Can Safe Ingredients Make An Effective Dry Shampoo?

Overview

The objective of this project was to develop a low-cost, natural-ingredient dry shampoo for people with limited access to clean water and to evaluate its effectiveness under consistent testing conditions. Three natural powders—pomegranate peel powder, lemon peel powder, and orange peel powder—were tested for their ability to absorb oil and reduce bacterial growth, which is a major contributor to scalp odor. Oil absorbency was evaluated by measuring the percentage change in mass of each powder after oil exposure. Pomegranate peel powder showed the highest oil absorbency with an average mass increase of 80.10%, followed by orange peel powder at 49.10% and lemon peel powder at 37.80%. Antibacterial effectiveness was tested using agar Petri dishes, where bacterial growth was compared between treated samples and a control. Pomegranate peel powder significantly reduced bacterial growth, averaging 19.3 colonies compared to 102.6 colonies in the control group, while lemon and orange peel powders showed minimal reduction. Overall, pomegranate peel powder demonstrated the strongest performance in both oil absorption and bacterial growth reduction, indicating its potential effectiveness as a natural dry shampoo ingredient. These results suggest that pomegranate peel powder may be a practical, affordable option for reducing oil and odor in hair without the use of water.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Microbiology (Junior Division) · Entry J-16-07

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