I think I would prefer my hair to smell like vanilla over potato, but really, neither!

Fake vanilla, which can be made from wood pulp, is probably what’s used for most of the scents, at least? The vanilla crisis has mostly settled down – there was a confluence of Events that were bad for the vanilla-growers – some local violence, repeated disastrous weather, then in part due to the astronomical prices, gang involvement and theft. But the industry and at least some of the regions are closer to stable now, which is good in a lot of ways.

… I mean. Starch does actually work – lots of people use corn starch in dry shampoo recipes when they make it at home, and dry starch, basically any starch, *does* work to absorb oils, including hair oil. Doesn’t do anything about buildup of dead skin, does very little about aromas, and you have to get the starch-now-with-new-oily-luggage out of your hair again, as with dry shampoo, but it does apparently work. That said, I’d go with corn starch before potato starch, since I’ve seen it in more recipes for homemade dry shampoo and because it’s less slippery and more absorptive. But in general, if something’s safe to eat, it’s usually safe to apply topically, and some things do actually work…

If you want to go around smelling like thanksgiving dinner, though, I’d recommend rubbing through some sage, garlic powder, and toasted flour… maybe a bit of rosemary as well? And then a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice to finish!

I can understand generic instructions. Then I think about dealing with daughters and fighting to get hair washed. And how much easier it was when they were small enough to lie down on the counter with their heads near the sink. Seems to me a big enough counter (or a salon chair with one of those plastic eyeshades worn by dealers…….