoo in powdered form. Use it with a spare makeup brush and gently dab on parted hair sections at the crown of your head until blended.
Price: $13.99
Made from a mix of simple ingredients like bentonite clay, cornstarch and arrowroot powder, Lift Off Beauty’s range of eco-friendly dry shampoos come in two shades to suit both dark and light hair color types. So whenever you are in a bind for time or want to get the most out of your salon blowout, just sprinkle it on your roots and work this dry shampoo into your hair.
Their low waste dry shampoos come packaged in two varieties; biodegradable cardboard shakers as a travel-friendly option and reusable glass shakers to store on your beauty shelf at home. The brand retails at Etsy, a platform that is quickly becoming the mecca for natural and conscious beauty products.
Price: $10-11
3. Lumi Basics
Lumi Basics is a minimalist and all-natural beauty brand that creates products using no more than 10 ingredients to make sure you don’t find any preservatives, sulfates, phthalates, or any other ingredients that are potentially harmful to your body.
Their zero waste dry shampoo powder is formulated with organic ingredients to suit three hair color types and comes in shades of blonde, strawberry and brunette. Each shaker bottle contains at least 30 uses and is made using plastic-free, biodegradable, and compostable packaging.
Price: $8-14
Check it out: @ Green Eco Dream | or @ Package Free Shop
4. Lovett Sundries
Lovett Sundries creates the most visually pleasing, minimalist skin and haircare products with a huge focus on how they choose to consciously package them — and their eco-friendly dry shampoo is no exception.
Bottled in a chic little glass jar, the waste free dry shampoo is made up of three humble ingredients; bentonite clay, arrowroot powder and lavender essential oil, with the latter absent in the unscented version.
Price: $14-18
Check it out: @ Green Eco Dream | or @ Package Free Shop
5. Captain Blankenship
A formula that features organic arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, and aluminum-free baking soda, Captain Blankenship’s Mermaid plastic free dry shampoo provides ultimate oil absorption for a variety of hair types.
Their gorgeous shelf-worthy powder shaker is made from a compostable paper tube that’s pocket-sized to perfection, so you can revive your hair on the go.
Price: $24
6. Tabitha James Kraan
Tabitha is a hairstylist who runs her own salon in the UK that specializes in holistic coloring and organic hair care — two values that guide her range of hair products as well. Her range of low waste dry shampoos is packaged in the most luxe-looking gold aluminum shaker and aerosol-free travel sprays, that also happen to be refillable.
Made using a mix of 90% organic ingredients that include natural soda bicarbonate, along with some organic chestnut and tapioca powder, this eco-friendly dry shampoo will leave your tresses feeling clean and refreshed in-between washes.
Price: $46
7. Klorane
The perfect natural dry shampoo for sensitive skin types, Klorane’s oat milk formulation is free of parabens, sulfates and preservatives that won’t irritate your scalp. This plant-based dry shampoo is super gentle and works to eliminate oil, dirt, and odors from your hair — all while breathing some volume and texture into your mane without all the alcohol and preservatives from conventional volumizing sprays.
Klorane’s oat milk dry shampoo is available in a unique non-aerosol spray bottle that’s made using recyclable packaging.
Price: $20
8. Lulu Organics
We have a feeling you’re going to bag this covetable dry shampoo just for its pretty packaging! Boxed in a vintage art deco-inspired, cardboard salt shaker, the Lulu Organics hair powder comes in seven heavenly-scented versions (including an unscented version) that are made using organic corn starch, baking soda, white clay and essentials oils.
Their plastic free dry shampoo promises to freshen up flat, tired hair into a mane that smells and looks as good as its packaging!
Price: $12-$28
9. Raw Nature
Just as its name suggests, Raw Nature’s dry shampoos are made using natural ingredients like kaolin clay, tapioca powder and New Zealand mānuka oil (a shrub that’s native to the country) that promise to nourish your scalp while leaving it feeling fresh and clean. The products are packaged in minimalist powder shakers suitable for light and dark hair, made with 100% biodegradable paper tubes and labels.
One customer review even claims that their eco-friendly dry shampoo doubles up as a root cover-up powder when you’re in between touch-ups — talk about a multi-tasking thing of beauty!
Price: $17
Check it out: For Light Hair or For Dark Hair
10. Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Company
Chagrin Valley’s eco-friendly dry shampoo boasts of an organic formulation that easily blends into your scalp (say goodbye to tell-tale white residue) while absorbing your hair’s naturally occurring oils to help your strands feel instantly refreshed.
Packaged in recyclable paperboard shaker tubes that have a small plastic sifter cap for the powder, you can choose to dab it directly onto your scalp and massage it in, or pop some powder on the palm of your hand and use your fingertips to work it into your roots.
Price: $18.50
11. Hairy Jayne
Hairy Jayne is a UK-based brand that offers a plastic-free dry shampoo packaged in a gorgeous refillable non-aerosol aluminium can that can easily pass for a chic little water bottle.
Made using a vegan and all-natural blend of tapioca powder, lavender flower powder, rhassoul clay and colloidal oat powder, this dry shampoo promises to freshen up your greasy scalp leaving your tresses smelling as fresh as they would after an actual hair wash.
We recommend teaming this low waste dry shampoo purchase with their cute little biodegradable hairbrush to tease your roots and create some extra volume.
Price: £12.00
12. Love Hair
We get it, nobody enjoys the feeling of a gritty, thick layer of powder on their scalp a couple of days after applying some dry shampoo. And, this is where Love Hair steps in with their organic dry shampoo formulation that feels weightless upon application.
Made up of all-natural ingredients like corn, tapioca and rice starch, including a blend of some exotic essential oils, Love Hair’s dry shampoo promises to refresh and add some volume to your tired tresses.
Packaged in a bio-based bottle that’s 100% recyclable, their low waste dry shampoo is also safe for color-treated hair.
Price: $$
And when the time does eventually come to wash your hair, check out our guide to zero waste shampoo and conditioner bars!
Check These Out Next:
Zero Waste Hair Care: 17 Plastic-Free Products
Best Zero Waste and Sustainable Bathroom Products
14 Zero Waste Body Soaps for a Green Clean
About The Author:
Jharna Pariani is a fashion writer and creative strategist whose work is rooted in honesty and deep observation of the world around her. When she isn’t busy penning down her thoughts, she moonlights as a video editor creating fashion and food reels on Instagram for several brands and influencers
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