Homemade Hairspray Recipe That Really Works

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Just like with my DIY Foundation Powder recipe, this homemade hairspray recipe was also born out of sheer panic when, many years ago, our family’s income went from comfortable to zero in an instant. Not only did I want to save money, but I also wanted to “green up” our home and lifestyle.

Conventional hairspray’s primary ingredients are unpronounceable toxic chemicals. Yuck! Although I must admit,  I sure did love that metallic bottle of aerosol hairspray back in the early 90’s when I needed big hair (remember those days of teasing hair and dangly earrings?). However, now I know better (thank goodness!), and big hair is “out” (phew!), so I use a simple homemade hairspray that really works.

My homemade hairspray recipe is non-toxic, inexpensive, easy to make, and doesn’t cause flaking. And, if you have chemical sensitivities or asthma, this recipe just might become your best friend! Here’s why…

Learn to make this simple, homemade hairspray that works!

(This post contains affiliate links to make it easy for you to purchase items mentioned. Your pricing stays the same. See my full disclosure here.)

Ditch the Toxins with Homemade Hairspray

First off, let’s talk about the big offender…Aerosol hairspray. This combustible liquid was invented in WWII. Who knew!? It’s extremely damaging to the environment because of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) which poke holes in our ozone layer.  Just imagine what it does to our lungs! I know I’m not the only one who had coughing fits after dousing my hair in the girl’s bathroom between classes.

Pump hairspray is a tiny bit better because it does not contain VOC’s, but don’t get too excited. The plastic bottle still provides a barrage of chemicals including Ethyl Ester of PVM/MA Copolymer, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Aminomethyl Propanol and Diisopropyl Adipate, found in a well-known drug store brand. Next time you are at the grocery store, just grab a bottle and check out the ingredients. It’s eye-opening!

In addition to all of the unpronounceable ingredients, deceptive labeling practices allow hundreds of chemical ingredients to hide under the name of “fragrance.”  When you see the word “fragrance” on any of your beauty products, buyer beware!

Looking for more natural beauty alternatives? Check out my Homemade Toothpowder.

Benefits of Homemade Hairspray

Safe and non-toxic:  You know exactly what’s in your bottle and what could potentially be inhaled into your lungs. It’s safe for you and the environment!

Easy to make: In five minutes or less, you can whip up one batch, or multiple batches, of homemade hairspray. It’s truly that easy. As a busy Mom who spends a lot of time in the kitchen already, it’s important that I use simple recipes with few ingredients, so I’m in and out of the kitchen quickly.

Inexpensive: With just three ingredients (discussed more below), this recipe costs pennies to make! In this case, less really is more.

Does not cause flaking: Since it’s been years since I’ve used a conventional spray, I almost forgot about the awful white flaking that occurs. Yuck! Well, some good news here; No flaking with my simple homemade hairspray recipe.

Homemade Hairspray Using Essential Oils

Three Simple Ingredients

Distilled Water — When making homemade beauty products that contain water, it’s critical to use either distilled (preferred) or filtered and boiled water to eradicate bacteria. DO NOT USE TAP WATER, unless it is filtered (to remove all the nasty chemicals) and boiled (to remove bacteria). If you use tap water, your homemade beauty product will spoil very quickly. So please, just don’t do it!

Unrefined Organic Sugar — Organic Cane or Coconut sugar works great in this recipe. What’s important is that you use unrefined sugar. Otherwise, you are just adding toxins back in.

Essential Oils  This ingredient primarily adds the fresh scent and possibly a couple of other benefits depending on the oil you choose. Recommended scents for this homemade hairspray recipe are vanilla (because it’s yummy!), rosemary (known to help with hair growth), lemon (known to repel mosquitos) and lavender (also known to repel mosquitos).

  • My recommendation for pure, biodynamic, small-batch, organic oils is Stillpoint Aromatics. What I appreciate about these oils is they are NOT mass-produced and the prices are reasonable. I’m a purist when it comes to ingredients and this company surpasses my expectations. Check them out!

Optional Organic Vodka (or other clear alcohol) — In my homemade hairspray recipe, this is an optional ingredient. However, it can be beneficial to help preserve your hairspray and lengthen its shelf life.  If you can keep your hairspray in the refrigerator (sounds funny, huh?), that will help extend it’s shelf life as well.  So you can try either, or both. It all depends on how much hair spray you use and how quickly you will go through your bottle.

Whether you choose to add Vodka or not, try it out and see what works best for you. You can always adjust your next batch as needed.  Just use Common Sense Caution. If it smells bad or looks funny, don’t use it. 🙂

Can’t wait to hear how you liked this homemade hairspray!

Peace and Love,

♥ Jennifer

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