Fragrance free dry shampoo

November 23, 2015 8:54 PM

I'm looking for a fragrance-free dry shampoo that's readily available in Australia. I've always just used Batiste "Blush" but the fragrance is so heavy and cloying that it now makes me feel physically ill (thanks to morning sickness). Are any of the other Batiste shampoos fragrance-free? Are there any fragrance-free alternatives?

I'd strongly prefer fragrance-free over "low" fragrance options.

posted by snap, crackle and pop to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

My current favorite dry shampoo is Blow Pro Faux Dry Shampoo. Although I'm not particularly sensitive, I don't notice any scent and there's an Amazon review which happily claims it has none. It's a powder in a manual-aerosol container--you squeeze the bottle to dispense powder in a puff. Also rather pricey however, and I don't know what Australia availability is like.
posted by serelliya at 9:22 PM on November 23, 2015

Best answer: I'm blonde, so I just use plain cornstarch. Works super well! Brunettes can use cocoa and arrowroot.
posted by jessca84 at 9:32 PM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

Someone recently posted on a similar thread here about the ingredients of branded dry shampoo being essentially the same as plain old cornstarch. I'll post a link if i can find it. Cornstarch works great for me, and i haven't tried potato starch yet but I'm told it works.

Application can be a bit messy but the benefit is zero smell.
posted by jessicapierce at 9:40 PM on November 23, 2015

I have brown hair (not super dark, but definitely nowhere near blonde), and I use cornstarch or talcum powder as well. It works great as a dry shampoo. Also, it's cheap and fragrance free.
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:41 PM on November 23, 2015

Have you tried good old fashioned Klorane yet? I remember buying it in Australia, and I don't remember it having any scent (it has been a very long time since I've used Klorane).
posted by nerdfish at 2:44 AM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I haven't been that happy with plain cornstarch or talcum powder, but I plan to try rice starch, which is a main ingredient in a scented, very expensive dry shampoo that I do really like. In my mind, it's worth trying out the various super-cheap options, especially if you found a scented product that you otherwise liked that you can check the ingredients of.

(I think this is the comment jessicapierce is referring to.)
posted by mchorn at 5:42 AM on November 24, 2015

I'm definitely with you, that batiste stuff used to make me nauseous as well. There is a fragrance free Klorane, which I can find sometimes, or else I use the oat milk one, which is 'relatively' inoffensive to me. That, or as others have suggested, the main ingredient in most of these is cornstarch or rice starch, so use that. FWIW I also always give my hair a quick blow dry upside down after I apply so there is no residue.
posted by Shibui at 6:12 AM on November 24, 2015

Seconding trying Klorane dry shampoo if you haven't already. I've always found all the Batiste fragrances to be headache inducing but I've never had a problem with Klorane.

You can find it in Priceline, some chemists and I've seen it at Woolworths and Coles too.
posted by thecitymiddle at 6:36 AM on November 24, 2015

I've used plain cornstarch applied lightly with a makeup brush with success. I'm a light haired brunette. I used a fan shaped brush I have, dabbed it on, let it sit a few minutes then finger combed it out and through like I would the spray stuff. (I hate the smell of every dry shampoo I've tried.)
posted by purple_bird at 11:58 AM on November 24, 2015

Best answer: Brunettes can also mix cocoa with cornstarch or arrowroot. It isn't unscented, but it smells delicious.
posted by three_red_balloons at 12:07 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm a redhead and I use a home made mix of cornstarch and a red clay for color, works very well, is fragrance free, cheap, and way better than those spray cans for the environment.
posted by Requiax at 1:50 PM on November 24, 2015

Herbal essences make one that's not fragrance free but does smell very light and clean
posted by KateViolet at 2:54 PM on November 24, 2015

I am sensitive to scents and use primarily fragrance-free products. I have a pretty greasy scalp so I wash my hair almost every day, but I do occasionally use Blow Pro Dry Shampoo. I can't compare it to other dry shampoos because it's the only one I've used - it's very hard to find fragrance-free hair products.
posted by radioamy at 3:21 PM on November 24, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I went down to the supermarket and bought a $1.80 container of Arrowroot: works a treat!
posted by snap, crackle and pop at 4:55 PM on December 13, 2015 [1 favorite]