9 Organic & Natural Dry Shampoos For Naturally Good Hair
As much as we’d love to don a freshly washed ‘do on the daily, sometimes there just isn’t enough time.
But is that a bad thing?
When sustainable natural dry shampoo is available, we don’t think so.
Sure, things can get hairy (pun intended) with dry shampoos because the majority of which come in non recyclable, chemical filled aerosol cans. Not to mention the 1.3 million tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) being released into the air every year.
Lucky for us though, organic dry shampoos solve these problems with natural ingredients and sustainable packaging, like the refillable all natural dry shampoo from Fat & the Moon.
Not refillable but still uber eco friendly, EcoRoots’ is filled with volumizing plant extracts and clays.
Rainwater Botanical’s cardboard shaker tube, on the other hand, is 100% compostable.
Wondering how these organic and natural dry shampoos made the (hair)cut?
Bob to the end of the article to find out.
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QUICKLINKS FOR ORGANIC & ALL NATURAL DRY SHAMPOOS
1. ECOROOTS
*Note: Most products offered by EcoRoots, natural organic dry shampoo included, are palm oil free.
EcoRoots Zero Waste Dry Shampoo
One of our favorite brands who’s in-house line includes some of the best natural sustainable dry shampoos around.
EcoRoots’ Zero Waste Dry Shampoo is formulated for all hair types with natural and organic ingredients, like organic aloe leaf powder and green clay.
To use, dip a makeup brush into the glass jar of powder and apply directly to your roots. This keeps the product where you need it (not floating around your bathroom!).
The formula is free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and aluminum.
About EcoRoots
Founder Antonia Pitica believes self care “shouldn’t come at the expense of our planet.”
That’s why EcoRoots carries more than 50 low and zero waste products to boost your sustainable lifestyle, from organic face moisturizer to laundry detergent.
EcoRoots is women owned, cruelty free, vegan, and a USA-made brand.
All products and packaging are designed to eliminate as much plastic as possible.
Plus, this 1% for the Planet member donates a portion of their annual sales to planet protecting organizations like Ocean Conservancy.
Available: EcoRoots
2. FAT AND THE MOON
Fat and the Moon’s Natural Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair
Fat and the Moon’s Lavender & Cocoa Dry Shampoo’s ingredient list reads like your favorite cup of tea: arrowroot, cocoa powder, lavender, and sage.
Sounds delicious—for your hair and for Mother Earth.
This vegan and cruelty free formula promises to keep your hair looking fresh like their cruelty free deodorant keeps you smelling fresh.
It’s also vegan and formulated by herbalists for all hair types and all genders.
The cocoa powder adds just a hint of color to eliminate powdery white residue, making it one of the best organic dry shampoo for dark hair.
Unlike aerosols, Fat and the Moon provides recyclable and refillable aluminum shakers.
When your natural dry shampoo is gone, compostable refill packets are available for a fraction of the price.
About Fat and the Moon
Rachel Budde, founder of Fat and the Moon, is an herbalist committed to finding effective natural alternatives.
The brand aims to be a “healing entity” by creating handcrafted zero waste skincare and body products that are inclusive and ethically sourced.
All their products are cruelty free, palm oil free, and largely vegan except for some beeswax.
Fat and the Moon promotes “ecosystemic” wellbeing. In other words, wellbeing as a result of harmony between humans and the earth.
Available: EarthHero
3. CAPTAIN BLANKENSHIP
*Note: We are confirming policies directly with this brand.
Captain Blankenship’s Organic Natural Dry Shampoo
Formulated with oil-absorbing arrowroot and volumizing kaolin clay, Captain Blankenship’s organic dry shampoo checks all our sustainability boxes.
It’s vegan, fair trade, Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty free, and utilizes recycled, recyclable, and/or compostable packaging.
Instead of synthetic colors and fragrances, it uses cacao powder and organic essential oils to bestow a beachy, earthy scent.
Thanks to its Made Safe certification, you can look, feel, and smell your best sans toxic ingredients like aluminum.
Captain Blankenship also has a specially formulated natural dry shampoo for dark hair in the works.
About Captain Blankenship
A self-proclaimed “wild force for good”, this Certified B Corp operates out of coastal Maine where all ingredients are sourced and all products are made.
For female-founder (and captain) Jana Blankenship, that means considering the full lifecycle of chosen materials, from inception, to use, to reuse, and end of life.
