I have read of dusting a persian with talc to soak up oil from their hair. Since over the years I have heard bad things about talc (whether true or not), I have yet to attempt it. I've always got a large amount of chinchilla dust bath on hand, which is simply ground volcanic ash pumice. For chinchillas, it does just what talc would for cats. Remove oil from their fur.

Would this be a safe alternative? If so, has anyone tried this before?

I have used cornstarch on my long haired cats, but would never use talc or anything else on them, though I know some persian breeders who use talc on their cats all the time.

I use cornstarch on Crystal.
I don't know about the ash though, I think I would check with the vet first to see if they thought it'd be safe to use.:)

The breeder of my younger Himmi recommended Baby Talc (Johnson and Johnson) after a bath- assured me it was safe. She uses it on her show cats.
The same company also have a cornstarch baby powder which I use occasionally- as I think it would be safer.
Helps with my older Himmi's oily fur- and I put it on both cats after a bath. (Useful during cat introductions when I was trying to make them smell the same.)
Still I find a bath much better for oily fur- but it took me 2 years before I found the courage to try bathing my older cat.
Never heard of Chinchilla dust bath- but then I'm not from the US
Cheers
Ctaherine

I don't own a Persian but recently adopted a ShihTzu. The previous owners used talc on the dog and when I asked my vet, she said to use cornstarch and nothing else. This would also apply to long haired cats.