This mission inspired a partnership with PACT to help consumers responsibly dispose of hard-to-recycle cosmetic packaging, such as plastic bottle pumps.
As a member of 1% for the Planet, Captain Blankenship is committed to conservation, social justice, and animal welfare.
Available: EarthHero
4. RAINWATER BOTANICALS
Rainwater Botanicals’ Natural Dry Shampoo
In two lush scents, Rainwater Botanicals’ all natural dry shampoo for blonde hair is formulated for an easy refresh with natural essential oil.
It’s vegan, non toxic, and free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and artificial fragrance.
It is, however, enriched with silica which promotes faster hair growth and arrowroot powder which softens hair.
The natural dry shampoo is packaged in biodegradable paperboard shakers for easy recycling or apartment composting.
About Rainwater Botanicals
Rainwater Botanicals has been a local purveyor of natural and effective beauty remedies for over two decades. And sustainability is their bag.
Packaging that is both recyclable and functional is used wherever possible and product labels are printed on recycled paper.
Don’t be surprised if your order arrives in a reused or recycled box.
They’re all vegan, cruelty free, and recently removed all palm oil and palm byproducts from their product range to reduce reliance on this controversial crop (and industry).
As a small business, Rainwater Botanicals is sold primarily online, but also partners with a handful of local retailers in Washington state.
Available: Etsy
5. HAPPIECOCONUT
*Note: HappieCoconut uses beeswax in their balms. Their product packaging is unclear but plastic lids are used.
HappieCoconut All Natural Dry Shampoo
HappieCoconut’s formula brings back the “hair” necessities.
Oil absorbing arrowroot boosts hair volume while soothing kaolin clay gently absorbs impurities without causing damage to hair follicles.
It comes in two shades (dark and light) making HappieCoconut one of the best organic dry shampoos for blonde hair, dark hair, and every spectrum in-between.
Like the majority of HappieCoconut products, it’s vegan, cruelty free, and free from sulfates, parabens, preservatives, and alcohol.
About HappieCoconut
Founder and certified Health Coach Shay imbues every product with the knowledge of generations of naturalists.
HappieCoconut’s commitment to 100% natural, homemade cosmetics includes locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. Some are organically grown on Shay’s family farm, where they use sheep to naturally weed the garden beds and recycled leftover plant scarps.
For everything else, they do due diligence to source from cruelty free, fair trade channels.
The goal is to eventually grow everything on site. Enough to supply products, support pollinators, grow sufficient food, and “create ecological balance.”
They’re planning on installing solar panels onsite within the next year.
Available: Etsy
6. HONEYWILD APOTHECARY
*Note: Some products contain local honey and beeswax, and/or sustainably sourced palm oil.
Honeywild Apothecary Organic Dry Shampoo
Honeywild Apothecary’s formulas are naturally scented with organic essential oils and made with intentionally selected ethical ingredients.
Like others on this list, their all natural dry shampoo contains primarily magnesium, arrowroot powder, and kaolin clay to absorb excess oil and nourish the scalp.
It’s available in three shades (untinted, medium, and dark) and a variety of subtle scents.
Fair trade organic cocoa powder and black cocoa powder differentiate the darker hair varieties from their untinted organic dry shampoo for blonde hair.
To ensure freshness, each purchase is made to order, then shipped through Etsy’s carbon offset shipping in a compostable cardboard shaker.
About Honeywild Apothecary
Honeywild’s organic dry shampoo is vegan and palm oil free, although select products include honey, beeswax, or certified sustainable palm oil.
Based in the US, Honeywild sources local raw honey and local beeswax for its anti-inflammatory properties.
All products are free from additives, synthetic preservatives, and artificial fragrance.
They also use plastic free packaging and shipping materials.
Available: Etsy
7. NIGHT BLOOMING
*Note: Other Night Blooming products contain honey from their own bees.
Night Blooming’s Natural Dry Shampoo for Oily Hair
Night Blooming invites customers to a sustainable and mystical hair care experience.
As the name suggests, their Moondust all natural dry shampoo is crafted in alignment with the lunar cycle, beginning and ending on a full moon.
This blend of herbal powders and essential oils is vegan, non toxic, cruelty free, and made sans synthetic additives.
Night Blooming offers a glass jar with your first dry shampoo purchase and compostable refill packs when you need a restock.
About Night Blooming
Night Blooming’s products are formulated and handmade by herbal alchemist Melissa Herold out of her home in the US.
According to Melissa, hair care “by the moon” is an old practice. Legend says that cutting your hair according to the moon’s cycle can result in faster growth or fuller locks.
Night Blooming creates a natural formula for just about every hair need, from herbal hair dye to cleansing scalp rinses.
All products are vegan except for some honey, which comes from their very own ethically kept bees. They were also awarded the Lawn to Legumes grant to help turn part of their property into a pollinator garden. Hooray for helping increase biodiversity!
The rest of the ingredients are ethically sourced via small, organic channels.
Everything is available in low or zero waste packaging, that is either recyclable, compostable, or upcycled.
They compost all possible waste from suppliers and donate all proceeds to their local humane society.
Available: Etsy | Night Blooming
8. MEADOWLARK BOTANICAL
Meadowlark Botanical’s Organic Dry Hair Shampoo
Meadowlark Botanical strives to create “[s]imple, pure and beautiful products, naturally!”
For dry shampoo, that means unique formulas for light and dark hair in two herbal scents.
The unscented variety makes for some of the best mens natural dry shampoo or if you’re generally scent-sensitive.
All are vegan, organic, cruelty free, and made with sustainably sourced ingredients.
Suitable as natural dry shampoo for fine hair, each contains bacteria eliminating essential oils while remaining lightweight.
The recyclable or reusable glass jar does come with a plastic lid so try to reuse it .
About Meadowlark Botanical
Jessica, founder of Meadowlark Botanical, began her search for effective, natural cosmetics in response to her diagnosis with a rare autoimmune disorder.
Today, she shares her personal expertise with skin and hair care products that are formulated for sensitive skin.
That means no artificial fragrances, dyes, preservatives, soy, gluten, palm oil, or other common allergens.
Meadowlark’s high quality raw materials are sourced sustainably wherever possible.
To do so, they partner with local businesses in Ohio, independent retailers throughout the US, and fair trade women’s groups in West Africa.
Available: Etsy
9. BATTLE GREEN BOX
Battle Green Box’s Natural Organic Dry Shampoo
UK-based Etsy shop Battle Green creates dry shampoo for natural hair sans toxic synthetics.
It comes in two scents: uplifting orange and neroli or soothing tea tree and mint.
The handmade powder contains the usual oil absorbing kaolin clay and arrowroot powder, as well as scalp soothing organic aloe vera and anti-dandruff organic amla fruit powder.
For a clean healthy product, it’s some of the best organic dry shampoo we’ve found.
This PETA-approved vegan and cruelty free formula arrives in a refillable cardboard shaker tube or compostable refill sachet.
About Battle Green Box
Although they specialize in zero waste cosmetics, Battle Green is a one stop shop for plastic free household swaps.
Aside from natural hygiene products, they also encourage zero waste cleaning with wooden brushes made from FSC-certified bamboo and beech wood.
The “box” in Battle Green’s Etsy name refers to their pre-packaged zero waste kits filled with the likes of kitchen, travel and shopping essentials.
All orders are packed with biodegradable and plastic free materials.
As a bonus, Battle Green partners with Ecologi to plant a tree with every box sold.
Available: Etsy
HOW WE FOUND THE BEST NATURAL DRY SHAMPOOS
To make the list, we have a few condition(er)s. Here’s a quick refresher on our ethical beauty criteria:
- Cruelty free: No animal testing. With safe ingredients, we can keep both ourselves and our animal friends out of harm’s way.
- Vegan: No animal derived ingredients or byproducts. Exceptions are sometimes made for ethically sourced honey or beeswax.
- Non toxic: Skin safe, natural, and organic ingredients. Free from irritants, harmful chemicals, and common allergens.
- Palm oil free: No palm oil, but we do make exceptions where it is certified as sustainably sourced.
- Ethical ingredient sourcing
- Thoughtful packaging: Ideally zero waste packaging and shipping, but recyclable or compostable is great, too. Since most natural dry shampoo is in easy-to-package powder form, this was an easy fix here.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON ORGANIC DRY SHAMPOOS
While the drug store aisle might be full of chemically scented non recyclable aerosols, your bathroom counter doesn’t have to be.
Adding a natural organic dry shampoo to your hair care routine saves water and time.
Besides, daily shampooing often comes with side effects, like stripping your scalp of its natural oils, leading to oil overproduction.
So between washes, why not make every day a good hair day? And while you’re at it, know a friend who’s hair care routine could use a trim?
Quick, s(hair) this article to save their scalp.
